I thought about writing a blog post about the Boston Celtics’ World Championship (read that again…World Championship) after the game early Wednesday morning. I decided, rightly, that I would be better off just leaving it to the professionals and giving my thoughts on Friday (today). So here they are:

Wow. We’ve seen blowout Super Bowls. The Bears beat the Patriots by 45 points in 1986. We see blowouts in baseball games. Rarely do you see NBA Finals games like what we saw Tuesday night. It was just as much a matter of the Lakers coming out flat as it was the Celtics coming out throwing haymakers. Late in the 4th quarter, when the game started to resemble an NBA Rookies/Sophomores game, I wanted the Celtics to throw Bill Russell, Hondo, JoJo White, Tommy Heinson, and Brian Scalabrine out on the court to play the Lakers. I don’t think we would have seen much difference. The Lakers didn’t decide that it was necessary to play hard and I was glad that the great Wycliffe Grousbeck didn’t effuse false praise on the Lakers for being an other-worldly foe who laid their blood and guts on the floor to win. Because the Lakers didn’t do that. They played the game like their fans cheered for it. Sitting on their fat hands, counting their money, and waiting for it all to be over.

I love hustle, in all of its forms. I like when Jay-Z raps about hustlin’. I like walking briskly. And I love it when sports teams play like their asses are on fire. I especially love it when they continue playing like that when they’re up by forty points in a basketball game, while their opponent plays like their enemy’s house is on fire; standing around apathetically, wondering what they should do.

I will never forget this series. I will never forget the Game 4 comeback. My favorite game of the series. How could it not have been? The Celtics came back from down 24 to win in Los Angeles. Game 2 was nerve-racking in the fourth quarter. But exciting when they pulled it out in the end. Game 1 had Paul Pierce’s knee injury (say what you’d like of it). Game 3 was forgettable, beyond that the Lakers won the game. There was nothing great about the game. Game 5 was frustrating; The NBA clearly urging their officials to stretch the series to a sixth game. And Game 6 was just fun. It was a 48 minute celebration of the Celtics franchise. It was a 48 minute party with 18,000 friends acting like fans should: standing, chanting, yelling, and celebrating. We got to see Tony Allen, who looks like he’d be better suited as a member of the Cash Money Millionaires. You have Glen Davis, who Amanda is convinced is slightly retarded. We got Perk and his shoulder band-aids. And then we got the unsung heroes of this series: Leon Powe, Eddie House, and, more so, James Posey. Posey could have won the MVP of this series if not for Paul Pierce’s career-altering and career-making series. Posey was instant energy. Putting James Posey in the game was like drinking 2 speed-laced Red Bulls. I hope to God that he’s back next season.

Paul Pierce deserves his own paragraph and an apology from me, not that he cares. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have never supported Paul Pierce. I have called for him to be traded as recently as the beginning of this year. I have said, “The Celtics will never win a championship with Paul Pierce.” Quoted. I’ve said that. I was never a fan of Pierce’s sulking. I kept thinking back to 2005 when Paul Pierce showed up to a press conference after Game 6 against Indiana with medical tape wrapped around his head. And I kept thinking that this guy had been stabbed 11 times. Generally, you don’t get stabbed that much unless you’ve done something wrong, not that it’s right to stab anyone for their wrongs. And most importantly, I kept thinking about all of the 10 second Paul Pierce possessions, whereby Paul would bring the ball up the court, dribble for a few seconds, and launch a 22-foot fade-away jumper, inevitably missing it. When Antoine Walker was around, I wanted ‘Toine, not the Truth, who I referred to as “The Lie.”

Maybe Pierce played like he did in the playoffs during the regular season. I wouldn’t know. I only got to watch the Celtics when they were on ESPN or TNT, what with the whole “Living In Washington DC” thing. The Paul Pierce that I saw in the playoffs was a very different Pierce. He played great defense. He didn’t spend the whole game taking pull up or fade-away jumpers. Pierce slashed to the basket. He took on 3 defenders. He passed to open teammates. He drew fouls. He made his free throws. He played harder than I’ve ever seen him play. He became “The Truth.” Without him, the Celtics would not have gotten past Atlanta. With him, they won the championship that I never thought they could. And I was wrong. And for that I apologize.

Apologies are also in order for Doc Rivers. There are people who are saying that he didn’t outcoach Phil Jackson. That he just had a more motivated team. HELLO! That’s coaching in the NBA! Phil Jackson could not motivate his team to want to give everything to win a title. If the Celtics were a bunch of citrus fruit, Doc Rivers was able to squeeze as much juice out of them as he could. And that’s great coaching in my opinion. His X’s and O’s were still pretty horrendous. They kept running the same screen-and-roll play. Tom Thibodeau is the coaching savant here, not Doc Rivers. But a huge kudos to Doc Rivers for being a great motivator.

When the Celtics made the Kevin Garnett trade, there was a part of me that didn’t think it would get them over the hump. I mean, it was the Celtics. Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers were central figures in the everyday running of the team. But Danny Ainge brought in great role players, like Posey, House, and PJ Brown. And Doc lit a fire under his team. And Ray Allen hit his shots. And Paul Pierce became a leader before our eyes. And Kevin Garnett pounded his chest and screamed, “AHHHHHHHHHH!” And Rajon Rondo overcame his glaring faults by showing us his great talent defensively and his ability to slash and kick.

This was the perfect team. There was no Dino Radja. There was no Jerome Moiso. There was no Sherman Douglas. There was no Greg Minor. There was no Pervis Ellison. No Marty Conlon, Todd Day, or Alton Lister. This was a team with great role players, who recognized their role. And when one guy was off, a teammate picked up their game and tried to compensate. Like any team, they had their flaws. The key was that they didn’t exploit their own flaws, like some lesser teams do. Rarely do we see a team like this in sports. A team that clearly loved each other. Eddie House would go to war for Glen Davis, who would go to war for Ray Allen who would go to war for James Posey, and on and on. Over the course of a 108 game season, when one man fell, two men picked him up. The model for “team” won the NBA Championship this year. And I, no we, couldn’t be happier that it was the Boston Celtics. Our Boston Celtics. Our World Champions.

I originally went with “neck,” but decided that wouldn’t be painful enough.

I loathe Sasha Vujacic. My hate for Kobe Bryant is well known, I feel. There is no other Laker I despise more than Kobe Bryant. However, Sasha Vujacic, you ma’am are so mind-defyingly loathsome that I can easily place you as the second most hate-able player on what is not a team, but is a group of players: The Los Angeles Lakers.

I don’t understand how people can root for that group of players. For once, Boston fans should rejoice at the fact that the TV guys want the Celtics to win. Beyond the fact that Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson are the two best color commentary guys in TV basketball, they’re also the most honest. They clearly hate the Lakers. Mike Breen, who I don’t love (I would prefer to see ESPN use TNT’s Kevin Harlan. The agreement would be easy. They advertise each other’s games. I’m sure TNT would allow ESPN to use one of their announcers. And we’d get to hear the phrase, “Right Between The Eyes!” repeatedly. I’d also really enjoy Marv Albert. And the nostalgic in me would really prefer Bob Costas. But I digress…) is forced by the people in his ear to be as straight as possible. All play-by-play men are supposed to be. What makes this broadcasting team different is that Van Gundy calls Breen out when he’s inventing positive things to say about the Lakers. Van Gundy and Jackson see that the Lakers do not play as a team. They play, as I’ve pointed out many times in this post, like a group of players. They scowl at each other. They yell at each other. Van Gundy pointed out the difference in the benches. The Lakers bench sits and watches the game with as much enthusiasm as the elitist blowhards who paid a sum of money I cannot comprehend to say they were at the game do. The Celtics bench stands and cheers and comes out onto the court to congratulate or support their teammates when timeouts are called. (If there is someone who is a true Lakers fan who reads my blog, I would love for them to argue that the previous paragraph was wrong. I don’t want devil’s advocates. I want true Laker fans. Are there any?)

I don’t have a lot to say about last night’s game. Well, I do. Here are my thoughts:

1.) Dick Bevetta? Yea? Dick Bevetta got this assignment?:
David Stern needs to be stopped. David Stern, the NBA’s commissioner, had the testicular fortitude to assign Dick Bevetta to last night’s game. There is an ongoing investigation of Dick Bevetta’s possible involvement in fixing NBA games that he himself refereed. This all stems from the Tim Doughnahy investigation. Doughnahy, a former NBA referee, bet on basketball games that he officiated. That’s a no-no. Well, Dick Bevetta, who died in 1976 but is still calling actual NBA games, is being investigated by the federales. So imagine my indignation that Dick Bevetta would be assigned to ref last night’s game. In LA. With the NBA pulling for maybe another game in the series. Because the TV ratings are up. And when TV ratings are up, advertising dollars are up. And money is good. I’ve been trying to ignore the Bevetta thing in the playoffs. I’m trying to enjoy a great NBA playoffs and a great Finals matchup. And the only Boston team I really love being on the cusp of their first title in 20+ years. Their first title of my knowing life. But it’s hard to do that when Dick Bevetta’s rotting corpse is propped up to officiate Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Los Angeles. David Stern sucks.

2.) Bad officiating
Paul Pierce was fouled by Kobe Bryant on his “great” “steal” in the 4th quarter. Paul Pierce was fouled ten seconds earlier when he rebounded a missed free throw. He was MAULED! Kevin Garnett could have been attacked by cheetahs in the paint and there would have been no fouls called. However, when Kevin Garnett makes a clean block on a Pau Gasol shot, it’s a foul. His fifth foul. A lot of people don’t like to complain about officiating. They say that you should win the game no matter what. Those people are wrong. Dead wrong. It’s hard to win a tightly contested game when the other team is allowed to play tighter and more physical defense than you are.

3.) Paul Pierce…Paul Pierce…Paul Pierce
I would be the biggest liar in the world if I told you that I loved Paul Pierce. I’ve gone through periods where I didn’t like Paul Pierce. I’ve called for him to be traded about 390 times…in the last year. I’ve been wrong. Paul Pierce has stepped his game up when it mattered. I’m not the only person to say this. Everyone is drinking the new “Truth” flavor of Kool-Aid. He’s the reason why the Celtics are up 3-2 heading home for Tuesday night’s Game 6. While the previously deceased Ray Allen has resurfaced as Zombie Ray Allen and has been great offensively, Pierce’s defense on Kobe Bryant has been beyond great. Find a word for it and send it to me. Pierce is the Finals MVP so far.

4.) Rajon? Rajon? Where are you???

5.) Someone tell me how Sam Cassell is still alive? Am I the only one who has been sending him rabid badgers?

6.) Doc is still outcoaching Phil Jackson.

Frankly, I expect the Celtics to win this series. I know I have a penchant for jinxing. But, really, don’t we all? I was not even remotely nervous about last night’s game. They didn’t really have anything to lose, besides the game. They’re still up 3-2. They’re still playing the last two games in the North End. And most importantly, they’re still the better team. Well, the only team.

Game O’ The Day: 18-hole playoff for the US Open title between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods. That just edges out the Florida Marlins/Seattle Mariners blood feud that features tonight’s marquee Andrew Miller vs. Carlos Silva pitching matchup.

There is no term that can do justice to what happened last night. None. No single word in the English language (or any for that matter) can summarize what we saw in Downtown Los Angeles last night. It will take a series of words. The title today, is the best I am capable of.

As I said to Matt, via text, after the first quarter, the only way that could have gone any worse was if Paul Pierce was stabbed 11 times again. With tires, there are varying degrees of flat. You have the slow leak, “Oh, it looks like your tire is a little low,” flat. And then you have the “You car has been abandoned in sand dunes for 20 years and is rusty and the tires are so flat that the rims of the car are now the only things keeping the fenders from being three inches into the earth,” flat. That was how flat the Celtics were in the first quarter last night. To be honest, because it’s the NBA, I wasn’t totally concerned. Sure they were down 20 points in the first 12 minutes and sure Lamar Odom was hitting every shot he took, and sure Kobe Bryant had yet to attempt a field goal. But it’s the NBA. Everybody makes a run.

Then the 2nd quarter happened. The Celtics started to score a bit more. The Lakers, however, did the same. The Celtics defense was porous. Doc couldn’t find a rotation that worked. He tried Leon Powe. Sam Cassell. At one point in the 3rd quarter, he tried Tony Allen, who I believe had been living in an igloo somewhere in northern Alaska since the playoffs began, before Doc decided to give him a call and come play. Nothing seemed to turn the tide though. Doc couldn’t get the right personnel out there to stop the Lakers. The Celtics could get the lead down a bit (after going down 24) to about 12 points, but the Lakers would make a run and the Celtics would have to try to chip away more.

Jump now to halfway through the third quarter. Kendrick Perkins hurts his shoulder. And the fortunes of the Boston Celtics miraculously alter at that very moment. Now, I like Perk’s hustle and his intensity. And, as he did in Game 5 against Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals, Perk can play pretty well at times. But Kendrick Perkins is not the key to the Boston Celtics success. And at times, I think he’s an offensive liability on the court. So with Perk gone, Doc decided to go small. Very small. He moved KG to the Center spot and went with a The Truth and Posey at the forward spots and Ray Allen and Eddie House almost sharing time as the point guard/2 guard. The Lakers could not match this lineup.

To me, the biggest reason the Celtics won last night’s amazing game was due as much to Kobe Bryant’s need to be the guy who takes every shot when his team doesn’t have the momentum. If Kobe had continued to play in the 2nd half the way he did in the first quarter: driving, drawing double teams, and kicking out to wide-open teammates, the Lakers would have won by 15. But Kobe, as he usually is, was insistent on having the ball in his hands at all times. And Paul Pierce was up to the challenge. His defense was outstanding. Beyond outstanding. Incomprehensible. Pierce has never been regarded as Ron Artest meets Scottie Pippen, but his defense in this series particularly has been a key to the Celtics now 3-1 series lead.

And now, for something that you never thought you’d hear and I can’t believe I’m typing: Doc Rivers has outcoached Phil Jackson in this series. In the NBA, a league full of stars who “forget” the play coming out of the huddle, Phil Jackson has been at the mercy of Kobe Bryant. He (Phil) has no control over the Lakers on the court. Case in point: First quarter, the Lakers are dribbling the ball with a big lead and about 14 seconds on the shot clock when Phil inexplicably calls a timeout. Derek Fisher could not have looked more incensed. I assume that the so-called “Zen Master” (I prefer Arrogance Master) wanted his team to run his triangle. So he likely called a play. And what happened out of the timeout? Lamar Odom received the inbounds pass. Dribbled for a few seconds, and hit a 18 foot jump shot. Now ask yourself, is that the play that Phil Jackson called out of the timeout? The Lakers, at least in this series, do not appear to respond to Phil Jackson. Meanwhile, at the other end of the court, the Celtics eat up every word out of Doc Rivers’ mouth. He motivates more than he coaches. But in the NBA, especially in games like last night’s, perhaps that’s all you need. There’s no 20 point play you can draw up. But there are certainly words and phrases that can lead to 10 2-point plays.

Heading in to Sunday’s Game 5, I don’t know what to expect. If momentum was 100 points given out to two teams, the Lakers would have 0 and the Celtics would have 100. By no means do I think this series is over. I don’t want to have to deal with a Celtics collapse. I don’t want to shed tears next Thursday, unless it’s because the Celtics are holding up the trophy at center court at the Garden. If Phil Jackson is as good a coach as he says he is, the Lakers will be pissed off on Sunday and will wipe the Celtics off the Staples Center floor. But at least the Celtics know that no matter how hot the Lakers play, the Celtics can play with them. And that’s got to be a great feeling.

Normally, I would end the post there. Last night’s game was so historical that it deserves to stand alone. However, I haven’t given the readers a Mid-Atlantic Bias in 8 days. And this is only my second in since May 30. So lets talk some baseball.

The playoff matchups, should they begin the playoffs today would be:

AL:
Boston vs. Chicago
Los Angeles vs. Tampa Bay

NL:
Chicago vs. Arizona
Philadelphia vs. St. Louis

The thing that jumps out to me is how much Arizona is struggling of late. They were, if you remember, the best team in baseball for a while. Now they are 4 1/2 games up on the Dodgers and 6 up on the Giants, who are somehow not the worst team in baseball (That goes to the Seattle Mariners). There a few teams to watch. Texas is one of them. They’re at .500. They are 7 1/2 back of Los Angeles of Anaheim of California of the United States of America of North America of Earth of the Milky Way. However, the Angels have been hot of late and will cool down. Also, the Yankees. By this time next month, they’ll be in the Wild Card spot. Mark it down. In the NL, I think we’ve got our playoff matchups already. The Milwaukee Brewers are the only team I see with a shot to make the playoffs right now of those teams who are not in it. The Braves and Mets are abysmal. And the rest of the Central and West are no better.

It’s also time for the 4/10 (2/5) awards. It seems like I just did this, but that’s because I did. Last time, I got a lot of negative feedback from an incensed Matthew. Lets see what I can muster this time around:

AL MVP: Previous Winner: Josh Hamilton
Current Winner: Same. Hamilton is still leading in HR and RBI in the AL. And while I said last time around that Texas has no legit shot at the playoffs, I may have been wrong. They have a shot. To this point, no one in the AL has been as good as Josh Hamilton. Period.

NL MVP: Previous Winner: Lance Berkman
Current Winner: Same. This is where I got Matt the angriest last time. His belief was that Chipper Jones (hitting .414 at the moment) should be the MVP. However, Berkman is still my choice because of his power numbers (2nd in HR, 3rd in RBI) to go with his .366 average. Chase Utley is also in this conversation. Right now, I go Berkman, Utley, then Jones. In the end, I think this award will go to Utley, for what it’s worth.

AL Cy Young: Previous Winner: Daisuke Matsuzaka
Current Winner: Cliff Lee (Cleveland Indians). Daisuke hasn’t pitched since I gave him the Cy Young. And Cliff Lee at the moment has 10 wins and a 2.52 ERA, along with a K/BB ratio of 5.00. Whatever you think about Cliff Lee, you can’t argue with those numbers.

NL Cy Young: Previous Winner: Edinson Volquez
Current Winner: Same. 9 wins. 1.56 ERA. Leads the Majors in strikeouts (96). The only player near him is Tim Lincecum of the Giants.

AL Rookie of the Year: Previous Winner: David Murphy
Current Winner: Same. Who would’ve thought?

NL Rookie of the Year: Previous Winner: Geovany Soto
Current Winner: Same. He’s got this locked up.

AL Manager of the Year: Previous Winner: Joe Maddon
Current Winner: Same. The Rays are still in the playoffs. Maddon is still the Manager of the Year.

NL Manager of the Year: Previous Winner: Fredi Gonzalez
Current Winner: Lou Pinella. The Marlins have faltered. The Cubbies, have not. They’re the best team in the Majors hands down. We’ll see what the Soriano loss does to them in the next 2 months.

What You Need To Watch This Weekend:

EURO Cup 2008:
Matches to Watch: France vs. Netherlands (Friday 2:45), Sweden vs. Spain (Saturday 12:00), and Switzerland vs. Portugal (Sunday 2:45).

MLB Game O’ The Weekend:
Yankees @ Astros (Sunday) Chien-Ming Wang vs. Roy Oswalt. This weekend’s slate is weak. The only matchup featuring two teams currently in the playoffs is the Phillies vs. Cardinals, but none of their pitching matchups are particularly intriguing. So I’ll take Wang vs. Oswalt. I will not watch this game.

THE GAME THAT YOU NEED TO WATCH:
Celtics @ Lakers (Game 5 Sunday night). No predictions. We’ll see if on Monday I write a piece about the Champion Boston Celtics or my fears heading into Tuesday night’s Game 6 in Boston. Until then, enjoy your weekend. Good to be back.

So, I worked today until 6. It’s 8 right now. It occurred to me that I promised my readers a Mid-Atlantic Bias today and while it won’t be long or in depth, at least it’s something.

I need to give my finals predictions before Game 1 starts. Little info, my aunt and her boyfriend from Boise are in Boston to attend Games 1 and 2. I am filled with envy.

Breakdown By Position:

PG (Derek Fisher vs. Rajon Rondo): Advantage Fisher. He’s got all the experience. He’s been here before and he’s a great team player. Rondo is as well, but Fisher is a much better shooter. If we judge this by Rondo’s potential, he’s the winner. But for this 7 game series, I’d take Fisher.

SG (Kobe Bryant vs. Ray Allen): Moving on…

SF (Lamar Odom vs. Paul Pierce): “Closer than the experts think,” to quote a great college football analyst. When Odom shows up, he is capable of taking a game over. Because he doesn’t always take games over, I am going to give a slight nod to Pierce, but if this is as simple as rating players on a 1-10 basis, Odom at his best is an 8.0, Pierce at his usual is about the same.

PF (Vladimir Radmonovic vs. Kevin Garnett): See the SG matchup.

C (Pau Gasol vs. Kenrick Perkins): If Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals Perk shows up, this will be a close matchup. If their normal versions show up, Gasol will average 16 pts., 10 Reb and Perk will foul out and scowl. Advantage Gasol.

Benches (Vujacic, Farmar, Walton, Turiaf vs. Posey, House or Cassell (preferably Eddie House, then perhaps a scarecrow, then Cassell), Powe, Brown): Advantage Celtics. Posey is the key here. I would start him at the 2 against Kobe.

Coaches (Phil Jackson vs. Glenn Rivers): You know how I said “Moving on…” for the SG and PF matchups. This is the equivalent of Michael Jordan squaring off against Drazen Petrovic’s corpse.

Your Winner: If I go with my heart, it’s Celtics in 3 (with a Lakers forfeit after they lose by 39 in Game 3). If I go with my head and what I’ve got here, it’s Lakers in 6. Gasol is the key. The Celtics won both regular season games before the February Gasol trade. The Lakers are a completely different team now. I can’t see Ray Allen defending Kobe with any success. I think the Celtics will win tonight’s game in front of a whiteout at the Garden. The Lakers will likely steal Game 2, much like the Pistons did in the conference finals.

Whatever happens, enjoy this series, basketball fan or not. We’re not old enough to have really experienced the history and aura of Celtics/Lakers in the 80’s and certainly not old enough for the 60’s rivalry. Try to savor this as much as possible. It’s going to be fun.

Hey all. I started my internship today (which I’m not allowed to talk about in a blog, so I won’t).

I am not going to terminate Mid-Atlantic Bias, however, it will be appearing a maximum of twice a week until further notice. As much as I enjoy my blog and like giving my friends something to read, the 7:30-7 day (including commute) really isn’t conducive to taking an hour and a half to post.

Mid-Atlantic Bias will become a Monday/Friday venture. However, this Friday I am flying home in the early morning and next Monday, I’ll still be in Massachusetts (flying home at night). So here’s what you need to look for:

Thursday June 5: Mid-Atlantic Bias
Friday June 13: Mid-Atlantic Bias

This looks sadder than I originally thought it would. I understand if no one wants to read anymore. For those of you who enjoy it enough to stick with it and for my own personal needs to vent about sports, I will continue the blog.

Again and as always, I thank you all for being casual readers, semi-daily readers, or voracious readers, but mainly for reading.

I hope my New Hampshire contingent has moved into their new digs nicely.

Any requests for this Thursday, please, all, send them along!

For once I called something right in taking the Lakers to win the Western Conference Finals in 5 games. The Spurs were just overmatched, really. They’re not that much worse than the Lakers. Just overmatched. The Lakers’ depth is perhaps their most overlooked asset. They can pull Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, and Ronny Turiaf off the bench at any point and get valuable minutes. Their starting five: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Vlad Radmanovic, and Pau Gasol has a perfect balance to it. I think they’re very good, have since the Pau Gasol theft, and am eagerly anticipating the potential Garden v. Showtime NBA Final.

Today is Day 2 of Dehydration Fest 2008. I’m currently downing a 32 oz. bottle of Gatorade Tiger. I’m probably going to have another soon.

Your current MLB Playoff Matchups:

AL:

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago White Sox
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim California Angels vs. Boston Red Sox

NL:

Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Florida Marlins vs. Saint Louis Cardinals

Interestingly, the NL matchups have not changed since the last time I did this. The AL matchups now include the White Sox and Angels. Looking at those matchups, and yes it’s still May, I’d see a battle of the Sox in the ALCS and the Cubs and Cardinals in the NLCS. The midwest revival.

It is time for the 3/10 awards (I’m a little late, actually). Most teams have played 54 games (give or take). I’ll list the previous winners:

AL MVP
Previous Winner: The Manny Ramirez
Current Winner: Josh Hamilton (Texas Rangers). Some people will scoff at this notion. The Rangers are in fact, in third place in the AL West with no legit shot at the playoffs. However, this is where Josh Hamilton ranks in the three Triple Crown Categories: AVG (4), HR (2), RBI (1).

NL MVP
Previous Winner: Albert Pujols
Current Winner: Lance Berkman (Houston Astros). While the ‘Stros are behind the Cardinals in the standings, Berkman ranks 2nd, 1st, and 1st in the Triple Crown categories and is carrying the Astros who have gotten NOTHING from ace Roy Oswalt.

AL Cy Young
Previous Winner: Ervin Santana
Current Winner: Daisuke Matsuzaka (Boston Red Sox). He’s tied for first in Wins and second in ERA for a first place team with a lot of pitching questions. He gets the nod over Cliff Lee, Joe Saunders, and Santana for the moment, though there is a “dark horse” riding up from down South.

NL Cy Young
Previous Winner: Brandon Webb
Current Winner: Edinson Volquez (Cincinnati Reds). Webb has slowed since his 1/5 CY Young win. Volquez’s 7 wins ties him for second in the NL. His Dead Ball Era ERA of 1.31 clearly ranks him first. He beats out Tim Lincecum and Carlos Zambrano, though I look for the latter to have this award next time around.

AL Rookie of the Year
Previous Winner: Jacoby Ellsbury
Current Winner: David Murphy (Texas Rangers). This blood feud may go back and forth all year until the Red Sox call up Justin Masterson for good.

NL Rookie of the Year
Previous Winner: Geovany Soto
Current Winner: Same.

AL Manager of the Year
Previous Winner: Mike Scoscia
Current Winner: Joe Maddon (Tampa Bay Rays). I’m fearful that I just jinxed my Rays. However, serious people, they have the second best record in baseball.

NL Manager of the Year
Previous Winner: Freddi Gonzalez
Current Winner: Same. As I said before, until they falter, this cannot change.

Kristen had asked me to do my own All-2012 team, based on an article on ESPN.com yesterday outlining who would be the best at each position in terms of offensive production 4 years from now. I sort of did this earlier in the month with my All-25 and Under team. However, in an act of fairness to my readers, here is who I think will be performing the best at each position in 2012 (some without explanation based on what I provided earlier in May)

C: Russell Martin
1B: Prince Fielder (Assuming he starts eating hamburgers again and finds his missing power).
2B: Dan Uggla (Just edging out Chase Utley. Uggla’s numbers the past 3 years have been great, and I believe will improve.
SS: Hanley Ramirez
3B: David Wright
RF: Josh Hamilton (I’m a believer)
CF: Grady Sizemore (Though after 3 games, Jay Bruce is close…)
LF: Ryan Braun (I’m tempted to go with Carlos Quentin. And I’m not even kidding).

Starting Pitchers (I’ll choose 5): Tim Lincecum, Brandon Webb, Jake Peavy, Scott Kazmir, and David Price. (The latter has not pitched a single game above A Ball in his career. So that’s my longshot pick).

Closer: Jonathan Papelbon. I mean, really, who else?

Bobby Valentine will manage this team, as he would manage all of my teams, including the 2008 New York Metropolitans.

Three Things You Should Watch This Weekend (Kind of like the Game O’ The Day):

The Boston/Detroit Series (Tonight…Maybe Sunday). Let’s just hope it only goes until tonight.

Stanley Cup Finals (Penguins/Wings). Tomorrow night. Game 4. You should watch.

MLB Game of the Weekend: Saturday (Chicago White Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays). The best pitching duel of the weekend pits Javier Vazquez and Scott Kazmir at the bizarre time of 6:10 PM.

Probably no Mid-Atlantic Bias on Monday, as I start work, but I’ll try to leave a message on the site as to when it will return. Keep well.

Retreads. I’m so sick of retreads. Doug Collins was fired as coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1989 (a team with some guy named Michael Jordan). Today, he was hired as the new head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Huh? He wasn’t good enough to coach a team led by Michael Jordan, but he’ll do wonders with Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, and Smokem’ Noah? Yea, why wait for Tom Thibedeou? Or interview Mark Jackson? Avery Johnson? As much as I understand about sports, I will never understand sports.

I cannot comment on last night’s Pistons/Celtics game as my skull nearly cracked open from the headache that I had. It’s the 3rd occurrence in the last 4 times I have played basketball of me getting a splitting headache. So that’s fun.

I do understand that it was a great game that the Celtics nearly let get away from them, if not for Rodney Stuckey’s missed free throw late in the 4th. Most of the talk I heard this morning was about Kevin Garnett’s strong desire to lead the NBA in 4th quarter assists during the playoffs. On one highlight, he had a clear path to the basket and instead of driving and dunking, he took a half step and passed to a Detroit Piston. I’ve defended Garnett about his love of 4th quarter passing before, but really, this is getting kind of ridiculous. When he’s covered, sure, pass. But when you’ve got a clear path?

Kudos to Kendrick Perkin’s alarm clock for waking him up yesterday. If there’s an X Factor outside of the Big 3, especially in this series, it’s Perk. Performances like last night’s will get the Celtics into the NBA Finals.

For some reason, my eyes could tolerate the mass quantity of white at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena, so I was able to catch about 8 minutes of the 3rd period of last night’s game before collapsing into sleep. Probably the best action I’ve seen these playoffs (outside of “Game 6”). At one point, there was 5 1/2 minutes of non-stop skating and checking. No whistles. It was like Joey Crawford was officiating the game.

Anyway, the Pens were able to score a goal (3 of them) and beat the Red Wings (barely) 3-2, moving their series to a 2-1 score and giving them some much needed momentum heading into Game 4 at the electric Igloo, which from the outside looks something like a heap of scrap metal. The crowd was fantastic last night inside, however. Everyone in white. Everyone screaming. The arena was actually shaking after Sidney Crosby’s first goal and during the fantastic third period. It’s upsetting to me that these games have been opposite the Celtics/Pistons games. I may choose the Pens/Wings over the C’s/Pistons on Friday.

As promised, I have ranked my top 10 (it’s an easier number than 12) favorite MLB ballparks that I’ve been to. I’ve tried to take out my prejudices, how great the game was, the weather, etc. and just measure the park based on the atmosphere, food, and fans. (Number 12 is Florida’s Dolphin Stadium, which I’ve been to twice, had two great experiences, and still couldn’t rank it ahead of McAfee Colisseum and number 11 was Montreal’s Olympic Stadium which ranks ahead of Dolphin Stadium because it’s interior is cool and not orange).

(Dolphin Stadium Games: Braves @ Marlins (Tim Hudson vs. Scott Olsen) and Expos @ Marlins (Javier Vazquez vs. Carl Pavano).)

(Olympic Stadium Games: Astros @ Expos (Roger Clemens vs. Jon Rauch) and Astros @ Expos (Peter Munro vs. Livan Hernandez).)

10. McAffee Coliseum (Oakland)
For the sake of food, I’m only going to rank the hot dog, because it’s all that matters to me. Oakland has the best dog in the business. The Coliseum dog is big, and meaty, and delicious. And the bun is also great. The stadium itself is cavernous, like Dolphin Stadium, and the sightlines are even worse. I sat in the first level, in RF, and felt like I was a mile away from homeplate. Because it’s a football stadium, my seat angled nicely towards the left field seats. The fans are not at all memorable.
(My Game was the Angels @ A’s. Pitching Matchup was Jarrod Washburn vs. Tim Hudson))

9. US Cellular Field (Chicago)
Nothing about US Cellular, besides my great seats, was memorable. I left the game early because it was so boring. There was no atmosphere. The food was mediocre. Even though it’s a newer ballpark, it has no appeal. The only thing that ranks it ahead of McAffee was my ability to actually see the game. I like smaller parks. US Cellular won that important category.
(A’s @ White Sox. Joe Blanton vs. Jose Contreras).

8. Shea Stadium (New York)
As a Mets fan, this pains me (as does the 2008 season…fire Willie Randolph now!). I like Shea, despite it being a massive toilet. The atmosphere is great. The food isn’t bad at all. The sight lines are horrendous. The worst in baseball in my opinion. Overpriced seats placing you somewhere up with Jesus to watch the game. I could have flip-flopped 8 and 7.
(This will be kind of long)

(Marlins @ Mets (Brad Penny vs. Al Leiter), Phillies @ Mets (Jon Lieber vs. Pedro Martinez), Astros @ Mets (Roy Oswalt vs. Mike Pelfrey), Padres @ Mets (Jake Peavy vs. Brian Lawrence).

7. Yankee Stadium (New York)
The food sucks. The sightlines were not good, though better than Shea. The Stadium is in the middle of the ghetto. But the atmosphere is just so great. Yankee fans, except for Chris Matrumalo, are loud, offensive, violent, and mostly uninformed, as I have discovered. However, they’re fun and really add to the dynamic of the game.

(Mets @ Yankees (Oliver Perez vs. Chien-Ming Wang))

6. Nationals Park (Washington)
Bells and whistles galore. A glorious video board. Lots of food options. Decent sightlines (if not overpriced). And a terrible team. For sheer cleanliness, Nationals Park wins out over Yankee and Shea. The atmosphere at the previous two parks cannot in any way be topped by Nationals Park. However, if you took someone to Yankee Stadium with no previous knowledge of baseball and then Nationals Park and asked them, “which one is better?” they’d go with Nats Park.

(Mets @ Nationals (Johan Santana vs. Tim Redding)

5. Camden Yards (Baltimore)
I didn’t really love Camden Yards. Nothing about it really impressed me. So you may be asking yourself, what the hell am I ranking it here for? Good question. The food was very impressive. The atmosphere (that has since changed I’m sure since 2005) was very nice. And there were nice touches. Like placing TVs in the areas where the overhang was a problem. And it’s small and appealing. Nationals Park is somewhat larger. In a way, Camden is perfectly mediocre.

(Diamondbacks @ Orioles (Randy Johnson vs. Sidney Ponson))

4. Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia)
The smallest park I had been to up until a week ago. Sitting inside of CBP, you feel like you can touch everything with your hand. The food was very good. The atmosphere is similar to Yankee Stadium normally (I was at a weekday day game, so I’ll let the more relaxed atmosphere slide). There’s nothing wrong with Citizens Bank Park, beyond the view of a Holiday Inn hotel (which I stayed in) and not much else beyond the stadium.

(Mets @ Phillies (Steve Trachsel vs. Cory Lidle R.I.P)).

3. Fenway Park (Boston)
I can’t believe I’m doing this. The New Yorker that I wish I was hates that I’m doing this. But you can’t beat Fenway for atmosphere. It’s a classic ballpark (not a new one trying to be classic). The food is good. It’s all terribly overpriced, but it’s one of only 2 remaining classics in baseball. And that seems good enough to me for third place, poorly placed poles and all.

(Twins @ Red Sox (Greg Harris vs. Jeff Suppan), Nationals @ Red Sox (Tony Armas Jr. vs. Kyle Snyder))….Two gems there.

2. PNC Park (Pittsburgh)
A great baseball park. Perfectly small. Fairly priced seats. A great view. Amazing sightlines. The fan atmosphere is the only thing holding it back in my opinion. Otherwise it’s a perfect place to watch a baseball game on the East Coast (more on that in a second)

(Cubs @ Pirates (Carlos Zambrano vs. Zach Duke)).

1. AT&T Park (San Francisco)
It will forever be my number 1 park. Maybe if I go again, I won’t like it as much. But it was on the same trip as my Oakland game from number 10. And it couldn’t have been any more different. The park is absolutely gorgeous. The food is amazing. The sightlines are great. And the view. Oh the view. Even on TV, the park looks special. It gets overlooked often because it’s not an East Coast park, like PNC and Fenway, but I’ve never experienced a better place to watch a baseball game in my life.

(Cardinals @ Giants (Garrett Stephenson vs. Jerome Williams))…and Barry Bond’s 639th career home run.

Game O’ The Day: To practice for when the NBA and NHL aren’t around, I’m going to go with the best Major League matchup of the day. Chicago White Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays. Two first place teams going at it in front of about 11,000 people. John Danks vs. Edwin Jackson. Can you feel the excitement? I can.

For me, it’s always awkward when I have neglected to do Mid-Atlantic Bias for a day (two in this case). I really feel like I went out for a carton of milk and a pack of smokes and didn’t come back for 3 weeks. Joel Madden should write songs about me, but he’s too busy being in US Weekly, just like Joey Ramone was.

Anywho, I am back two days late because of the holiday on Monday and my apathy yesterday. For those of you who I have neglected to tell, I start work on Monday. I don’t really know what will happen to Mid-Atlantic Bias from here. I can’t imagine that it will go back to its original daily format. At best, I will try to keep it happening twice a week. I can’t really see myself working 9-5 and coming home to research the WNBA to write my mid-season review.

Turning to the World of Woodchopping (or logging) I like 7-time STIHL Timbersports Series Champion Jason Wynard to win this year, just edging out his rival David Blostad. (That’s for you Ian)

As you know, Friday I traveled to Pittsburgh to their beautiful ballpark to see the Pirates and Cubs play. As a sidenote, the Cubs are quickly gaining lots of love from me, likely do in large part to the fact that Willie Randolph still has a job that isn’t at Rita’s this summer, scooping Italian Ice. The game was less than memorable, beyond Carlos Zambrano’s 4 hit day at the plate and the Cubs 12-3 win. Tomorrow, I will rank the 12 Major League Parks I have been to. PNC Park is in the top 5. The Lakers are running away with their series with San Antonio and it looks like my 5 game victory looks to be correct. As for the Celtics/Pistons series, I don’t really know what’s going to happen tonight. It’ll be my Game O’ The Day, I just won’t analyze anything. I never did post my Stanley Cup Final prediction, so I’ll take the Penguins in 7. They’re already in the hole 2-0, so that’s going to look real good if it happens. It is, however, what I would have done at the start of the series. It occurs to me that I have a Mock Draft, that no one cares about, to finish. So I’ll do that, give you the Game O’ The Day, and contemplate the future of Mid-Atlantic Bias. Send along your ideas/preferences. (Go back a couple posts to see the rest of the Mock Draft) 21. Brooklyn Nets What They Need: More Depth Everywhere THE PICK: Bill Walker (SF/Kansas State)
I like Walker more than the guy getting drafted 19 spots ahead of him. He surely doesn’t have the upside of Michael Beasley, but he’s athletic as hell and would really help the Nets bench as Richard Jefferson or Vince Carter’s backup. He could develop into a starter as well, should they choose to trade either or both of R-Jeff or Vince.

22. Orlando Magic
What They Need: Point Guard/Shooting Guard
THE PICK: Davon Jefferson (SF/USC)
While it’s not a point of need, he may be the best player on the board and he fills a sort-of need. Hedo Turkoglu had a great season at the 3, but Jefferson is more conventional wingman. He’s athletic and a polished scorer. And a better bet to be a defensive help than fellow Pac-10 swingman Chase Budinger, who I like about as much as I like bee stings.

23. Utah Jazz
What They Need: A Center
THE PICK: Roy Hibbert (C/Georgetown)
While Hibbert has the nickname “The Big Stiff,” this is the perfect offense for him. Utah is a halfcourt team with a very good power forward and a very good point guard and wing players who can shoot from outside. All Hibbert has to do is stand down low and rebound and block shots. I don’t know how well he’ll do that.

24. Seattle Sonics
What They Need: A Point Guard…Still
THE PICK: JaVale McGee (PF/Nevada)
There are no point guards left worth taking in Round 1, so the Sonics take the best available guy in McGee. I don’t have much to say about him. He played at Nevada.

25. Houston Rockets
What They Need: A new Chinese Center who doesn’t break.
THE PICK: Mareese Speights (C/Florida)
Speights is still young, but he has lots of time to develop playing behind Yao Ming. And he can step in and get some playing time when Yao goes down next year in December with a fractured something-or-other.

26. San Antonio Spurs
What They Need: More Foreign Players.
THE PICK: Serge Ibaka (PF/Congo)

27. New Orleans Hornets
What They Need: A scorer
THE PICK: Chase Budinger (SF/Arizona)
Budinger plays no defense, but he can slash and score. As little as I like him, he’s a pretty good fit in New Orleans.

28. Memphis Grizzlies
What They Need: Can you draft a new GM? No? Hmmm…I don’t know…players???
THE PICK: Ante Tomic (C/Croatia)
The Grizzlies aren’t going to be good anytime soon. So they draft Tomic and leave him overseas until his contract is up. Excited, Grizzlies fans?

29. Detroit Pistons
What They Need: Just depth. More of it.
THE PICK: JJ Hickson (PF/North Carolina State)
I mean, this team shouldn’t be allowed to draft players at this point. That’s my solution. It’s just not fair.

30. Boston Celtics
What They Need: 2-guard.
THE PICK: Chris Douglas-Roberts (SG/Memphis)
A lot has to happen for this to happen. Mainly teams passing on CDR because of his poor free throw shooting. Enough good coaching can solve that problem. I think he’d fit in really well off the bench next year and spot starting to spell Ray Allen. He can develop into a really solid, long, slasher at the 2 in the NBA and would give the Celtics great defensive length in the backcourt. I can’t really say how much I would love this pick for Boston.

Game O’ The Day: If you read today’s entire post, you’d know it already. Also, if you follow sports, you know it.

Do look for today’s USA/England soccer friendly at 3 pm on ESPN Classic. I like the US to pull off a huge international upset 2-1 over the Brits.

As Amanda and I just spontaneously decided to go to Pittsburgh tomorrow night, there will be no Mid-Atlantic Bias on Friday, May 23. Please, everyone, enjoy your long weekend. Continue below for today (Thursday’s) post.

So I was a little off on my Lakers’ blowout victory last night, which is due in large part to Kobe Bryant’s absence from the game. I didn’t watch the game. I frankly don’t care very much about this series. I really don’t think the Spurs can win this series, especially after the Lakers gift-wrapped Game 1 and the Spurs couldn’t win.

Still nothing from my mysterious UNH reader.

Lots of issues with Part 1 of the Mock Draft yesterday. I’ll respond to all points after the Mock Draft is completed tomorrow. For now, I’m going short post today, and jumping right back in to the Mock:

11. Indiana Pacers
What They Need: A new team. They have needs at every position that Danny Granger doesn’t play. This is a “Take the best available guy” situation.”
THE PICK: Eric Gordon (SG Indiana)
Gordon was the player I spoke about yesterday who I did not like and did not think was going to be a huge success. I still don’t think so, but the thought that he’d fall out of the Top-10 is laughable to most people. But really, did you ever see him take over a game in college? Gordon will give the Pacers a potential slasher who can shoot from outside. I think he needs a lot of work, but so does this horrid team.

12. Sacramento Kings
What They Need: Well, their two point guards at the moment are Anthony Johnson and Beno Udrih. I’m going to go point guard.
THE PICK: Russell Westbrook (PG UCLA)
Westbrook skyrocketed up draft boards this season for a pretty good reason. He’s pretty good. He’s better than Darren Collison who disappears more than D.B. Cooper in big games. Westbrook is also a shoot first point guard, but he’s more raw than sushi. Some seasoning will make him a legit point guard. This is a team on the rise. They performed much better this year than people expected. I imagine they’ll continue to improve.

13. Portland Trail Blazers
What They Need: Has there ever been a lottery team that needed nothing? The Blazers could use a point guard. If there’s not a great one available, they should just take the best available guy. They’re loaded for a long, long time.
THE PICK: Joe Alexander (SF West Virginia)
There is no need for the Blazers to take a point guard here, because neither Darren Collison nor Tywon Lawson is worth it at this point. Alexander is a great pick here for the Blazers because it’s just another athletic swing-piece that they can develop. I don’t see this team with that many needs. Maybe I’m wrong.

14. Golden State Warriors
What They Need: Not a lot really. They’re not improving or regressing, unlike the Blazers who are on the rise. Baron Davis is a concern to me. Not because he’s not talented. But because he’s Baron Davis.
THE PICK: Anthony Randolph (PF Louisiana State)
I don’t understand the hype. He barely played in college. At LSU. Who fired their coach during the regular season. Apparently, he’s very athletic. He’s a project the Warriors can work on. Because if you think Al Harrington is their PF of the future, you’re a little drunk and don’t watch very much basketball.

(At this point, if they haven’t already, NBA teams just start taking developmental players. The NBA Draft…It’s Fantastic. Seriously, it’s my favorite non-sporting event sporting event).

15. Phoenix Suns
What They Need: A Coach, A Big Man, A Small Forward, A Scoring 2-guard.
THE PICK: Brandon Rush (SG Kansas)
One of my favorite players in this draft. I love Rush’s ability to score and think he could fit in well with the Suns, depending on what system they go with (i.e. what coach they hire). I know they have Raja Bell, but Bell is more of a defensive stopper. Rush is a long scorer. They don’t have many of those.

16. Philadelphia 76ers
What They Need: A scorer to compliment little-AI. Preferably at the 4.
THE PICK: Darrell Arthur (PF Kansas)
Arthur was not instant offense at Kansas, but that had a lot to do with the fact that he didn’t play a ton, because the Jayhawks were better than most NBA teams. He’s already an upgrade over Shavlik Randolph and Reggie Evans, and allow them to play Thaddeus Young at his true position of SF and move Igoudala to the 2-guard where he can be very dangerous against smaller guards. Another team on the rise.

17. Toronto Raptors
What They Need: More foreign players. The best available one.
THE PICK: Kosta Koufos (C Ohio State)
I don’t really think that he’ll drop this far even though he has a limited skill set. He has that one skill that NBA scouts and GMs love: height. And even though he played college ball in the U.S., his name sounds foreign. That should be good enough for Bryan Colangelo.

18. Washington Wizards
What They Need: To figure things out. A 2-guard. A center.
THE PICK: Robin Lopez (C Stanford)
I like Lopez here because he is a defensive stopper on a team with zero defensive stoppers. Brendan Haywood has no defensive game down low and while Etan Thomas does off the bench, Thomas has no offensive game. Lopez is a better balance and a better choice for a team that runs than Roy Hibbert, who is still available despite having the requisite skill of being very tall.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers
What They Need: Help scoring for LeBron.
THE PICK: Donte Green (SF/PF Syracuse)
Green is 6’10” and can play the 3. This similarity to LeBron does not concern me particularly because LeBron so often runs the ball up the court. If Green develops well, that would allow the Cavs to go big with James at the 2 and Green at the 3. Or they could go small and move Green to the 4 and have him step out, pulling good rebounders at the PF position away from the basket to defend him. He’d give the Cavs some options.

20. Denver Nuggets
What They Need: Point Guard
THE PICK: Tywon Lawson (PG North Carolina)
They have already told Lawson that they are going to draft him if he’s available. He’s available. That was easy.

Back tomorrow with finale of my first Mock Draft.

Game O’ The Day: Detroit @ Boston (Game 2). The Celtics have all the momentum if they continue to play like they did on Tuesday and the Pistons do the same.