ON MY MONDAY MIND

FINAL-4 TAKEAWAYS: There is just so little to say. If there has ever been a worse Final-4 someone needs to refresh my memory. Games between the four remaining teams in America decided by 60 points? Did the men’s and women’s Final-4s swap nights? This after eight Sweet-16 games and four Elite-8 contests that were almost as uncompelling as what we witnessed Saturday? Hopefully Villanova and North Carolina can play a game that appears April-worthy rather than October sloppy. College basketball REALLY needs to up its game.

OKLAHOMA=HOPE: Oklahoma’s ugly appearance in this season’s Final-4 aside long-suffering Tennessee Basketball fans should still take hope in the fact the Sooners were there. The two programs have enough in common to make one think if they can do it why not us? Here is how I jumped from Point-A to Point-Z:

-The Sooners are not basketball regals

-Oklahoma is a football-first sports program

-Oklahoma saw the end of a very successful coaching era due to trumped-up NCAA charges (Kelvin Sampson)

-The coach selected to replace him was ill-equipped to follow the ultra-successful Sampson (Jeff Capel)

-Their current coach has been highly-successful at numerous stops and is closer to the end of his career than the beginning (Lon Kruger)

Sound like a program you know and love?

VOL BASEBALL: This edition of Tennessee baseball appears better than last season. In very small ways that is. They have a group of kids who are putting up much better individual offensive numbers than they did last season and are handling mid-week opponents as an SEC team should. Neither of those things however have proven to be difference-makers when it comes to upward-mobility in the unforgiving SEC. Here are the issues that continue to plague Dave Serrano’s program:

Lack of SEC-worthy physical stature: Maybe it’s the body-type Serrano prefers for his style of attack but we continue to look like a high school team invited to scrimmage against an SEC opponent. If that wasn’t evident enough we also wore the baggy throwbacks on Sunday making us look even less imposing.

Two-out trauma: I don’t have the data to prove this but if there was a stat tracking Two-Out RBI Margin (2 out RBIs – 2 out RBIs Surrendered) I bet Serrano’s teams would be lucky to finish a season better than -50. His program appears to give up more two out RBI hits and collect fewer than any team at any level.

Pitching Poverty: The eternal search for a third weekend starter leads to an even bigger issue: pitching depth. Therefore, not only are your starters inferior, when you have to take them out is when the real trouble starts. The Vols should send Smoky the Bear out to make pitching changes because you can bet someone is getting ready to turn smoldering ashes into a five alarm fire.

Fielding Remains a Mystery: Minus Jeff Moberg the Vols offense is much better with Benito Santiago leading off. In order to keep him atop the order however he better DH on days he isn’t catching because he’s not a right fielder. I don’t mean to single the young man out but misplays in the field at crucial junctures have been a recurring problem in Serrano’s tenure and the two by Santiago Sunday broke the game open. In the young man’s defense the above mentioned bullpen issues had a lot to do with it as well as the two chances I referenced were part of six consecutive lasers surrendered immediately upon Serrano motioning to the pen.

WHY I LOVE BASEBALL I love baseball. When pressed why I find it hard to express. Maybe it’s more romanticism than substance but I’ll give it a shot.

-It’s what I played most and what I was best at growing up and although never playing above the Junior College level I still have a deeper understanding of it than I do other sports.

-Because of my experiences on the diamond I can more easily interject myself into whatever situation a baseball player faces than any other competitors I watch.

-Though football and basketball are more made for TV viewing events I’ve always loved a relaxing day at the ballpark better than the frenzied environment of a football stadium or basketball arena

-It’s the only game I still enjoy on the radio

-I love the unique pace of a baseball game that is much more inviting to fan discussion and breakdown during play

-I love the daily nature of the game of baseball

-I relish the one-vs-nine challenge of hitters already attempting one of sport’s most difficult tasks

-I like the stats and cerebral side of the game

-I like the time of year it’s played

-I love the constant comparisons of today’s players versus those I grew up idolizing

-I simply love baseball, and I’m glad it’s back

-The Four Tops say it better than I can LINK

BASEBALL CRYSTAL BALL: Take these to the bank (put them in a safety deposit box and NEVER look at them again)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

EAST

WASHINGTON NATIONALS: The Nats win the division after everyone jumps off the wagon

NEW YORK METS: Great young staff but can they hit enough?

MIAMI MARLINS: MLB fans everywhere hope Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez can stay healthy

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: Growing pains for Basilio’s Phils

ATLANTA BRAVES: Ditto for Briney Boy’s Bravos

CENTRAL

ST LOUIS CARDINALS: Going with the team used to getting it done in the regular season

CHICAGO CUBS: Theo Epstein & company building it to last

PITTSBURGH PIRATES: What a great division when the new wave Bucos finish third

MILWAUKEE BREWERS: The last place you want to spin your wheels is the NL Central

CINCINNATI REDS: Hatfield’s Reds? Well at least Sinco’s team and mine can play

WEST

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: It’s an even-numbered year

LOS ANGELES DODGERS: 80s Yankees reincarnated; big money spent for minimal return

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Truly a shame that Paul Goldschmidt plays for a bad team in a bad time zone.

SAN DIEGO PADRES: Beautiful city and ballpark for such regularly ugly results

COLORADO ROCKIES: TDOT must be in charge of this rebuild

AMERICAN LEAGUE

EAST:

TORONTO BLUE JAYS: May be too power reliant for the post season but man can they rake

NEW YORK YANKEES: Can aging lineup and brittle staff hold up over 162 games?

BOSTON RED SOX: Too reliant on young position players and the starting staff is questionable at best

BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Can hit but can they pitch?

TAMPA BAY RAYS: Can pitch but can they hit?

CENTRAL:

KANSAS CITY ROYALS: They simply do everything well and can score without hitting bombs

MINNESOTA TWINS: Going to Target Field for the first time in June. Expect to see two contending (Yanks-Twins) teams.

CLEVELAND INDIANS: SPs Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar stack up against most any team’s 1-2-3

CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Chris Sale deserves a lot better

DETROIT TIGERS: What in the world has happened in Motown?

WEST:

HOUSTON ASTROS: The Yankees open with the Astros. I wish the players would swap uniforms.

TEXAS RANGERS: Should be another fun season in the state of Texas

LOS ANGELES ANGELS: The best player in baseball (Mike Trout) plays half his games while most of the country is asleep

SEATTLE MARINERS: The Brewers mirror image; rarely do either truly matter

OAKLAND A’S: Money-ball; Sh-money-ball. Awful stadium and a team deserving of it.

PLAYOFFS

NL WILDCARD: Cubs over the Mets

NL DIVISION SERIES: Cubs over the Cardinals; Nationals over the Giants

NLCS: Nats over Cubs

AL WILDCARD: Yankees over Rangers

AL DIVISION SERIES: Royals over Yanks; Blue Jays over Astros

ALCS: Royals over Jays

WORLD SERIES: Royals over Nats

MONDAY MUSING: Happy Opening Day everyone whether it’s Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.

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