Yes, you read that correctly. Below you will find my mock draft for Round 2. Before I get to that though, some quick hits:

1.) With the Bruins and Capitals both eliminated from the NHL playoffs, I’m squarely on the Pittsburgh Penguins bandwagon. If they are to be eliminated, I feel like I could see myself on the Rangers’. After that, it’s sort of a crapshoot. Let’s try to keep a watchful eye on these developments.

2.) With every New Orleans Hornets victory, I feel slightly more vindicated. If you have been reading this blog since day one, you know that I’m an admirer of the Hornets. To listen to people talking about how they’re beating up the Mavericks makes me laugh. NBA people! Not random folks. People hired to talk about the NBA because they apparently know stuff about professional basketball, shocked that the New Orleans Hornets are actually good. My allegiance is obviously with the Celtics, and I would love a Lakers/Celtics final just as much as anyone, however, second best to that would be seeing the Hornets bring home a title to the Crescent City. A real possibility. Even if Tim Legler, Stephan A. Smith (the “A” is for “A person who cannot engage in civil discourse), Jeff “The Ankle-Biter” Van Gundy, Hubie “Watch Me Talk About Zone Defenses for 86 Seconds While Mike Tirico Contemplates the Most Fun Way To Commit Suicide on National Television” Brown, and the other talking heads don’t see it coming.

3.) As a sidebar, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic (The Sports Savants that they are) would like you to know that they just discovered that Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are young superstars. Glad you guys showed up to the party. Too bad we’re out of beer, pot, and food. There’s plenty of Fresca in the fridge, though.

4.) Barry Zito

5.) It’s still early, yes, but consider that last night, the Boston Red Sox called up David Pauley to make an emergency start against the second best team (right now) in the American League with their ace (in the absence of Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey) pitching. Not only that, but the Sox’s Captain (also catcher) was out of the lineup and their starting Second Baseman was the emergency catcher in the game. So this is a classic, “Get out of here in under 3 hours with everyone as healthy as possible” game. Instead the Red Sox, behind Jacoby Ellsbury’s 2 homers (Rookie of the Year…remember that), defeated the LA Angels of Anaheim, California Angels (I’ll never stop doing this). I honestly cannot envision a scenario in which this team does not make it to the playoffs.

Now, on to Round 2 of my Mock Draft. We’ll use Round 1, V.2 as the guideline for this draft. I may only do half today and half tomorrow. However, I’ll see how I feel around pick 45.

33. Miami Dolphins
THE PICK: Joe Flacco (QB Delaware)
If you think John Beck is the answer for this team at quarterback, you probably don’t watch much football. Just take a look at the highlight video of him throwing. Every pass is a wobbly duck. Flacco has a big arm. He isn’t terribly mobile. Hmmm…Drew Bledsoe? Bill Parcells? They Dolphins don’t want to wait to see who’s left at QB at pick 57.

34. St. Louis Rams
THE PICK: Donnie Avery (WR Houston)
Scouts compare him to Torry Holt. That worked too perfectly for me.

35. Atlanta Falcons
THE PICK: Antoine Cason (CB Arizona)
Look, I’m not Mel Kiper Jr. But Cason was the best shut down corner I saw play last year in college. I’m glad to see him climbing up draft boards, where he is being projected now as a late first round pick. In my scenario, he falls to the Falcons in early 2. This team has so many holes, but also has a pick at 38, so they can wait on QB and RB.

36. Kansas City Cheifs
THE PICK: Calais Campbell (DE Miami (FL))
If they miss out on Chris Long in the first round, which I still think they will , they need to go D- lineman after trading Jared Allen to the Vikings. Campbell is good value in the second round and should help a subpar defense get younger.

37. New York Jets
THE PICK: Quentin Groves (DE Auburn)
Groves is a really intriguing prospect because of his ridiculous speed (4.57 40-yard) and athleticism. Line him up with the newly acquired Kris Jenkins to his right, as a strong-side edge rusher and the Jets should be a contender in the AFC East again.

38. Atlanta Falcons
THE PICK: Brian Brohm (QB Louisville)
Yes he is a disciple of Bobby Petrino. However, as much as I like Joey Harrington, he’s probably not the answer here. Neither is DJ Shockley. So for the Falcons it comes down to whether or not they want to draft Jonathan Stewart (who even I am surprised is still on this board, but do you really see a team that needs to use a first round pick on a running back?) and team him with Michael “The Burner” Turner or go QB with Brohm.

39. Baltimore Ravens
THE PICK: Kenny Phillips (SS Miami (FL))
At this point, the Baltimore Ravens 2008 season looks lost. They missed out on Matt Ryan in Round 1. Now they miss out on Brian Brohm in Round 2. So it’s Kyle Boller in ’08! I think Boller can be an effective QB in the NFL. Just not in Baltimre. His time has passed here. The Ravens could take Stewart, but they’re terrible and have a front line back in Willis McGahee. Phillips has fallen for no good reason other than teams not going safety. So they line him up with Ed Reed to at least solidify their secondary.

40. San Francisco 49ers
THE PICK: Lawrence Jackson (DE Southern California)
This is another team similar to the Ravens who have so many glaring holes, it’s almost impossible to predict where they’ll go. With the exception of the newly acquired Justin Smith, their defensive line is rife with low-level talent. This is their attempt at an upgrade. I don’t see the 49ers and Ravens playing in the Super Bowl next year. Just a hunch.

41. New Orleans Saints
THE PICK: Dan Connor (OLB Penn State)
An insane steal at pick 41. Connor is a defensive genius. A guy that Bill Belchick would wake up thinking about in the middle of the night. This would be such a great pick for a terrible New Orleans defense to end up with such a smart player. It makes too much sense.

42. Buffalo Bills
THE PICK: Early Doucett (WR Louisiana State)
A nice complement in the slot at receiver for a team thin at receiver.

43. Denver Broncos
THE PICK: Jonathan Stewart (RB Oregon)
This is the insane steal section of the draft. The Broncos don’t really need a running back, with Selvin Young (who emerged last season) and Travis Henry on the depth chart. This pick is more about value than need. The Broncos are not a bad team. They helped their subpar OL in Round 1. Now they get a speed back who can break tackles. A team to fear in ’08.

44. Carolina Panthers
THE PICK: Jamaal Charles (RB Texas)
They’d love to get a Defensive End here, but there’s no one on the board worth taking. Running back could be a real problem for this team. After De’Angelo Williams (who is no stud back) they’re left with LaBrandon Toefield or Nick Goings. Charles’ would be a nice addition to the Panthers backfield.

45. Chicago Bears
THE PICK: Xavier Adibi (OLB Virginia Tech)
You might think I’m crazy here, having a team with Lance Briggs and Brain Urlacher take a linebacker in Round 2 when they have huge offensive problems. However, they also have huge problems with Urlacher and Briggs not wanting to be here. Adibi was great throughout college at Virginia Tech and, if nothing else, would be a huge insurance policy for a team with some emerging defensive questions to join their stagnated offensive problems. And really, there’s no player available here that can help their offense more than someone found in later rounds could.

46. Detroit Lions
THE PICK: Sam Baker (OT Southern California)
Again, they could go cornerback and would love to see Antoine Cason available. He’s not. They’re weaker than me doing squat lifts at offensive tackle. Baker is a nice addition that will hopefully help keep Jon Kitna on his feet, making miracles with the power of Jesus.

47. Cincinnati Bengals
THE PICK: Tyrell Johnson (S/CB Arkansas State)
In case you weren’t already aware, this team is a dysfunctional mess. Their head coach needs to be fired. Marvin Lewis, a supposed defensive genius is doing to the “genius” label what Brian Billick did to it in Baltimore. Johnson is athletic enough to play corner if the Bengals so see fit. But it’s not like they’re full of talent at safety either.

48. Minnesota Vikings
THE PICK: Duane Brown (OT Virginia Tech)
This team is loaded, especially now with the addition of Jared Allen on defense. Brown is a potential stud, who just needs some good coaching. He’ll be teamed with Steve Huchinson and Matt Birk on the Vikings OL, so he’ll have two of the best lineman in the game to teach him. This team has two question marks to me: Quarterback (I still believe Tavaris Jackson can be the answer) and receiver. The NFC North should be there’s for the taking next season.

Tomorrow, I will have the conclusion of Round 2.

Game O’ The Day: New York Mets @ Washington Nationals. Johan Santana is pitching. I’m going. Sounds like a Game O’ The Day to me.

I think I may have just broken a personal record for the longest post title in Mid-Atlantic Bias history. For those of you unaware (and really, if you come here for breaking sports news, you’re probably missing out on a lot) the Miami Dolphins have decided to start the NFL Draft 5 days early by signing Michigan Offensive Lineman Jake Long, thus cementing his status as the first offensive lineman taken first overall since the St. Louis Rams drafted another Big Ten Tackle, Orlando Pace, first overall in 1997. Time will obviously tell whether Jake Long will have the success of Orlando Pace or the failure of Aaron Gibson, however, the Dolphins did the right thing here and didn’t try to make a sexy splash by taking a quarterback (Matt Ryan) or the hot flavor of the moment (Vernon Gholston). I’m interested in seeing where they’ll head with the first pick in the second round. My guess would be that they would stay on the offensive side of the ball, perhaps at receiver, or maybe even at QB.

So, if you’re a loyal reader, you know that I was away for the last 3 days of Mid-Atlantic Bias (because, again, the Weekend Edition went the way of Old Yeller). I apologize for not being as frequent in my posts, though those of you who know why I was gone, probably understand. To make up for my absence, I didn’t want to leave you with a brief 600 word post today. So, to make this as epic as possible, I am going to write about all four major sports today at some sort of length.

NHL:

I don’t know why it happens this way. But it happens every year. Every year I find myself ignoring the NHL’s regular season, acting as though it was Preseason NFL football. And then, the moment the playoff start, I become Don Cherry (look him up, kids). So, every day of the postseason, I have found myself watching at least one game. At this point, I have seen every team play, and I stick to last week’s assertion that the Penguins an Stars are the two best teams in hockey right now. But that’s not why I’m writing about the NHL today.

No, I am writing to talk about Game 6. The game’s overall result becomes seemingly diluted after last night’s breakdown. But, I for one, will always remember watching this game, and will classify it as not just one of the greatest hockey games I have ever seen, but one of the most memorable sporting events of 2008; better than the Super Bowl, better than the Memphis/Tennessee game or the Memphis/Kansas game, etc. To the readers of this blog who were at the game, I will forever be somewhat jealous of you for being part of the crowd that very well may have revived hockey in Boston.

Perhaps it was the way the Bruins won on Saturday that did them in, ultimately, last night in Montreal. Every time you though that the Canadiens had the game, the Bruins would score. You could tell that they wanted the game more. That was no more apparent than on the play where Marco Sturm blazed down the left wing, past both Canadiens defenders, and led Phil Kessel perfectly to Carey Price’s left to give the Bruins a 4-3 lead.

Of course, 11 seconds later, Christopher Higgins of the Canadiens scored an easy goal before the PA Announcer was done yelling “Woo!” And at that point, the Bruins could have easily said, “Look, we weren’t really supposed to be here. Everyone (including myself) had us pegged to go down in a sweep. We hadn’t beaten Montreal in a game since the Garfield administration. Now here we are in Game 6 and when we have the win, they take it away quicker than our announcer can call the previous goal.” But the Bruins didn’t lie down. Instead, Marco Sturm scored with about 2 minutes left in the game and the B’s held on for the most memorable hockey win in Boston since Ray Bourque left town.

My hope, of course, is that the bandwagon jumpers (myself included) stay on the bandwagon next year and conversely, that the Bruins management does not do as the Bruins management has been known to do and fudge things up. The Bruins made it this far having lost their best offensive player in the first week of the season to a head and neck injury. With him back next season, joining the emerging Phil Kessel, the future face of this team, Milan Lucic, and the already established Marc Savard and Marco Sturm the Bruins offensive problems should be gone. I just hope that the aura and feeling that Game 6 brought to the Garden won’t be gone as well.

NFL:

ESPN.com recently released the 50 biggest draft busts of all time, which I read, and hated, because of the insane omissions found (or not found) on the list. So, with that in mind, here are my rankings of the previous 15 first overall picks in the Draft (Jake Long not included) based on the success they’ve had and the potential they still possess.

15. Ki-Jana Carter (Cincinnati Bengals)
-When you tear your ACL on your third carry in your NFL career, you’re destined to be the worst overall top pick in any block of time.

14. Tim Couch (Cleveland Browns)
-Keep in mind that when a player has a section on their Wikipedia page called, “Attempted Comebacks” and “Drug Allegations” they probably weren’t a great first pick either. The most telling Tim Couch situation was when he hurt his neck in a game and the crowd cheered when he was taken off on a stretcher. His home crowd.

13. David Carr (Houston Texans)
-Just couldn’t learn how to not get sacked.

12. Courtney Brown (Cleveland Browns)
-He did nothing in Cleveland. He didn’t do very much more in Denver. That’s two Penn State players and two Cleveland Browns picks among four. Clearly, their doing something right.

11. Dan Wilkinson (Cincinnati Bengals)
-When your nickname is “Big Daddy” because you’re a fat cow that can’t move quickly, you’re not going to impress many people as a pro. He is at least a serviceable backup now.

10. Alex Smith (San Francisco 49ers)
-Thus proving my theory that white, system quarterbacks don’t work in the NFL.

0. Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcons)
-It really says a lot about David Carr, Tim Couch, and Alex Smith that they are ranked below the quarterback who is currently playing football for a Kansas Federal Penitentiary because he ran a dogfighting ring and killed dogs.

8. JaMarcus Russell (Oakland Raiders)
-The jury is still out. Though not impressed so far.

7. Keyshawn Johnson (New York Jets)
-His biggest contribution to the game of football was a book about how he wanted the damn ball.

6. Carson Palmer (Cincinnati Bengals)
-A great quarterback, but he has never won a big game, in the pros or college. All the skill, none of the success.

5. Drew Bledsoe (New England Patriots)
-See “Carson Palmer.”

4. Mario Williams (Houston Texans)
-It’s still early, but he has all the potential to become a dominant edge rusher in his career. Speed and power. He’s got it all for a D-Lineman. I would have taken D’Brickashaw Fergueson with this pick in 2006. Now, I would take Williams.

3. Eli Manning (New York Giants)
-He’s won a Super Bowl. Simple as that.

2. Orlando Pace (St. Louis Rams)
-(second reference in today’s blog to him…strange). You can’t measure the value of an O-Lineman, but consider the offensive success the Rams had with Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger than imagine them doing that without Pace.

1. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts)
-This isn’t a shock to anyone. At least I hope not.

MLB:

MLB Power Rankings (Installment Number 1 of the 2008 Season. Based on current success and future potential. Hence the Yankees being ahead of the Marlins)

30. San Francisco Giants
29. Washington Nationals
28. Texas Rangers
27. Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Kansas City Royals
25. Tampa Bay Rays
24. Cincinnati Reds
23. Houston Astros
22. Los Angeles Dodgers
21. Minnesota Twins
20. Baltimore Orioles
19. Colorado Rockies
18. Detroit Tigers
17. Cleveland Indians
16. San Diego Padres
15. Seattle Mariners
14. Florida Marlins
13. Toronto Blue Jays
12. Philadelphia Phillies
11. New York Yankees
10. Oakland Athletics
9. New York Mets
8. Atlanta Braves
7. Milwaukee Brewers
6. Chicago White Sox
5. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Los Angeles
3. Chicago Cubs
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
1. Boston Red Sox

NBA:

So, yes the playoff have started already. However, here were my picks, including my upset special which now makes me look like I’m riding a team’s success to make myself look good. Nonetheless, take these picks to the bank. What you do with them while at the bank is ultimately up to you.

Eastern Conference:

Boston over Atlanta in 4
Philadelphia over Detroit in 6
Cleveland over Washington in 6
Orlando over Toronto in 5

Western Conference:

Los Angeles over Denver in 4
New Orleans over Dallas in 6
San Antonio over Phoenix in 5
Utah over Houston in 5

Game O’ The Day: Philadelphia @ Washington (Game 7). It’s a game 7 in sports. Just watch it.

Sorry that I’m doing this again, but Mid-Atlantic Bias is going to be suspended temporarily (until next week) so I can go home and deal with family stuff. I’m sure you all understand, as this is really not that important in the grand scheme of things.

Send some ideas my way for things you’d like to see next week and I’ll make up for the lack of posts in the last week with your requests.

I hope you all have a great weekend…wherever you are.

I don’t have a ton of time, so I’m going to rush out a blog entry today. 2 quick NHL playoff thoughts:

1.) Dear God, I was wrong with yesterday’s picks. Yikes.

2.) I watched the Avalanche/Wild game last night and was taken aback by how terribly the Wild played. After going down 4-0, they become completely content with just fighting everyone and playing the dirtiest hockey I’ve seen, post-lockout (even dirtier than the Flyers “Hack-a-Huet” philosophy from last night’s Caps/Flyers game). I was neutral in this series before, now, I’m rooting against the Wild until the end.

On to Mock Draft V.2, picks 17-32 (excluding pick 31 for obvious reasons). Check out yesterday’s post for picks 1-16.

17. Minnesota Vikings
THE PICK: CB Mike Jenkins (South Florida)
Their defensive secondary is still terrible, just like it was when I did Mock Draft V.1 However, here, McKelvin is off the board. So they go with the comparable Jenkins.

18. Houston Texans
THE PICK: Rashard Mendenhall (RB Illinois)
A steal at this pick. Especially for a team that needs to bolster their running game.

19. Philadelphia Eagles
THE PICK: Devin Thomas (WR Michigan State)
As usual, their receiving corp is subpar. They draft Thomas to try to fix that.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
THE PICK: Phillip Merling (DE Clemson)
In V.1 they took Harvey, but he’s gone now. They still need to get younger on defense. And with all but Aqib Talib gone from the sure-fire first round CB’s in this draft, I look for the Bucs to go to the D-Line.

21. Washington Redskins
THE PICK: Limas Sweed (WR Texas)
He gives the ‘Skins the size they need at wideout to complement Santana Moss’s speed. All this without James Hardy’s baggage. Something this team does not need any of right now.

22. Dallas Cowboys
THE PICK: Felix Jones (RB Arkansas)
Jonathan Stewart is rated higher than Jones by everyone. However, Stewart did not go to the University of Arkansas, like Jones and Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones (no relation) did. And therefore, he stays on the board. The Cowboys need a corner and Aqib Talib is on the board, but they choose to cross their fingers that he’s still there in a few picks.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers
THE PICK: Brandon Flowers (CB Virginia Tech)
Talib is the better corner, but remember, Talib smoked marijuana in college, so ignore the fact that he was one of the 3 best cornerbacks in the country. The Steelers go to the next best thing, which is Flowers. One of the teams below them rejoice.

24. Tennessee Titans
THE PICK: De’Sean Jackson (WR California)
Jackson is a real burner and gives Vince Young his first downfield receiving threat since he played with Limas Sweed…in college. Wide receiver is such a no-brainer here.

25. Seattle Seahawks
THE PICK: Fred Davis (TE Southern California)
Tight end isn’t exactly a deep position in this draft. They could steal Jonathan Stewart here, but they already signed 23 running backs in the offseason and still have Shaun Alexander on their roster. So they stay at tight end with Davis, as they did in V.1.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars
THE PICK: Kentwan Balmer (DT North Carolina)
Like the Campbell pick in V.1, this pick will be executed to do nothing more than bolster a solid defense. They could go receiver here, but with so many mediocre first round picks at WR on this roster, perhaps they should wait until later and hope that someone falls.

27. San Diego Chargers
THE PICK: Malcolm Kelly (WR Oklahoma)
As mentioned yesterday, Kelly’s pro day workout was, by all accounts including his own, abysmal. So he falls and the Chargers get a huge steal. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they went to Jonathan Stewart as a power/speed duo with LT, much like Michael “The Burner” Turner was.

28. Dallas Cowboys
THE PICK: Aqib Talib (CB Kansas)
This is the team that risked waiting and the risk paid off. Truth is, I could see all of the above teams taking Talib without the pot smoking issue. However, if one team is going to risk it on a guy with a ton of talent and “character problems,” it would be the ‘Boys.

29. San Francisco 49ers
THE PICK: James Hardy (WR Indiana)
They’d love to have Talib fall to them. Or Kentwan Balmer. Or Phillip Merling. However, none of those guys are around here. So it comes down to quarterback or trying to improve a very mediocre receiving group with a talented headcase. They go with that.

30. Green Bay Packers
THE PICK: Dustin Keller (TE Purdue)
Donald Lee is their only other tight end with any experience. So they hope that Fred Davis is available and if he’s not, they take Keller. While I had them going Quarterback in V.1, they don’t do that here, because they already have Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre, who will be back by the middle of August.

31. New England Patriots

32. New York Giants
THE PICK: Gosdar Cherilus (OT Boston College)
The Giants have to be smart enough to know that their O-line got lucky last season and is not as good as they played. So they help that out by drafting Cherilus to replace the void Luke Petigout left before last season. And they pray that Eli Manning thinks every game is the Super Bowl.

Game O’ The Day: New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers. This is a crucial game, with the Rangers up 2-1. I’m not making a pick.

Okay…I’ll take the Rangers to win and go up 3-1.

And remember kids, STOP SNITCHIN’.

Apologies to my readers for yesterday’s lack of a post. Some days, I just don’t feel like posting.

I proved myself incorrect last night, or perhaps the Golden State Warriors did, when they were eliminated from playoff contention. So to wrap up, yesterday, the Denver Nuggets “star” forward was arrested on suspicion of a DUI and they made the playoffs, all without having a game.

I’ve been paying a good amount of attention to the NHL Playoffs thus far (funny because I watched 3 regular season games and two were in person). The Penguins and Stars have both impressed me a ton thus far, more so the latter who has shut down the Ducks in both games played in Anaheim. On the flip side, the San Jose Sharks have to be the biggest disappointment of the playoffs, down 2-1 to Calgary, after leading 3-0, 3:30 in to their game on Sunday night. So as it stands, on April 15, I’m sticking with the Penguins winning the Cup, but I’ll have them doing it over the Stars (I didn’t pick a team in the West. I’m not sure why). I, as always, reserve the right to change this.

Joe Lunardi, who I hate, released his first Bracketology for next season yesterday. He has Duke, North Carolina, Texas, and Pittsburgh as his number 1 seeds. What he should have is a Pit Bull attached to his scrotum.

In a non-sports related topic, I am currently in the same city as the Pope.

Yesterday, Michael Beasley announced that he was entering the NBA Draft (as did his college teammate Bill Walker). Today, reports have surfaced that Derrick Rose will be joining him. Not that we didn’t already see that coming. I would like to give credit to Blake Griffin, who would have been a lottery pick, who last week decided to head back to Oklahoma for his Sophomore season. On the flip side, Eric Gordon of Indiana apparently thinks that he doesn’t need another year of seasoning at Indiana and is headed to a very abbreviated NBA career.

I’ve talked about my lack of desire for a Second Round NFL Mock Draft. Well, I’ve decided that I’m not going to do it. What I am going to do for you, the reader, is another First Round Mock Draft. I did the first installment exactly one month ago (okay, a month and a day) and a lot has changed since then. Scouts are apparently falling at the feet of Virginia OG Brandon Albert, who I originally had going to the Steelers at pick 23. Over the next two days, I will lay out Mock Draft Version 2.0. Todd McShay is already up to 7, so I don’t feel so bad about having 2. And at least I’m not doing a Mock Draft of the 2740 draft like Joe Lunardi, who will undoubtedly call for Zogon-71A (QB, UNH) going number one overall to the Uranus Hemmorhoidal Ointments. So, without further ado, picks 1-16. If you’re looking for witty team analysis, go back to March 13 and March 14’s posts.

1. Miami Dolphins
THE PICK: Jake Long (OT Michigan)

2. St. Louis Rams
THE PICK: Vernon Gholston (DE Ohio State)
Here’s the deal: I don’t think Gholston is a great prospect. What I do think is that enough people will become enamored with his speed and overlook the fact that he doesn’t play hard all the time. This is the NFL Draft, people. Common sense goes out the window.

3. Atlanta Falcons
THE PICK: Glenn Dorsey (DT Louisiana State)
The Falcons are enamored with Dorsey. If he’s there, they take him.

4. Oakland Raiders
THE PICK: Chris Long (DE Virginia)
This just makes too much sense doesn’t it?

5. Kansas City Chiefs
THE PICK: MATT RYAN (QB Boston College)
Word is that the Chiefs are going to take Brandon Albert here, which I really think is a reach. However, what happens if the Falcons don’t take Matty Ice? Do the Chiefs think that Brodie Croyle is their answer at quarterback? Or do they take the consensus number 1 QB in this draft?

6. New York Jets
THE PICK: Darren McFadden (RB Arkansas)
They’ll still be happy to see him here.

7. New England Patriots
THE PICK: Brandon Albert (OG Virginia)
Bill Belichick likely hasn’t slept thinking back to the Giants’ defensive line running over the Patriots’ offensive line. Albert is now the best offensive lineman on the board. There are other needs, (corner and linebacker) but those will get solved in the next 6 rounds.

8. Baltimore Ravens
THE PICK: Sedrick Ellis (DT Southern Cal)
Too much value for a defensive minded team to pass up on here. They have Haloti Ngata at DT, but there’s also something called a 4-3 defense, especially when your linebacker corp is as old and getting older as this one is.

9. Cincinnati Bengals
THE PICK: Keith Rivers (OLB Southern Cal)
Unlike in Mock Draft V.1, when Glenn Dorsey was available, he and Ellis are gone here. So it comes down to the linebackers or the secondary. I’m still high on Rivers, though others questioned my having him go to New England in V.1. And really, a cardboard cutout would be an upgrade on this teams’ defense.

10. New Orleans Saints
THE PICK: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (CB Tennessee State)
While Aqib Talib is my top first round corner (remember ANTOINE CASON is my favorite. I can’t make this more apparent) concerns about his smoking pot a few times will drop him, because you know, that’s a good indicator of talent. Rodgers-Cromartie fills a need.

11. Buffalo Bills
THE PICK: Derrick Harvey (DE Florida) The Bills have issues all over the board, especially on offense. And yet, I have them going D here, because any of the receivers (especially after Malcolm Kelley’s insanely terrible pro day workout) are a reach here.

12. Denver Broncos
THE PICK: Ryan Clady (OT Boise State)
Their offensive line is not very good. This is the next best lineman on the board at the moment (though Chris Williams and Jeff Otah are not very far behind)

13. Carolina Panthers
THE PICK: Jeff Otah (OT Pittsburgh)
They’d apparently love Derrick Harvey, but the last time I checked, the Buffalo Bills are not the same as the Carolina Panthers. So, they go to the next need, which is tackle and big Jeff Otah.

14. Chicago Bears
THE PICK: Chris Williams (OT Vanderbilt)
This is just a thoroughly exciting portion of the draft. Three consecutive offensive lineman selected as America falls asleep.

15. Detroit Lions
THE PICK: Jerod Mayo (OLB Tennessee)
When your defense is terrible, you tend to take the best available guy. Mayo is, like Brandon Albert, moving up the draft boards. I might go corner here as well. Speaking of which…

16. Arizona Cardinals
THE PICK: Leodis McKelvin (CB Troy State)
Much like Detroit, their defense isn’t exactly “good.” So McKelvin is a help here.

Tomorrow, I will complete Mock Draft V.2. But do you think I’m done today? I scoff at that notion.

As a way to apologize to anyone who came here yesterday looking for a post, only to find nothing. I give to you V.1 of my MLB Awards. We’re about 10% (it’s actually about 8%, but 10% is a nice easy number) through the MLB season at this point. I will do this 10 times this year. So lets hand out some awards, not for potential, but for where we are right now:

AL MVP: Joe Crede (3B Chicago White Sox). Crede has crushed pitching thus far and the White Sox find themselves in second in the AL Central. The chance that he wins AL MVP at the end of the season, however, is about 0%.

NL MVP: Mark Reynolds (3B Arizona Diamondbacks). Reynolds, much like Crede, has tore the cover off the ball through the first 10% of the season and the Diamondbacks find themselves in first in the NL West. Again though, no chance of winning this award when it really counts.

AL CY YOUNG: Zack Greinke (SP Kansas City Royals). The Royals are in first place and Greinke is the reason why. He’s 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA. Greinke could win this award at season’s end. I’m completely serious. 10% chance.

NL CY YOUNG: Ben Sheets (SP Milwaukee Brewers). He has been completely dominant and just edges out Jake Peavy, for now, because he has more strikeouts and less walks than Peavy, and a lower ERA. Sheets can win this award, but he’ll need to stay healthy. His chance of doing winning the Cy Young is about 20%

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: David Murphy (OF Texas Rangers). This is only because there are so few AL rookies who have qualified stats in either pitching or hitting. Only 3, actually: Daric Barton (1B Oakland), Nick Blackburn (P, Minnesota), and Murphy. Murphy has the best statistics. He has 0% chance of winning this award.

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Johnny Cueto (SP Cincinnati Reds). Mind-defying numbers. 20% chance of winning this award. (Note: My preseason pick of Justin Upton to win this award was wrong, because apparently, he’s not eligible for it. So that’s nice).

AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Trey Hillman (Kansas City Royals). Chance of winning this award is about the same as Greinke’s of winning his.

NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Freddi Gonzalez (Florida Marlins). Chance of winning this award is about the same as mine of winning any.

Game O’ The Day: Washington Capitals @ Philadelphia Flyers (Game 3, Series tied 1-1) Also look for the Canadiens and Bruins (Mon. leads 2-1…and win tonight), Anaheim and Dallas (Dal. leads 2-0…and win tonight), San Jose and Calgary (Cal. leads 2-1…and lose tonight), and Minnesota and Colorado (Min. leads 2-1…and take a 3-1 lead tonight).

Barry Melrose, ESPN’s only hockey analyst, will now be making daily Sportscenter appearances, as the NHL playoffs has begun. This is a joy to anyone who enjoys dry wit, honesty, and overt sarcasm. Melrose must truly despise ESPN for relegating him during the regular season to a tw0 day a week sideshow, when he used to be a full-time in studio analyst. Additionally, he must despise ESPN for making the NHL a two day a week, two minute sideshow during the regular season. However, Barry gets his revenge for the next two months and I couldn’t be happier.

In regards to the NHL playoffs last night, the only big surprise (and a big one it was) was the Calgary Flames winning at the Shark Tank (or HP Pavilion) in game 1 of their series with the Sharks. If the Flames win Game 2 and return to the Saddledome with a 2-0 lead, this series is over and seemingly everyone’s (except for mine (Penguins) and Matt’s (Bruins…)) pick to win the cup will be, again, ousted too early.

I’d also like to welcome readers David and Sylwia to the fold. It makes me very happy to have new readers at Mid-Atlantic Bias. David hates sports, but loves zombies. Sylwia is a huge New Jersey Devils fan. Talking about zombies would push Mid-Atlantic Bias into “Shark Jumping” territory and I don’t see the Devils getting past the Rangers, so I may soon lose two readers.

I sneakily alluded to the NBA in yesterday’s post and the fact that I have ignored the Association for the past few weeks. It’s not that I haven’t been following what’s going on, but here’s the deal: The Eastern Conference situation is set in stone. The second round of the playoffs will include the Magic, Celtics, Pistons, and Cavaliers. I would be shocked if the Hawks, Raptors, Wizards, or 76ers advanced past Round 1 (though for the sake of argument, I’d most expect it from Philly). As for the Western Conference, the situation is so fluid there that, really, what’s the point of me making a prediction if it’s just going to look foolish by the end of the week? The answer: It gives me something to write about.

Here’s how I see the West finishing out this season:

1. Los Angeles Lakers
-With Pau Gasol back, this team is back to being the best in the West, at least on paper.
2. New Orleans Hornets
-I’m not getting off the bandwagon. I still think they’re the best team in the West, once the game is played on court. Their remaining schedule, however, is not as easy as LA’s.
3. Utah Jazz
-The Western Conference X-Factor. When they’re on they can beat anyone in a 7 game series. They just need to start playing better basketball on the road.
4. San Antonio Spurs
-Anything I say has already been said. Uncanny ability to compete at a high level every year. Not very dangerous, in my opinion, however, this year.
5. Phoenix Suns
-They’ve somehow righted the ship post-the “Big Cactus” trade. They don’t scare me very much, however.
6. Houston Rockets
-I don’t think they’re a contender out West. They’re a 6 seed because when you win 22 consecutive games, your record is going to be pretty good. However, they won 22 consecutive and I think they’ll be a 6 seed. That’s saying something.
7. Dallas Mavericks
-Not a very good team.
8. Golden State Warriors
-I’m going with my heart here, because I like Nellie-ball and I don’t really want to see Carmelo Anthony, JR Smith, and 9-28 shooting Allen Iverson in the playoffs. I also think the Warriors have a outside shot of winning the West if they can steer clear of the Jazz, who offer them a pretty large matchup problem.

And there you have it:

Los Angeles vs. Golden State
New Orleans vs. Dallas
Utah vs. Houston
San Antonio vs. Phoenix

While I am procrastinating with my Round 2 Mock Draft, understand my insane levels of excitement for my NBA Mock Draft which you can expect in a month and a half.

Game O’ The Day: We’re sticking with the NHL Playoffs, kids. Tonight’s slate of games features Nashville and Detroit, Boston and Montreal, and Anaheim and Dallas in Game 1 of their series. However, the Game o’ The Day is Game Two of San Jose and Calgary. A must win for the Sharks.

There may be no Mid-Atlantic Bias tomorrow as I will be entertaining a visitor to the D.C. Metro Area. So try to mentally prepare yourself for a lack of Mid-Atlantic Bias for the next three days. Have a lovely weekend.

Is there any worse fate for a female athlete than winning the National Title one night and becoming a WNBA player the next morning? And so Candace Parker, the best female basketball player ever, will be captured by a gentle breeze and be brought into obscurity as a member of the Los Angeles Sparks. I’ll be at the Verizon Center on May 31 to watch the Mystics and Sparks play so that I can say I’ve seen the best female basketball player ever play…but I won’t enjoy it.

I’ll spare you a long analysis of last night’s game (I missed the first half because Big Brother was on). The second half was the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. Both teams committing turnover after turnover. For those of you unaware, the Lady Vols won their second consecutive title last night. Nikki Anosike did not score 15 (12 actually), but the Vols didn’t need her to, as they got big performances from the rest of their starting 5 and shut down Stanford’s electric offense, holding Candice Wiggins to 6-16 shooting.

Here in the District, the primary sports story is not the Washington Nationals, who served under 20,000 people during Monday’s second game at the new Nationals Ballpark (I’d go tonight, but they’re facing the Marlins and really, I don’t need to see Scott Olsen pitch for a second time in my life, as I saw him in Miami two summers ago). The story here is about the Washington Capitals and even I am on the bandwagon, though as a jobless fool, I cannot see myself paying 45 bucks for a ticket to a game. If I had a job, I’d be there every night. I’m still picking the Penguins to win the Stanley Cup this year. Not only does the NHL need it, but I think that their one of the 4 best teams in the league. So they have a shot. As for the first round, I see this happening:

Montreal over Boston in 4
Pittsburgh over Ottawa in 6
Washington over Philadelphia in 5
New York over New Jersey in 5

Detroit over Nashville in 5
San Jose over Calgary in 4
Colorado over Minnesota in 6
Dallas over Anaheim in 7

The thought of starting my 2nd round Mock Draft occurred to me today. However, Aqib Talib and Mario Manningham both admitted to failing multiple drug tests (marijuana) in college. Here’s my problem. Talib and Manningham are both 1st round picks. However, they’ll drop to late 2nd round picks, at least, because of what will be deemed as “character issues.” Smoking marijuana is not a character issue. Shooting people in the head is a character issue. Not playing hard is a character issue. Smoking dope is not a character issue. I can safely make the hypothesis that everyone who reads my blog, including myself, has smoked marijuana before, some in larger quantities than others. And I also have it on good authority that no person who reads my blog has committed murder. Unless Aqib Talib and Mario Manningham demand that they play every Sunday blazed out of their skulls, it’s not really a big deal. But it will be. So as they move down draft boards, they make whatever Mock Draft i make completely irrelevant, because I cannot bring myself to make 1st round draft picks, 3rd round draft picks because they smoke marijuana.

Game O’ The Day: 4 NHL playoff games today. The most intriguing matchup is the Devils/Rangers, whoever, unless you have The Sports Network or MSG, you aren’t watching this game. So if it comes down to the two games on Versus (Penguins/Senators at 7, Flames/Sharks at 10) I’ll go with the former as my Game O’ The Day. Eventually, I’ll start paying attention to the NBA again. Perhaps tomorrow…

As a note of full disclosure, I almost forgot today that I have a blog, hence my throwing together a quick post at 5:45.

In regards to last night’s game, I’d be just another flutist in the London Symphony Orchestra if I talked about how Memphis blew last night’s game. Look, it’s this simple: Make your free throws. Today, I was driving by a basketball court, turned around, parked my car, got out, and drained two free throws. Unorthodox? Sure. A little weird? Perhaps. But I did this for two reasons:
1.) I really wanted to play basketball. I continued past the 2 free throws to shoot around, in jeans and a long sleeve shirt, for 45 minutes. It was great.
2.) I wanted to, with no mental preparation, jump to the line and hit free throws. I am a terrible basketball player. I couldn’t play Division III basketball for the worst Division III program. However, I hit my free throws. And no, I’m not doing it in front of millions of viewers on television and thousands in San Antonio, but everybody knows that when you’re in a crunch situation, as a basketball player, you’ve got to take yourself out of the moment and just realize it’s you, a ball, a basket, and 15 feet. And that’s it. It’s all mental.

Kudos to Kansas (mmm…alliteration) for sticking in and going with a philosophy Rick Barnes should have gone with in the Elite 8 against the Tigers. FOUL THEM! It would have been easy to have conceded defeat, down 9 with 2 and a half to play, but Kansas and Bill Self played their cards and played them right. And for that, they have a much deserved National Title and Bill Self will soon be T. Boone Pickett’s favorite person ever.

MASSIVE KUDOS to the Red Sox (see the CAPS) for doing what I was calling for after the 2004 World Series, in having Bill Buckner throw out the first pitch this afternoon at Fenway. And an even BIGGGGGGER KUDOS to “The Nation” for standing up and applauding the man, like he deserved for the past 21 years.

There’s another National Title game tonight that could very well be just as good as last night’s game, which leads me (in this abbreviated post) to today’s:

Game O’ The Day: Candice vs. Candace…er…..Stanford vs. Tennessee in the Women’s College Title Game. But really, this is about the two best players in women’s basketball, Candice Wiggins of Stanford and Candace Parker of Tennessee, going head-to-head for a second time. The Cardinal won in Palo Alto in December, in what was a “get-away” game (the day before Christmas Eve. Candace Parker nearly missed her flight out of SFO that night because the game went to Overtime). Parker is now playing with a dislocated left shoulder and a banged up right shoulder. Parker plays with the better supporting cast. However, Stanford has a fully healthy Wiggins who has dominated the tournament to this point. The key to this game is Nikki Anosike of the Vols. I guarantee is she scores at least 15, the lady Vols will win the title. If she doesn’t, they’ll need even more from the injured Candace Parker. Anosike will score 10. Parker will put up a valiant 20/10, but it will be Wiggins who shines tonight as the Cardinal win the National Title with a 60-53 victory in St. Petersburg.

So, we can officially stop talking about UCLA winning the title now, right?

There really aren’t enough words in the English language to describe what Derrick Rose did to Darren Collison (and the overblown Russell Westbrook) on Saturday night in the Memphis/UCLA game. Destroyed doesn’t work because there weren’t actual parts of Darren Collison’s body strewn about the Alamodome floor. He didn’t literally “burn” Collison, as I did not see “Seal-like” marks on the sulking guard’s face as he sat on the bench after fouling out of the game. Perhaps a phrase works best. Derrick Rose looked like he was on rollerblades as he blew past Collison whenever he wanted to during Saturday’s first game. Derrick Rose is this era’s Jason Kidd. Collison looked like the freshman on Saturday night. Not Rose. The moment that best encapsulated the game between Memphis and UCLA occurred on Collison’s 5th foul, as he listlessly swatted at Rose’s arm, seemingly waving his white flag, admitting that he had been beaten. And beaten badly.

Billy Packer was so astute in referring to Saturday night’s game between North Carolina and Kansas as three different games. Game one was the most dominating basketball I have seen in years. Game two saw Kansas hit a wall. North Carolina didn’t play very well in Game two. Kansas just couldn’t get its legs back. When you come out of the locker room with the intensity and the “Nothing Will Stop Us” mentality that Kansas did, you’re going to get tired. It’s science. The human body cannot perform at the level that the Jayhawks’ bodies performed in the first 10 minutes of the game Saturday. But then Game 3 happened and Kansas got their energy back and North Carolina, with no one able to hit a consistent shot, faded back into mediocrity.

Before I go to tonight’s game, a few last thoughts about Saturday. The two more athletic teams won. UCLA will not win a title until Ben Howland changes his coaching philosophy. Where you can succeed in the NFL with a “defense first” mentality, you can’t do that in Men’s College Basketball and the last 3 Final Fours make this clear. UCLA may have the athletes to compete with guys like Corey Brewer (formally of the Florida Gators) and Derrick Rose and CDR of this year’s Memphis teams, but they don’t use those players in an athletic role. And they lose because of it.

Game O’ The Day: Kansas vs. Memphis. Here’s the Breakdown of tonight’s game.

Guard Play: I give the advantage to Memphis, by the slimmest of margins. The Tigers have the best player amongst the two teams’ guards (Derrick Rose), but the Jayhawks have the next three in Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers, and Sherron Collins. But how can you go against what Derrick Rose has done in this tournament. Again, if that man/boy/kid/teenager/star isn’t the top pick in the NBA Draft, an injustice will have occurred.

Frontcourts: I give the slight advantage to Kansas here, again, by a very slim margin. Brandon Rush v. Chris Douglas-Roberts is going to be a fascinating in-game matchup. They’re both long swingman with the ability to shoot and drive. I like Rush’s outside shooting more than I like CDR’s. In the Darrell Arthur/Joey Dorsey matchup, I would like to see Dorsey score a point or two in this game (0 points against UCLA Saturday). However, if he can shut down Arthur’s offensive game, Memphis will have a good shot at winning the title.

Coaches: I give an enormous advantage to Memphis here. Bill Self is not a good motivator. He’s not a good in-game coach. You saw that Saturday. If you’re coaching a team that goes from being up 28 to being up 10 in a matter of minutes, you’re not doing your job. Self is only here because of how good and deep his team is. Calipari, on the other hand, is a master motivator and a great in-game coach.

Bench: Advantage to Kansas. Sherron Collins is the best player coming off either bench and I think Sasha Kaun is the second best. And please, don’t forget the performance Cole Aldrich gave us Saturday night for the Jayhawks.

Momentum: Advantage to Memphis. They’ve wiped out Michigan State, Texas, and UCLA and made them look like Central Michigan, Texas Tech, and UCSB. Kansas may be very tired from Saturday’s game. Memphis should be fresher than California strawberries in June.

I would hope that we will be treated to a splendid game tonight. Both Memphis and Kansas are super athletic and incredibly deep. They’re close in the starting 5. Kansas has the better bench. Memphis has the better coach. None of these players have played on the first Monday of April, as the ball goes up at 9:21 p.m. Neither of these coaches have been there either. Saturday’s games are different than Monday’s game. There’s more hype on Saturday night. Monday night is the real deal. It’s always been that way. Name a time when the better team didn’t win on Monday night.

Tonight’s game is a basketball culture clash. The Kansas blue-bloods vs. The Memphis blue-balls. Kansas’ legacy vs. Memphis’ long-term wait for glory (hence the blue-balls). James Naismith vs. Anfernee Hardaway. Phog Allen Fieldhouse, a college basketball mecca vs. FedEx Forum, a recently christened arena. The only things these teams have in common is the color blue and an uptempo style. Beyond that, you’ll have old white men in blue crewneck sweaters on one side and screaming urban youths in XXXXL black T-shirts on the other. It should be fun.

The better team tonight will be the Memphis Tigers. As much as I’ve always had a dislike for Memphis, I’ve grown to really like this team. The turning point for me was the Georgetown game in December, when they outclassed and outhusteled the Hoyas. I’ve always had a love for teams that bust their ass. And Memphis does that. They’ll win tonight 78-68 over Kansas, putting an end to a great season of college basketball.

Tomorrow you’ll have my breakdown of Stanford and Tennessee in the Woman’s final, as well as my thoughts about the Washington Capitals making the NHL Playoffs. Until then, please enjoy the game tonight as much as I hope to.

Below, you will find Matthew, Kristen, and Amanda’s picks and predictions for the 2008 MLB Season.

I have only one thing I want to mention personally today and that is the Washington Capitals. I’m excited about the Caps making the playoffs. The NHL needs it. They need Sidney Crosby and Alex the Great in the playoffs, especially if it’s against each other, which at this point is completely possible.

I’m going to terminate Mid-Atlantic Bias..wait for it

wait for it

wait….

The Weekend Edition because you and I have better things to do on Saturday and Sunday then read/write 13 words about sports.

Game O’ The Weekend: Not that Memphis/UCLA won’t be a great game, but Kansas/UNC is epic because of the Roy Williams storyline. I’ve never seen a final four this good in my life. I hope the games live up to the potential that they possess.

See you Monday. Continue below for Matt, Kristen, and Amanda’s picks.