Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from your friends at BCP. That's right, Christmas. And Happy New Year!

Angels and Demons

The Angels are the new Yankees. By signing Abert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, the Angels spent over #300 million. The only team thats spent more in one off-season, thats right the Yankees twice (2007 and 2008 off-seasons). The Angels have watched the Rangers win the division and AL pennant each of the last two seasons. Pujols upgrades 1B and pretty much means the team is not convinced Kendrys Morales will ever be back to 100%. Wilson adds depth to an already potent rotation. But does these two signings make them the favorite to win the AL? Their offense improves with Pujols and makes Torii Hunter and Mark Trumbo better. Still not better than Texas. But if Neftali Feliz becomes an ace starter, they won't miss Wilson. The Angels have taken the title of mystery team from the Phillies. I guess the Angels want to be the Yankees of the west coast. Or maybe they want to be the official team of Los Angeles and make the Dodgers irrevelevant.

We're Getting Creamed Out There Reid

Andy Reid needs to be fired before this season is over. The play-calling is without a doubt the worst in the league and the defensive isn't much better. Are you shocked? The team spent lots of money to bring in talent needed to get him over the hump and back to the Super Bowl. But his lack of efficent play-calling and clock management has resulted in another wasted season. He had a good run as coach of the Eagles, but now its time for him to go. Saying you need to do a better job is like people making New Year's resolutions. Sure it sounds good, but what have you actually done? It's time the Eagles give their fans something to cheer about again. But knowing the Eagles, he'll stay as coach for the rest of the season and then be given another year after that. He's clearly lost the locker room. Usually when that happens, a change is made. That being said, I pose this question to you. Should the Eagles fire Andy Reid? Leave a comment below, or reply to me on twitter (@briandutill) with your thoughts.

Astros to the AL

So its official. The Astros are heading to the AL. The will be in the AL West with in-state rival Texas, Oakland (or wherever they end up), Seattle and LA Angels (whichever city they call themselves now). This will mean interleague games all season long. It was a condition of Jim Crane's purchase of the franchise. He will get a $70 million discount for moving them to the AL. In an off-season filled with big free agents, terrible new uniforms and managers changing like underpants, the last thing we need is to see a playoff spot be decided by interleague play. Here is the question, Is the Astros move to the American League good or bad for baseball?

Stop it, Homer!

Is anyone else sick to death of the NCAA allowing schools to change conferences more often that people change their underpants? It seems like every week another school is talking about ditching their current conference in favor of an oversized one. Missouri wants to join the SEC, UConn wants out of the Big East in favor of the ACC. The movement needs to stop. I understand it all has to do with football and money, but its getting to be a little much. Its getting to the point where there will only be 5 conferences left in FBS (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big 10 and Pac-12). The Big East continues to try to expand dispite the fact no teams want to join their conference because the remaining 6 members may not be there. How many teams do you need in a conference? The Mountain West is working on a deal with Conference USA on a 22 team super conference. Is that really necessary? I think the NCAA should make a rule stating that a conference shall not exceed 12 memebers. But that is just my thoughts. And here I thought the BCS was college football's biggest problem. Boy was I wrong.

NFL Predictions

AFC East
New England
New York
Miami
Buffalo

AFC North
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Cleveland
Cincinnati

AFC South
Indianapolis
Houston
Jacksonville
Tennessee

AFC West
San Diego
Kansas City
Oakland
Denver

AFC Playoffs
Indianapolis over New York
San Diego over Baltimore

New England over Indianapolis
San Diego over Pittsburgh

New England over San Diego

NFC East
Philadelphia
Dallas
New York
Washington

NFC North
Green Bay
Detroit
Minnesota
Chicago

NFC South
Atlanta
New Orleans
Tampa Bay
Carolina

NFC West
San Francisco
St Louis
Arizona
Seattle

NFC Playoffs
Dallas over San Francisco
Green Bay over New Orleans

Philadelphia over Dallas
Atlanta over Green Bay

Atlanta over Philadelphia

Super Bowl 46
Atlanta over New England

Relocate

With the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg starting next season, it marks the first time since 2009 that a pro sports franchise has moved. In my lifetime 16 teams have relocated

1982 - Raiders (Oakland to Los Angeles)
1983 - Colts (Baltimore to Indianapolis)
1985 - Kings (Kansas City to Sacramento)
1988 - Cardinals (St Louis to Arizona)
1993 - North Stars (Minnesota to Dallas)
1995 - Rams (Los Angeles to St Louis)
1995 - Raiders (Los Angeles to Oakland)
1996 - Nordiques (Quebec to Colorado)
1996 - Browns (Cleveland to Baltimore)
1997 - Jets (Winnipeg to Phoenix)
1997 - Oilers (Houston to Tennessee)
1997 - Whalers (Hartford to Carolina)
2001 - Grizzlies (Vancouver to Memphis)
2002 - Hornets (Charlotte to New Orleans)
2005 - Expos (Montreal to Washington)
2009 - Sonics (Seattle to Oklahoma City)
2011 - Thrashers (Atlanta to Winnipeg)

As for the MLB situation, I am in favor of relocation. If the state of Florida refuses to go and support their teams, then MLB should do the right thing and move them somewhere where they will be appreciated. The Rays won the AL Pennant two years ago and has had winning seasons each of the last 3 years. Attendence: bottom 5 in MLB. The Marlins won the World Series twice (1997, 2003). They have the best scouts in baseball. They are competitive every year. They will be playing in a new stadium next season. Attendence: worst in baseball. Oakland fans only care about the Raiders. The A's are like the American League version of the Marlins with the way they make the most of trades and always seem to have pieces other team covet. With that being set, I feel that will a few moves, MLB can thrive in all 30 markets.

Here is something that could make it work. The Marlins move west to Portland. It would also give Seattle a geographic interleague rival. The Rays would be an ideal candidate to move west as well, maybe somewhere like Sacramento or San Jose. I know the A's have discussed it but it would give the Rays a chance to get outta the AL East. And finally, the A's should move back to Philadelphia. Its a big enough city to support two teams and the revenue generated would make the A's competitive with the Yankees and Red Sox. Here is a breakdown of the new divisions under this format.

AL East: Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays, A's
AL Central: Indians, Tigers, White Sox, Twins, Royals
AL West: Rangers, Mariners, Angels, Rays

NL East: Phillies, Braves, Mets, Nationals, Pirates
NL Central: Reds, Cardinals, Astros, Cubs, Brewers
NL West: Giants, Dodgers, D'Backs, Padres, Rockies, Marlins

Keep in mind, its just a theory. But why does Major League Baseball continue to allow cities like Oakland, Tampa and Miami to have baseball when there are so many other deserving cities that do not?

Don't Call It a Comeback .....

Exactly 103 weeks after being laid off by Beneficial Bank, this guy is heading back to work. Last week, I got a call from Accountemps, a temp agency located in Trevose, PA just off the Boulevard. They called to inform me of a temporary position at Gelt Financial Services, a bank located in Huntingdon Valley, PA. It will be a month, maybe a little longer that i'll be working there. So I went to interview there and I heard back today that i'll be starting tomorrow. It feels like yesterday I was working in the computer room. It really hasn't felt like two years since my last day of work, but time sure does fly when you have nothing to do. Anyway, i'm looking forward to getting back to work. What are they getting? They are getting a hard-working person who taked his performance seriously and is committed to getting the job done correctly. And you never know. Maybe a miracle will happen and it could open the door to a full-time opportunity. But one step at a time. As they said in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, "you have chosen WISELY!"

F.Y.I. Cash XII is Saturday August 6th in Marlton, NJ. Invites will be sent out next week.

The World on 6-30-09

Lord knows i've been outta work a long time. I got laid off on June 30, 2009. Here is a quick look at whats was going on then and what has happened since.

Phillies were 39-35, 1.5 games ahead of second place Florida Marlins

Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyed Peas was the #1 song

It was $2.59 for a gallon for gas

The high temperature that day was 88, the low was 64

The Number 1 picks in the sports drafts were: Stephen Strasburg - Washington (MLB), Matthew Stafford - Detroit (NFL), Blake Griffin - LA Clippers (NBA), John Tavares - NY Islanders (NHL)

The defending champions were: Phillies (MLB), Steelers (NFL), Lakers (NBA), Penguins (NHL) Kansas (NCAA Tournament) and Florida (BCS Champion)

The Coffee Thing

I need to find things to do since nobody wants to hire me. So this past week I decided to try a little something interesting. 5 days, 5 different Wawas, 5 different coffees. I know it might seem uninteresting to you, but its something to blog about. Anyway below are the days, locations and brands of coffee I had.

Monday - State Road (Dark Roast)
Tuesday - Frankford and Sheffield (Guatamalan)
Wednesday - Linden Ave (100% Columbian)
Thursday - Knights Road (Regular)
Friday - Route 73 Pennsauken, NJ (Kona)

April 26th was the last weekday I didn't get a coffee for breakfast. Thats 13 straight weekdays for you math wiz's out there.

Its official that Cash XII will be Saturday August 6th in Marlton, NJ. Expect an invition to go out late June, early July.

NBA Predictions

Eastern Conference

#1 Chicago over #8 Indiana 4-1
#2 Miami over #7 Philadelphia 4-0
#3 Boston over #6 New York 4-2
#4 Orlando over #5 Atlanta 4-3

#1 Chicago over #4 Orlando 4-2
#3 Boston over #2 Miami 4-3

#1 Chicago over #3 Boston 4-2

Western Conference

#1 San Antonio over #8 Memphis 4-1
#2 Los Angeles over #7 New Orleans 4-1
#6 Portland over #3 Dallas 4-3
#4 Oklahoma City over #5 Denver 4-2

#4 Oklahoma City over #1 San Antonio 4-3
#2 Los Angeles over #6 Portland 4-2

#2 Los Angeles over #4 Oklahoma City 4-3

NBA Finals
#1 Chicago over #2 Los Angeles 4-2

NHL Playoff Predictions

Eastern Conference

#1 Washington over #8 New York 4-2
#2 Philadelphia over #7 Buffalo 4-2
#6 Montreal over #3 Boston 4-3
#4 Pittsburgh over #5 Tampa Bay 4-3

#1 Washington over #6 Montreal 4-2
#2 Philadelphia over #4 Pittsburgh 4-3

#1 Washington over #2 Philadelphia 4-2

Western Conference

#1 Vancouver over #8 Chicago 4-3
#2 San Jose over #7 Los Angeles 4-2
#3 Detroit over #6 Phoenix 4-2
#4 Anaheim over #5 Nashville 4-2

#1 Vancouver over #4 Anaheim 4-2
#3 Detroit over #2 San Jose 4-3

#1 Vancouver over #3 Detroit 4-2

Stanley Cup Finals
#1 Vancouver over #1 Washington 4-2

2011 MLB Predictions

Didn't do very well in conference tournament picks (10-20). Hopefully my MLB predictions will be better

AL East
Boston
NY Yankees
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Baltimore

AL Central
Chicago
Minnesota
Detroit
Kansas City
Cleveland

AL West
Los Angeles
Texas
Oakland
Seattle

Wild Card: New York

Chicago over New York
Boston over Los Angeles

Boston over Chicago

NL East
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Washington
New York
Florida

NL Central
Milwaukee
Cincinnati
Chicago
St Louis
Houston
Pittsburgh

NL West
San Francisco
Colorado
Los Angeles
San Diego
Arizona

Wild Card: Atlanta

San Francisco over Atlanta
Philadelphia over Milwaukee

Philadelphia over San Francisco

World Series
Boston over Philadelphia

Conference Tourney Picks

Its been a while since my last post and for that I apologize. I won't kill my blog like some people. Anyway I have a few blogs to post over the next few weeks involving NCAA basketball, my 2011 MLB predictions and hopefully soon a blog about all the [in the voice of Roger from American Dad] "big stuff I have going on." Anyway below are my predictions of who will win what Conference Tournaments. Feel free to check out ESPN's coverage of Championship Week

America East: Vermont
A-10: Xavier
ACC: Duke
Atlantic Sun: Belmont
Big 12: Texas
Big East: St John's
Big Sky: Montana
Big South: Liberty
Big Ten: Ohio State
Big West: Long Beach State
CAA: Old Dominion
Conference USA: Utep
Horizon: Butler
MAAC: Rider
MAC: Kent State
MEAC: Morgan State
Missouri Valley: Missouri State
Mountain West: San Diego State
NEC: Quinnipiac
Ohio Valley: Murray State
Pac-10: UCLA
Patriot: Bucknell
SEC: Florida
Southern: College of Charleston
Southland: McNeese State
SWAC: Jackson State
Summitt: Oakland
Sun Belt: Arkansas State
West Coast: Gonzaga
WAC: Utah State

The following are my last 4 in, last 4 out
Last 4 In
Illinois, Baylor, Va Tech, Richmond
Last 4 Out
Washington, Gonzaga, Georgia, Marquette

Census This

I'm a little annoyed at the census results. The states that added electoral votes were Washington, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Florida and Georgia. The states that lost were Missouri, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. The biggest winners were Texas gaining 4 and Florida gaining 2. The biggest losers were Ohio and New York each losing 2. Everyone else either gained one or lost one. I think the more shocking thing is Louisiana only lost 1 vote. You would think after Hurricane Katrina that more people would have left. I still can't understand how Utah gained a vote? Maybe it was the perverts who wanted mulitple wives. I also find it interesting that Alaska is bigger than Texas yet has 12X fewer electoral votes. I know its based on population, but just think about it. Did you also know in 1932, New York (47) and Pennsylvania (36) were the electoral vote leaders? Now, New York(29) is tied for third with Florida and Pennsylvania(20) is tied for 5th with Illinois. One more fact for those of you who think of the map in terms of red state/blue state. Based on the 2008 election results, the Red states gained 7 electoral votes and lost 2. The Blue states gained 4 votes and lost 10.