Jon Pysz's blog

You want picks? We got 'em.
Everyone considers the first few weeks the toughest just because we're picking off of last year's results and what's now on paper. Fortunately for us, so isn't Vegas, and your friendly neighborhood offshore bookie. This gives the common man a few key advantages.

We all know about the drama behind the Manny Ramirez steroid suspension. How it may put a kybosh on the Dodgers dominance, and how it refreshed the shiner left on baseball by A-Rod. That’s great water cooler talk, but what difference does it make to Fantasy owners?

The X Factor is the guy with the capability to control a game or series single-handedly based on his level of play. For our purposes in referencing the NBA playoffs, Ray Allen stands as the perfect example of the X factor. While a key player on the Celtics he is not the premier player on the team, but a hot or cold shooting night by him could be the difference between victory and defeat. Announcers and pre game analysts love to predict the X factor, but they never pick a Y factor. What/Who is the Y factor you ask? Well I’ll tell you.

AL Central Preview
You’d be lying to yourself if you were even 51% confident in any one of these team’s chances to win the World Series. There is no powerhouse and no weak link. This was the one division in baseball that didn’t have a team with less than 70 wins. The White Sox took the division by posting a 44-29 record in the Central. I’ll use some John Madden logic and say the team with the best record in the Central will again have the edge this year.

NL West Preview
The NL West...where two teams traveled as far as possible from the Yankees to make money and where the one team with any World Series aspirations is relying on a former Yankee manager and a displaced Red Sox from the Bronx....funny isn't it? Not as funny as having to trade your best player because you're getting divorced, but still funny.

NL East Preview

The NL East...it's home to the reigning world (US) champion Philadelphia Phillies. Which in turn is home to the Liberty Bell, cheese steak, cheese steak, cheese steak...heck it's like a Baby New York!

This past week saw another star studded trade happen in the NBA when Allen Iverson packed up for the Motor city, and crossed paths with Chauncey Billups on his way to Colorado. Fans can thank the Celtics featuring Kevin McHale for breaking the ice on these types of trades, but just how effective was this trade?

The AFC or Alpha dog Football Conference is where all the parity talk in the NFL flies right out the window. Pencil in the Pats, Chargers and Colts. The rest of the teams comprise the beta dogs (well except for KC they could be best summed up as the three legged dog that urinates blood and lives in a gutter), and these teams will fight for the meager scraps left come playoff time.

Joba Chamberlain – The 22 year old pitching phenom of the New York Yankees. His mound presence is unequaled amongst pitchers in his age group.

Terminator- A cybernetic organism from the future hell bent on the assassination of the only threat to its existence….Sarah Connor.

Jobinator- A pitcher of pure domination and the future of his franchise, and with a steely calm collective cool he’s hell bent on the destruction of the main threat to his teams advancement….The Boston Red Sox.

The Target- Defending world champion Boston Red Sox.

A-Rod is reportedly separating from his wife of 5 years. This isn’t a surprise to most as his stripper quests have been repeatedly broadcasted nation wide, but what is surprising are all the rumors surrounding his latest fling. He’s been seen all about town with the one and only Madonna! She’s turning 50 in a month and a half! While I wouldn’t be immune to her overpowering sexuality a guy like A-Rod probably has the pick of the choicest girls of every city he visits.