1. *Andrew Luck QB, Stanford
2. *Trent Richardson RB, Alabama
3. *Matt Kalil OT, USC
4. *Robert Griffin III QB, Baylor
5. *Justin Blackmon WR, Oklahoma State
6. *Morris Claiborne CB, LSU
7. Courtney Upshaw LB, Alabama
8. *Riley Reiff OT, Iowa
9. *Michael Brockers DT, LSU
10. *David DeCastro OG, Stanford
11. *Luke Kuechly MLB, Boston College
12. *Dre Kirkpatrick CB, Alabama
13. Quinton Coples DL, North Carolina
14. *Jonathan Martin OT, Stanford
15. Melvin Ingram DE, South Carolina
16. Michael Floyd WR, Notre Dame
17. Kendall Wright WR, Baylor
18. *Fletcher Cox DT, Mississippi State
19. *Don’ta Hightower LB, Alabama
20. Ryan Tannehill QB, Texas A&M
21. *Dontari Poe DT, Memphis
22. Mike Adams OT, Ohio State
23. Devon Still DT, Penn State
24. Zach Brown OLB, North Carolina
25. Janoris Jenkins CB, North Alabama
26. *Nick Perry DE, USC
27. Mark Barron SS, Alabama
28. *Jerel Worthy DT, Michigan State
29. *Peter Konz C, Wisconsin
30. Cordy Glenn OT, Georgia
31. *Alshon Jeffrey WR, South Carolina
32. *Whitney Mercilus DE, Illinois
33. *Ryan Miller RB, Miami (FL)
34. Vinny Curry DE, Marshall
35. Alfonzo Dennard DB, Nebraska
36. *Dwayne Allen TE, Clemson
37. Andre Branch DE, Clemson
38. *Mohamed Sanu WR, Rutgers
39. Brandon Thompson DT, Clemson
40. *Rueben Randle WR, LSU
41. Kelechi Osemele OG, Iowa State
42. Chase Minnifield CB, Virginia
43. *Brandon Washington OG, Miami (FL)
44. *David Wilson RB, Virginia Tech
45. Coby Fleener TE, Stanford
46. Zebrie Sanders OT, Florida State
47. Jared Crick DL, Nebraska
48. Lavonte David OLB, Nebraska
49. Billy Winn DL, Boise State
50. *Orson Charles TE, Georgia
51. Doug Martin RB, Boise State
52. Alameda Ta’amu DT, Washington
53. *Vontaze Burfict MLB, Arizona State
54. Juron Criner WR, Arizona
55. Brian Quick WR, Appalachian State
56. Bobby Wagner OLB, Utah State
57. *Stephon Gilmore CB, South Carolina
58. *Ronnell Lewis OLB, Oklahoma
59. *Jayron Hosley CB, Virginia Tech
60. *Jonathan Massaquoi OLB, Troy
61. Markell Martin FS, Oklahoma State
62. Amini Silatolu OG, Midwestern State
63. Jarius Wright WR, Arkansas
64. *LaMichael James RB, Oregon
65. Brandon Weeden QB, Oklahoma State
66. Kendall Reyes DT, Connecticut
67. Coryell Judie CB, Texas A&M
68. Josh Chapman DT, Alabama
69. Travis Lewis OLB, Oklahoma
70. Levi Adcock OT, Oklahoma State
71. Ben Jones C, Georgia
72. Mike Brewster C, Ohio State
73. Harrison Smith SS, Notre Dame
74. Nick Toon WR, Wisconsin
75. Leonard Johnson CB, Iowa State

Philadelphia needed to pick up a defenseman for the playoffs. I expect with the trades they made to pick up Niklas Grossman and Pavel Kubina from the Stars and Bolts respectively, they’re pretty much done with their moves this season.

Who needs a goal scorer the most? The Los Angeles Kings have the leagues worst offense despite picking up Mike Richards and Simon Gagne this offseason. They remain in 9th place in the west thanks to stellar goaltending from Jonathan Quick. They could be in the running for either of Columbus’ two stars up for grabs. That is Jeff Carter and Rick Nash. I think it would be more likely for them to go for Carter for several reasons. Carter has played with both Richards and Gagne before in Philadelphia. Also if Nash is going to be traded, it will be to a better team than L.A. No offense to them, they’re a good team, but Nash has a home, extended family, and a no-trade clause that he would have to waive. I just don’t see him waiving that unless it’s to a really good team.

If the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to make a push for the playoffs they will pick up a goaltender as soon as possible. Both Garon and Roloson have been average and would be great backups, but neither of them have come out assertively as the number 1 goalie for the Bolts. I could see a move for Ray Emery, either of Colorado’s goalies, or either of the Islander’s goalies, though the way Nabokov is playing, they’d have to give up more than a one-for-one swap to get him. Tampa could also use a bottom-6 forward. If they intend to scratch the season, expect more selling trades for picks (already traded Dominic Moore and Pavel Kubina for two second round picks, a third round pick, and one prospet). Because of their recent moves, I unfortunately expect Tampa to be sellers, though don’t expect them to move any of their big guns, all of whom are signed long-term.

Chicago will make some change before the deadline. It won’t be some insane move, moving Toews or Kane or Hossa or something like that, but the inconsistency they have suffered this season is not acceptable for the ‘Hawks. Most likely they will pick up a few grinders, and maybe a backup goalie.

Another team that may be looking to pick up a little bit of extra steam for the playoff push is the Calgary Flames. The Flames have been their normal selves this season. Very streaky, reliant on Kiprusoff and veterans like Alex Tanguay, Olli Jokinen, and Jarome Iginla to bail the otherwise mediocre team out of complete failure. Look for the Flames to not be a huge blockbuster team, but to pick up a guy like Vinny Prospal, Ales Hemsky, or Tuomo Ruutu to add some extra punch for the final push.

Finally, a word or two on the all-sought-after puck-moving defenseman. Though it looks now like Anaheim is going to push with what they have, there is the off-chance that they come around to thinking that making the playoffs would just be too difficult after digging such a deep hole for themselves. If they do think this, Francois Beauchemin could be on the move. They have reportedly even been talking about moving Lubomir Visnovsky, who led the league in defensive scoring a year ago. Other defensemen who could be on the move include Fedor Tyutin, Marek Zidlicky, and Jan Hejda. The Predators will not move either Suter or Weber, and they would be foolish to do so.

American League West

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Los Angeles in Spanish means, “The Angels”. Done. However, the team name story deserves more than seven words. The team was formed in 1961 as the Los Angeles Angels. In 1965, the team changed its name midseason to the California Angels in order to promote that the Angels were the only American League team in California. In 1997, Disney purchased the team with the condition that the name Anaheim be introduced into the team name and thus became the Anaheim Angels. In 2005, new owner Arte Moreno wanted to reintroduce the name Los Angeles into the team name; however the stadium lease insisted that Anaheim remain as part of the team name. That is how the name, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was invented. As a history note, there was a minor league team named the Los Angeles Angels that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1957. There was a team with the same name that played in the California League in 1892, 1893, 1901 and 1902. Okay, they got more than seven words.

Oakland Athletics – The Athletic Club of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Athletics) was a baseball team that played from 1860 to 1875. In 1876, the Philadelphia Athletics was a charter member of the National League, but was kicked out after one season because they refused to take a road trip. When the American League was formed in 1901, the Philadelphia Athletics were once again a charter member and remained in Philadelphia until the end of the 1954 season. In 1955, the team moved to Kansas City, kept the name Athletics and remained there until 1968 when the team moved once again to Oakland and remained the Athletics. Want to know why their logo is a White Elephant? Prior to the 1905 World Series, the manager of the New York Giants John McGraw called the Athletics a “white elephant”. A white elephant is a sign of power. The white elephant was embraced by the team and became the team’s mascot.

Seattle Mariners – Seattle is major port in the northwest, with a tremendous fishing and shipping industry. A Mariner is someone who helps guide a ship. So, the name honors the industries that helps support the city. Before the Mariners, there was a team in Seattle (Seattle Pilots) from 1969 to 1970 and relocated to Milwaukee. The city of Seattle (among many others) sued the American League for breach of contract. As a result, the American League granted a new expansion team to Seattle if the lawsuit was dropped. In 1977, the Mariners played their first season.

Texas Rangers – The organization began in 1961 as the Washington Senators. This organization replaced the former Washington Senators, who moved to Minnesota at the end of the 1960 baseball season. At the end of the 1971 season, the organization moved to Arlington, Texas. Interesting note, the final game in Washington was forfeited by the Senators to the Yankees because hundreds of people stormed the field in the 9th inning. The team was named the Texas Rangers, in honor of the famous law enforcers. As a history note, the Texas Rangers were formed in 1823 by Stephen F. Austin who organized small groups who were to “range over the countryside” and therefore they were called the “Rangers”. Back to baseball, the Texas Rangers first home game was postponed due to the baseball strike of 1972. Last game in Washington forfeited and the first game postponed by a strike.

There you are, the American League West teams and how they got their names.  Next up, the National League East.

First Round

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. St. Louis Rams
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Cleveland Browns
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Washington Redskins
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
8. Miami Dolphins/Carolina Panthers
9. Miami Dolphins/Carolina Panthers
10. Buffalo Bills
11. Kansas City Chiefs/Seattle Seahawks
12. Seattle Seahawks/Kansas City Chiefs
13. Arizona Cardinals
14. Dallas Cowboys
15. Philadelphia Eagles
16. New York Jets
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Raiders)
18. San Diego Chargers
19. Chicago Bears
20. Tennessee Titans
21. Cincinnati Bengals
22. Cleveland Browns (from Falcons)
23. Detroit Lions
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Denver Broncos
26. Houston Texans
27. New England Patriots (from Saints)
28. Green Bay Packers
29. Baltimore Ravens
30. San Francisco 49ers
31. New England Patriots
32. New York Giants

He received quite the ovation as he was pulled from the game, as it was known that this was his final game.

Here’s what I have projected for the 2:

Based off my Pujols Projections, Craig and Beltran will be better together than Pujols would have been by him self. They are projected to have the same total of homers (26), with the rest of the counting stats being higher (R, RBIs, etc) and the slash stats are lower (Avg/OBP/SLG). Now, I understand that they will have more plate appearances than Pujols will, but I attribute that to 2 things. First, Beltran will play centerfield when Craig is in right; Beltran is a huge upgrade over Jon Jay. Secondly, Craig will fill in at first base when Lance Berkman sits; Berkman has a track record with injuries, so it’s safe to assume that Craig will have a regular stint at first base for at least 15-games.

These 2 also won’t hamstring the team’s payroll for 10 years; this is important as Yadier Molina is a free agent after the season and, to me, he’s more important to the team than Pujols. But we’ll save that for another column.

Carter, affectionately known as “The Kid”  was diagnosed with brain cancer last May.  It was believed that he was winning the fight against cancer until recently it was discovered that more tumors were present.  Last month, Carter and his family decided it was time to let nature take its course.

He made his last public appearance a couple of weeks ago at the Opening Day of the college team that he was the coach of.

On January 21, I wrote an article about Carter.  The article, “My Friend, Gary Carter” (http://www.85percentsports.com/2012/01/21/my-friend-gary-carter/) was written when I heard about Carter’s new tumors.

Today, the baseball world mourns the passing of a great catcher, a great player and a great man.

Rest In Peace Gary Carter.  All of our thoughts are with you and your family.

Ten regular season games are currently scheduled to be carried as part of Major League Baseball’s national television packages with FOX (aired locally on KTVI) and ESPN. The July 22 game vs. Chicago and the August 12th game at Philadelphia will be carried by FOX Sports Midwest or ESPN. The schedule is subject to change based on future Major League Baseball national television selections.

FOX Sports Midwest will also televise five Grapefruit League Spring Training games (March 17 at Detroit, March 19 at Atlanta, March 20 at Houston, March 22 vs. Washington and March 24 at the New York Mets), with each game carried live locally at Noon CT and replayed later that day during prime time.

FOX Sports Midwest’s off-season coverage will also include new Cardinals programming on Mondays in February and March, starting with a 30-minute special on Monday Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. chronicling the World Series champions visit to the White House. Upcoming Monday night shows include LaRussa’s Championship Insights, a one hour special, and roundtable discussions with Cardinals Hall of Famers and 1980’s stars. FOX Sports Midwest will also produce a spring training report in early March, as well as 2012 season preview.

FOX Sports Midwest will also continue to produce the Cardinals Live pregame and postgame shows with Jim Hayes, Pat Parris and Cal Eldred for every regular season telecast on the network. Dan McLaughlin, Al Hrabosky and Rick Horton will again call the games this season from the broadcast booth for FOX Sports Midwest.

In 2011, Cardinals telecasts on FOX Sports Midwest generated the 2nd highest local market television ratings in Major League Baseball, the 12th straight year in which the Cardinals ranked among the top three teams. FOX Sports Midwest-produced Cardinals telecasts are shown in nine states and available in millions of homes. A complete Spring Training & 2012 Regular Season schedule follows.

–STL–

As you can see, I wasn’t all that far off. Part of me feels like him coming back so quickly from his injury last year is the reason some of these are off (I can’t back that up, it’s just my gut feeling).

Part of where my projection came from was his 3-year average of his stats. If you look at the last 3 years, you’ll see decline in his Runs, Hits, Doubles, Home Runs, RBIs, Stolen Bases, Walks, Slugging and Total Bases since 2009. He’s also seen a decrease in Average, On Base Percentage, OPS, and OPS+ since 2008 and an increase in Gounding Into Double Plays since 2008. Those aren’t the greatest trends for a player on the wrong side of 30.

So, for 2012 I have the following for Pujols as an Angel:

They are even more pessimistic than last year. I could see that, as he’s had a problem staying healthy; he’s one bad move away from blowing out his elbow. The benefit to the Angels is the fact that he’s a quick healer.

What about if Albert would have stayed in St. Louis:

Not a huge change, but Busch Stadium tends to suppress power a little more than Anaheim.

I think he’ll have a better season than what my projections show. He’s shown that he’s constantly been able to perform, even while declining. I’m not confident he’ll be at this level in 10 years, but he’ll be worth it in the short term.

First I thought, “There must be a huge Cuban population in San Jose”.  Nope.  According to the 2000 Census, the total Cuban population of San Jose was 0.11%.  So, it was not to attract Cubans for the future move to San Jose.

Second, I thought back to an article I wrote on New Year’s Day where I looked at the 2012 Athletics.  The A’s had almost no one left to go see at the park.  They had traded away three of their top pitchers and let a fourth go to free agency.  They allowed one of their top outfielders become a free agent and it looked as if they were starting over with young players and rookies.  In 2011, they had less than 1.5 million in attendance.  They have not had 2 million in attendance since 2005 and have not averaged 30,000 in a game since 1992.  People do not go to games in Oakland.  So, I thought this might be a reason to go to games at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium.  In year one, he will make $6.5 million.  At $20 per ticket, they would have to sell about 300,000 tickets to pay for the salary.  That would be an increase of 20%.  Not happening.  Maybe they would have tremendous jersey sales from Cespedes.  However, they will not.  So, it will not be for the financial rewards.

So why would the Athletics go against everything they have believed in since Moneyball began out west?

Here is why I believe they A’s signed him.  First, it gives the Athletics a power hitter.  Cespedes has been long considered a top power hitter in the Cuban League.  Right away, they will put him in the lineup and see what happens.  Second, there will be people that go to the ballparks to see him play and buy his jerseys.  Money is a possibility.  There could even be a bump in the television or radio ratings, which means money in the long run.  Lastly, if he is a star, expect him to be traded.  Billy Beane will do what he does best, build a talent and trade it for prospects.

As most things that the Athletics do, this signing is a wait and see.  We will wait and watch Cespedes play and see what happens.

Still, I am dumbfounded and confused.