Italy vs. Spain: Old Rivals Meet Again

As the semis have come to an end, two of the better teams in the world will face off to take home Europe's most prized possession. Italy and Spain have proven to be consistent in the group stage, it should be little surprise they're going to do battle in a final. After a 1-1 draw in the first game of the group stage, the teams meet again The last team to win a prized international trophy before Spain would be Italy back in '06, so one of the two countries will again hold the silverware. With the best goal keepers and and steady defense, La Furia Roja and the Azzuri find themselves 90 minutes from glory, again.

Spain's approach of "Let's hold the possession forever, and wait til we say it's ok to score" has been put to the test with a lack of finishing quality in the final third. Torres was benched for the semi and the team advanced without scoring a goal. Xavi, Iniesta, and Xabi Alonso anchor a six-man midfield at times, but have been unable to find the final ball as frequently as they would have liked. An idea for inspiration? Why not have Cesc start? He's started once this tournament in their 2-0 win over France, and has shown he has the ability to score no matter the role he is placed in. 

Italy sat back for most of their win against Germany, relying on a counter attack to provide most of the spark. Balotelli's effort up front can not be underestimated as he was finally able to put away in the final third. Yet, with all of the trouble their domestic league has provided with match fixing, this team, a team that was old at the 2010 World Cup, has found its young legs and rides Pirlo into the final. It was surprise for me to see them take a big leap with all of the distractions outside of the game so quickly, yet not a surprise since it's Italy and they don't stay down for too long.

Outcome of the game you ask? I'd say Spain 2-0. They have to score at some point. Although Buffon has returned to glory, the defense has shown signs that it could give in. Pirlo has been able to run games lately, but he will face a stiff challenge with the Xavi/Iniesta duo. Spain wins their third straight major international title and all surrender to Spain's Red Fury.

As you can see from my bracket, I had the Dutch doing well, and then they sucked. Also, the French, and then they sucked. Had the Germany/Spain finally, but I will gladly settle for the Italians.

Good stuff awaits on Sunday. Play it back to play it forward.

Group Round Wrap-Up: What Did We Learn?

The group play portion of Euro 2012 has come and gone with few surprises as to who is still alive. Virtually all the big names, minus Netherlands, have advanced to the knockout phase and are ready to continue their quest for European glory. It's time to take a step back and look at what were the surprises, whose in the best shape, and why it all transpired.

The Dutch Collapse - No other way to put it, as this team was here to contend. An 0-3 showing in which every game they looked like they were totally outclassed. From World Cup finalists to a first round exit, the Dutch found out that defense wins games. Even with arguably the best front line or midfield in the international scene, the Dutch could not find a way to control their opponents in their half. Germany and Portugal scored twice and Denmark added only one, yet the scores could have been much worse. It would be wise to see that shutting down the opponents' is the first thing a team should accomplish. Teams like Greece, Italy, and Czech, after lack luster defensive games, shut down their opponents and were able to advance. If this team is too have success in 2014, their back-line is where it needs to improve.

The Big Teams Do Their Job - Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain, England, and France all find themselves in the knockout phase; a place that the teams should have been in anyways. England might be the most surprising considering the amount of injuries and lack of talent the team has in its starting 11, but with a weak group, progress was always something in their future. Greece and Czech are the two surprises, but someone had come from Group A. This tournament wouldn't be fun without these teams in it, and I can only see high quality football from here on in.

Big Names Rule Important Games - Ronaldo, Rooney, Torres, and Gomez all came up huge in the biggest games for their teams during the Group Match. Ronaldo, questioned for his international abilities, scored twice against the Dutch to put the Portuguese through while Rooney played only one game, but provided the match winner against Ukraine. Torres scored twice after critics were questioning Spain's tactics after its initial draw with Italy and Gomez netted a brace to essentially put Germany to the knockout round. You can't beat the big names making the biggest impact in big tournaments.

All Surrender to Spain's Red Fury - With the 8 teams left, Germany features probably the easiest road to the finals with Greeks, winner of England/Italy (Weakened teams) and then the other side's winner. However, Spain is the best team in the world, and nothing so far has shown else wise. An overpowering midfield, strong D, and the best keeper in the world is a recipe for success. They have France, which has looked lackluster at times, and then probably the Portuguese, not a the toughest of draws. If they score first, it's usually lights out and I think they will be holding the big silver thing come July 1st.

The next two weeks will be fun. A game a day for the most part with the best players in the world, sounds like a good time. Play it back to play it forward.

Euro 2012: Group A Preview

The time has come, and it seemed like only yesterday that I was writing previews for the World Cup. Just two brief years later, Euro 2012 is less than a week and a half way from kickoff. I'll do a preview of each group every couple of days followed by my predictions. Starting with the lackluster Group A, I'll give you a brief summary of the squad followed by players to watch and my prediction in the group. And away we go..

GROUP A
This group doesn't exactly blow you away with top tier teams, but rather solid middle of the road teams beginning with Russia (13) and Greece (14). Czech Republic (33) and Poland (68), one of the co-hosts, round out the group.

RUSSIA

The Russian team brings in a lot of promise with a group of players that have begun to establish themselves across Europe via the Russian League. They bring a lot of offense to the table with Arshavin, Pavlyuchenko, and Pogrebnyak leading the attack. They've shown they can spring surprises after a 3rd place finish in the 2008 tournament with a real name grabber on the team. With their success, players were able to leave Russia for bigger clubs so whose to say that something like kind of motivation doesn't happen again.

Who to Watch: Igor Akinfeev- Has a massive leg, game changing from the Keeper end. He can flip a field on a simple goal kick. Also, led the team to a 7-3-1 record in qualification, good for top the group.

Prediction: 1st - This group isn't even close to strong and Russia needs to put a foot down early that they are ready to go. They'll face the 2nd place team in the Group of Death.

GREECE

Oh Greece, the hatred runs so deep. They're hard to watch, can't figure things out, and determent to Europe, and I'm not even talking about their actual country. There is never offense, and the park the bus mentality is the only way this team seems to compete. So tell me how all the hair helps? It doesn't. And what about the 10 syllable names? Still got nothing. Just watch their first game, and tell me vomit isn't on your mind.

Who to Watch: Whatever is not the same channel as their games. It is that much fun to not watch.

Prediction: 4th - I think I pick them last every tournament so why stop now? Even the hosts in Poland have a chance of bettering them.

POLAND

The co-hosts garnered an automatic bid along with Ukraine and it probably was their only chance of getting into the tournament. Although the team has put together a fairly impressive string of victories, they have all been against lackluster opponents. Still, playing at their home stadiums will be good enough for some points in the group. They also have passed the torch from goalkeeper Artur Boruc to Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczęsny to not only keep up with the young movement, but the talent movement as well.With the adrenaline coming from the crowd and fairly young team, I wouldn't be surprised to see them sneak into the knockout phase, but you have to be realistic at some point.


Who to Watch: Robert Lewandowski - The 23 year old can flat out score. He posted 22 goals in 34 games this season in Bundesliga and will have to be a force up front if there is a hope for Poland to advance.


Prediction: 3rd - The Czech squeeze them out, but the National Pride of the Polska will be kept alive. You can smell the deli meat already.

CZECH REPUBLIC

The last of the group are the Czech, land of the disappointment. This team has really never lived up to expectations, but who are those expectations of to be honest? Since 2004, this team has not played well at all in national competitions, but this should not really come as any surprise to the advanced soccer fan. It all starts in the midfield for the Republic with Tomas Rosicky, who enjoyed a renaissance season at Arsenal. He was finally healthy for a large part of the season and it led to both his and his club team's success.

Player to watch: Petr Cech - The Chelsea goalkeeper is fresh off a Champion's League victory in a penalty shoot out and should be full of confidence and lead his team's defense.

Prediction: 2nd - It's just a matter of this team sucking less than everyone else. Whomever makes it out of the group in the second spot, doesn't see much hope with a matchup with one of the world's top teams as their prize.

Group B is to come tomorrow with by far the best group in the Euros with group of death. Sometimes folks, you have to pass it back to play it forward.

MLB 2012 Season Predictions

With the start of the MLB regular season(Part 2, this time it’s for real), Alex and I are going to spring some predictions for the year ahead in a couple of different ways. This year seems to be wide open in the NL with no real complete team out there, while the same six or seven teams are thrown around in the AL. We’re going to look five teams we’re confident on their O/U numbers, our playoff picks and end of the year MVP and Cy Young winners.

(Blue for Capo, Red for Rob)

Team Predictions

Chicago White Sox (OVER 75.5) – For a team that was “getting young”, not that much has changed. They jettisoned their closer Sergio Santos and outfielder Carlos Quentin in the offseason to get younger with Chris Sale and Addison Reed becoming full time pitchers for the club. The loss of Ozzie Guillen will hurt, but someone in the central outside of the Tigers has to win. Right?

San Francisco Giants (OVER 87.5) – To me, this team is underrated. The Freak, Bumgarner, and Cain anchor a solid staff and the addition of Melky Cabrerea and Angel Pagan opens the door for the team to have some speed and hitting prowess in their big ballpark. Any type of offense will serve this team well, and I believe these guys will be atop the division for a long period of time this year.

Cincinnati Reds (UNDER 87.5) – Another year comes full of hope for the Reds, and it looks like it’ll be another year of disappointment. The acquisition of Mat Latos will help, but this team still doesn’t have the right balance of youth and experience. Rolen still at third base is concerning and this team can’t be consistent through the summer months.

Cleveland Indians (UNDER 78.5) – No real off-season moves and this team can’t stay healthy. Asdrubal Cabrera will not have nearly the same season as last and the team overachieved last year. Ubaldo Jimenez shows that he has been overrated and getting out of Colorado may not have been the best move.

Philadelphia Phillies (UNDER 95.5) – Number a little high? What? The team is old, and their youth has not lived up to expectations (Thanks for coming Dom Brown). The NL East is much improved and there are going to be days where the arms can’t carry the team.

Phillies – 95.5 – Under. Age and injuries look like they are finally going to catch up to the perennial National League favorite.  Couple that with the major improvements to the Marlins and Nationals, and this number seems way too high.

Pirates – 73 – Over. The NL Central was mediocre last year and that was before two of the best first basemen in the league left for the American league.  Don’t be surprised if they managed to crack the .500 mark for the first time in two decades.

Rays – 87.5 – Over. If you’re winning the AL East, you’re winning more than 88 games. They’ve got the best rotation and baseball, and if they can hit, they’ve got a good chance to be the last team standing when it’s all said and done.

Red Sox – 88 – Under. Way too many issues with the starting rotation and bullpen in the always loaded AL East. And those issues don’t even begin to address the fact that they traded their starting shortstop without having a backup.

Marlins – 82.5 – Over. As long as they can stay healthy, they’ll have one of the most exciting top four hitters in the lineup in recent memory. If Josh Johnson can anchor this staff, they have a chance to make it all the way to the World Series.

Playoff Predictions 

AL East: Rays  Yankees    

AL Central: Tigers  Tigers  

AL West: Rangers  Rangers

Wild Cards: Yankees, Angels  Angels, Rays

NL East: Marlins  Phillies

NL Central: Reds  Brewers

NL West: Giants  Giants

Wild Cards: Rockies, Phillies   Marlins, Dbacks

World Series: Rays over Giants in 6.  The best two pitching staffs in baseball make it all the way to the end of October and the Rays bring back their first World Series Championship to dozens of screaming fans in St. Pete.

Tigers over Phillies in 6. Classic offense versus pitching comes to a head. The Phillies get healthy and find a way to get through the playoffs to meet an improved deadline deal Tigers team (picks up a pitcher). If Austin Jackson becomes the player everyone thinks, this team wins 105 games. Easily. 

Award Winners

AL MVP: Evan Longoria   Miguel Cabrera

AL Cy Young:  Jered Weaver   David Price

AL ROY: Matt Moore   Jason Kipnis

NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki  Justin Upton 

NL Cy Young: Madison Bumgarner  Roy Halladay

NL ROY: Yonder Alonso   Zach Cozart

That'll get you reading for a bit. Interesting start to the season so far and we're only a week in. Usually though, you have to play the ball back before you play it forward.

Second Half NHL Observations

Been awhile, but it's been topic city lately, and it was seemed like a good idea to throw some ideas out there. Since making the move back to the north after school, hockey has made a big impact on my viewing pleasures and most notably the Bruins (the new NBC, old Versus, is adding to this). Anyways, I think it was time to show I might know something about the game played on ice, so here are a five things that I'm expecting to see for the second half of the year:

5 - The Oilers will play major spoilers: Edmonton is currently the second worst team in the NHL, only to Columbus, but are showing signs of life. With Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle all playing and playing well, the future is bright. With three wins out of their last four, I could easily see the Oilers ruining other team's playoff chances with the amount of talent they have. Since Devan Dubynk has taken over, the team has been able to solidify its defense while their offense is now becoming more consistent.

4- Evgeni Malkin will show he's the best player in the NHL not named Sidney: Malkin is as hot as can be currently and will continue his pace. The Penguins need him to be everything that Sid can't be currently. This team has been thrashed with injuries this season, and still maintains a playoff spot in the East. With Ovechkin falling to levels the NHL has never seen him at, Malkin is proving he can be a star and not be in The Kid's shadow. The Hart Trophy will be in Pittsburgh, and Malkin will be the one holding it.

3 - The Pretenders will Pretend - Ottawa, Florida, and Minnesota currently find themselves in playoff positions are solid first half starts. However, if you look at the numbers a little closer, you'll see the flaws that will keep all three of these teams out of the playoffs. Ottawa gives up too many goals(-10 differential) and their starting goalie, Craig Anderson, is starting to prove why he is a journeyman. Florida actually is a below .500 team factoring in overtime losses, yet lead the Southeast (Washington will win it) and have no deep beyond the Versteeg-Weiss-Fleischmann line. The Wild started off hot, but injuries will prevent this team from getting back to the playoffs.

2 - Four teams from the Central and Atlantic Divisions will Make the Playoffs - Seems completely unrealistic that Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, and Nashville make it in the west, but it seems like a down year and Columbus sucks that much. The Rangers resurgence leads the East with Pitt, Philly and NJ yearly contenders. and it's no surprise that more offense gets them wins. But their defense is leading this year with the evolution of Del Zotto and Giradi. Oh, and Hank has nice hair and a good glove.

1 - The East will Win the Cup - The reason? Goaltending. It's head over heels better in the East including backups. Thomas/Rask, Hank/Biron, Fleury, Brodeur all match up over pretty much any team in the West(Howard excluded), and if any the postseasons have shown anything lately, hot goalies win cups. The experience in the East is much more than the West thus I see an advantage over teams like Nashville with Rinne, and most of the other goalies haven't proven themselves in the playoffs (Halak and Crawford). Overall, the quality of hockey in the East is better than the West from top to bottom, and I could see 7 out of the 8 teams making a strong push to win it all versus at most 3 in the West.

Only, time will tell and surely, the NHL will be picking up steam after the Super Bowl with it only competing with the NBA, which is a travesty in itself.

Until next time, you need to play it back to play it forward.