Scott's 2018 Predictions

Greetings. This page will include Scott's predictions pertaining to the 2018th year in the Gregorian calendar. Also, the 2018th year of the Julian calendar (since all of these events occur on January 14 or later). Football predictions will go into 2019, but a "sports year," as defined by Scott, ends on Super Bowl Sunday. The new sports year begins with the six-week slow period before March Madness, followed by baseball and football.

Sports (both real and fake) and politics are among the most predicted things.

Indians Opening Day Rooster
The Indians will not have an opening day rooster, as such a concept is dumb.

Starting Lineup
Lindor is obvious to lead off. Brantley makes the most sense as a 2-hitter, although his health is not certain by opening day. If he is not ready, maybe move Kipnis or Chiz to the 2-hole, put Kip back in CF, and bring up a guy like Gio Urshela. Or just bring up Greg Allen since he is great. I would put Alonso ahead of EE to split up the lefties and righties. We will really miss Santana's switch-hitting bat to help do that. Chisenhall is a little better than Kip, so have him 6th to protect EE. Then round it out with Yanny and Zimmy.
 * SS - Francisco Lindor
 * LF - Michael Brantley
 * 3B - Jose Ramirez
 * 1B - Yander Alonzo
 * DH - Edwin Encarnacion
 * RF - Lonnie Chisenhall
 * 2B - Jason Kipnis
 * C - Yan Gomes
 * CF - Bradley Zimmer

Bench
Perez is obvious. The reserve infielder spot is a three-man battle between Urshela, Erik Gonzalez, and Yandy Diaz. Diaz is almost certain to start in AAA simply because he has options left and the other two don't. I think Urshela gets the nod over Gonzalez because of his defense and will probably start a couple times a week, so Kipnis and Ramirez (and even Alonso) can have some time off. The two outfielders will see time, especially against lefties, and Davis' threat as a pinch-runner is huge and why he makes the roster over guys like Abe Almonte and Greg Allen. I do, however, think Davis has a good chance to be DFAed in June or July.
 * BC - Roberto Perez
 * INF - Giovanny Urshela
 * OF - Brandon Guyer
 * OF - Rajai Davis

Rotation
The first three are clear, and the last two are in a battle along with Ryan Merritt. Clevinger still has options, which may work against him, but I think he will have a good spring combined with his heroics late last season. Merritt goes to the 'pen as a long guy. Who knows what will happen when Salazar returns from injury.
 * Corey Kluber
 * Carlos Carrasco
 * Trevor Bauer
 * Josh Tomlin
 * Mike Clevinger

Bullpen
Being without options, Merritt will be relegated to the bullpen, although he could win the last starting spot with a good spring (even though he is a soft throwing lefty). McAllister, Otero, and Goody are like the three guys who are just kind of there. They usually do their jobs but it is when the team is struggling. Olson will be thrust into the Shaw role, which may be tough on the kid, but his 0.00 ERA in limited appearances in 2017 says he is ready for the challenge. Hopefully, the league did not adjust to him. Miller and Allen are shoo-ins for the back end of the pen.
 * Ryan Merritt
 * Zach McAllister
 * Dan Otero
 * Nick Goody
 * Tyler Olson
 * Andrew Miller
 * Cody Allen

MLB 2018
AL East AL Central AL West NL East NL Central NL West Les Playoffs
 * 1) New York Yankees (2) 97-65 The young Yankees have gained a year of experience (and playoff experience) so that will help them.  They added slugger Stanton to an already strong lineup.  And with better protection than he had in Miami, I could easily see him hit 60+ home runs and break Roger Maris' record for most homers by a non-cheater.  Their rotation features Tanaka and a full season of Gray, and if they can get vintage Sabathia like they had in the play-offs, then look oot!
 * 2) Boston Redsox (5) 89-73 The Sox will have another strong campaign but fall short of the division title.  They added J.D. Martinez in an otherwise quiet off-season, but really lack power.
 * 3) Toronto Blue Jays 78-84 Their rotation fell victim to injury last season and could re-emerge as a strength eha eha.  They have one more year in their window of contending, so if they struggle out the gate, expect to see them trade Mr. Josh Donaldson and start their rebuild process.
 * 4) Baltimore Orioles 74-88 Their rotation is awful, but their power hitting will keep them ahead of the
 * 5) Tampa Bay Rays 72-90 The Rays will finish in the cellar.   Their rotation is decent, but they lack hitting, especially after losing Longoria, and Morrison and inexplicably DFAing Dickerson last month.
 * 1) Cleveland Indians (3) 93-69 The Indians may have lost a few key pieces to their 2017 team (Shaw, Santana, Bruce) but they have the easiest path to the playoffs thanks to a lackluster division.  I do think their win total will be down a little bit from last year, since it is unlikely that they will run off 22 straight, although they are built to not go into major slumps, as they have lost four in a row exactly once since July 2015.  Kluber and Carrasco are legit Cy Young candidates and Bauer and Clevinger are as good a 3-4 punch as there is in baseball.  Even sans Shaw they have a top-notch bullpen and I think Olsen and even McAllister will fit into the role he vamoosed from.  And when you have MVP candidates Lindor and Ramirez in your lineup.... The Indians will be great!
 * 2) Minnesota Twins (1st team out) 87-75 The Twins are somewhere between the 103 losses of 2016 and the playoff team of 2017.  I'll say closer to the latter, but just missing the playoffs.  They lack starting pitching and their best SP, Ervin Santana, will start the season on the List of Disabled Players (its real name is misleading since the list itself isn't disabled).  They have a strong lineup even though Miguel Sano is highly overrated.
 * 3) Kansas City Royals 67-95 The Royals went for one last playoff push rather than trade their good players and it will cost them dearly. With Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Jasons Vargas, and likely Mike Moustakas all on other teams, they are stuck without a good MLB team and they have not many prospects in the minors.  They still have some good players like Sal Perez, Alcedes Escobar, and Alex Gordon.  But there is a tremendous gap between 2nd and 3rd in the central.
 * 4) Chicago White Sox 67-95 Tied with the Royals, we have the White Sox.  They are void of Major League talent, but are a young team with tremendous upside and should be the team to beat in this division in the early 2020s.  But in 2018, they are still in rebuild mode.
 * 5) Detroit Tigers 62-100 I think 62 wins is generous.  The Tigers have gone about rebuilding all the wrong ways, which leads them to having a bunch of no-namers and overpaid bums whose contracts they can't unload on anyone.  Their nickname this year should be "Miggy and the Mudhens."  Their terrible start to a rebuild means that the Tigers likely won't be relevant for a decade.
 * 1) Houston Astros (1) 99-63 The defending champs will be almost a good as they were last season.  They have a premiere rotation with Keuchel, McCullers, a full season of Verlander, and the newly added Cole.  Brad Peacock (lol) who would be a 2 or 3 in just about any other rotation, has pretty much no shot of making it in Houston's.  Oh and did I mention their lineup features Altuve and Correa?
 * 2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Descent (4) 92-70 I think this team will be much improved.  Trout is always an MVP candidate, Simmons is one of the best young players in the game, and they added that Japanese pitcher/hitter whose name I can't think of, so I will call him Ichiro Tebow.  Unrelated, but the Drowners just signed Ichiro Tebow.   The Angels could use some pitching to make a big run though.
 * 3) Seattle Mariners (2nd team out) 83-79 The Mariners have some good hitters and a 2/5 of a good rotation and showed promise in 2017, but did nothing in the off-season to improve  They added the real Ichiro, but he has to be about as old as Bartolo Colon.
 * 4) Texas Rangers 76-86 Speaking of Mr. Colon, he will be part of this team's 6-man rotation as they try an unconventional approach.  Their bullpen sucks, however.  They have decent hitters but, like their bretheren in Seattle, didnt do much to improve.  So the Rangers will be slightly below .500.
 * 5) Oakland Athletics 72-90 The A's somehow were on the fringe of the playoff race the entire season last year even though on paper they suck.  Expect them to go back a little bit this year, even though Khris Davis is a very good player.
 * 1) Washington Nationals (1) 105-57 The Nats are clearly the team to beat in the NL East and I think they will be the best team record-wise in baseball.  This is, in part due to the fact that their division consists of a decent yet young Philly team, a Mets team that I can't figure out, the rebuilding Braves, and the Marlins, whose roster is about as solid as the Trump White House staff.  They have Harper, Murphy, and Gonzalezall on contract years so expect an extra push from this talented trio.  Their bullpen was their weak spot last year but they addressed it nicely at the trade deadline and offseason.
 * 2) Philadelphia Phillies (5) 90-72 The Phillies are this year's Twins, jumping ahead of their rebuild process and sneaking into the playoffs (thanks in part to the NL East schedule).  They're doing a good job developing young talent, but added a couple strong veterans in Santana and Arrieta, so I'm expecting big things.
 * 3) New York Mets 79-83 After an injury-plagued 2017, I am not sure if the team will come back to their playoff form of 2015-16 or if they will be well below .500.  As usual, I am putting them somewhere in the middle.  Plus Mr. Bruce is back!
 * 4) Atlanta Braves 70-92 Much like the Phillies, but sans big free agents.  But they're doing a nice job in their rebuild.
 * 5) Miami Marlins 56-106 Awful, just awful.  They traded Stanton and many others all to save money.  This team's offense and rotation are clearly bottom-5, resulting in 100 losses easy.  Maybe 110!
 * 1) St. Louis Cardinals (3) 88-74 The trio of teams atop this diviion are good, but not great.  It will be a close race, but only for the one spot, since I do not see any team getting to 90 wins.  The Cardinals added Miguel Ozuna to strengthen a decent lineup.  Their pen was a weak spot last year, but I think they can sure it up and win this division.
 * 2) Chicago Cubs (2nd team out) 86-76 Pitching is the problem in Chicago.  While they have the lineup to compete with anyone, they will give up a lot of runs as there are a lot of fresh faces and unproven guys in the rotation and bull pen.
 * 3) Milwaukee Brewers 82-80 They added Lorenzo Cain to a strong lineup eha eha, but they lack starting pitching.  If they want to contend, they will need to add multiple arms at the trade deadline.
 * 4) Cincinnati Reds 71-91 And now we get to the bottom of this division.  The Reds actually have a lot of potential and are on the rise.  Their bullpen has gone from laughing stock to above average over the last year or two, and if they can get enough starting pitching, then they can turn some heads!
 * 5) Pittsburgh Pirates 68-94 The Buccos have really fallen.  They traded away Cole and McCutcheon and are really getting younger.  Their frugal owner has gone in a Marlinsesque direction and it just means that the Pirates are the Pirates again!
 * 1) Los Angeles Dodgers (2) 98-64  The Dodgers are the team to beat in a stacked NL West and have business of the unfinished genre to take care of after coming up just short in the World Series.   Their lineup is deep and if Forsythe can return to 2016 form it will be even deeper.  Their rotation is good and Jansen is among the top closers in the game but the rest of their bullpen is a weak spot.
 * 2) Colorado Rockies (4) 93-69 The Rockies got much better than their WC team a year ago with the additions of Shaw and Davis.  Going along with a solid lineup and a decent rotation, they should jump over the Snakes for 2nd place.
 * 3) Arizona D-Backs (1st team out) 89-73 They have prettu much the same team as last year, but I think they will step back a little this year and just miss the playoffs.
 * 4) San Francisco Giants 81-81 On paper, they are better than a .500 ball club, but they tend to underachieve and are in a stacked division.  They added McCutcheon and Longoria this offseason, but those two are a few years past their respective primes.
 * 5) San Diego Padres 66-96   Even with the addition of Hosmer, they are still a young team with a deep farm system and are a few years away from being competitive.
 * AL Wild Card: LOS ANGELES over Boston - Honestly, I think the Sox are a bit overrated, and the Japanese pitcher/hitter will make the difference in this game.
 * NL Wild Card: COLORADO over Philadelphia - Maybe Bryan Shaw will strike Carlos Santana out in this game.
 * ALDS: HOUSTON 3, Los Angeles 0 - The Astros' pitching staff will dominate the young Angels
 * ALDS: Cleveland 3, NEW YORK 1 - Maybe a little revenge on the Indians' minds, the Tribe won't let this series slip away
 * NLDS: WASHINGTON 3, Colorado 2 - I think the home team wins all five here, as the Nats almost blow a 2-0 lead for yet another choke-job, but their pitching makes the difference in game 5.
 * NLDS: St. Louis 3, LOS ANGELES 1 - The Dojers are the better team, but not in this short series.
 * ALCS: Cleveland 4, HOUSTON 3 - Probably the two best pitching staffs in the game, I will give the slight nod to Cleveland but this will be one heck of a series if these two meet in the playoffs.
 * NLCS: WASHINGTON 4, St. Louis 1 - The Washington Nationals will beat the St. Louis Cardinals in five games.
 * World Series: WASHINGTON 4, Cleveland 2 - The fans are going wild!  Just not the fans I am hoping for.  Both teams have sold rosters, but I think Washington finally gets it doe before many of their players hit the open market.

WBB 2018
Explanations coming soon

AL East AL Central AL West NL East NL Central NL West Playoffs
 * 1) New Jersey (2) 56-24 Still might be the best AL team, so it makes sense to pick them to remain division champions.  Known all decade as a pitching-heavy team, they are probably more offensively focused after losing a few starters and stacking their lineup.  The preceding sentence was plagiarism.
 * 2) New York (4) 55-25 Should be a close race between New York and New Jersey.  Its too bad the owner of New York is actively trying to sell his team and purchase another WBB team.  They added to their rotation and D.D. Dabathia looks primed to make a comeback after a great showing in fall ball.  Plus they got Giancarlo Stankilogram to go along with Aaron Jury.  Should be a fun summer in the Bigg Apple and in Chesterland.
 * 3) Providence (1st team out) 47-31 Aging Anchors may take a step back.  Probably the best pitching in the division after New Jersey lost a couple pieces, and long-time ace Tom Bradley looks as good now as he ever did despite being old.
 * 4) Dover 30-50 I think they'll finish ahead of Miami, but not by much.  Barry Flavor isn't as good as he was in 2005 (why was this never a player name?), but their GM says "Manny Muchacho is the kiwi need him to do well or we're expired."  Expect him to be traded at some point and the Propels, like actual propel, to be near the bottom shelf of this division.
 * 5) Miami 26-54 Their feeder teams are the Marlins and Dolphins, who are both terrible.  They've had a few decen't years, but, i think their play will mellow out, man.  They also lost their best offensive player, Giancarlo Stankilogram.
 * 1) Cleveland (1) 57-23 I think the champs got slightly worse in the off-season, but thats okay since they have a crappy division.  Oh never mind, this is WBB Cleveland.  But the Generals still have Francisco Lindietz, Edlose Encarnacion, LeBron Jimmy, Kevin Hate (if he can retain his health), and they traded for Rodney Skimask.  Plus great pitchers like Corey Gruber, Cody Albert, and Carlos Tobasco.  They'll be fine even with stiff competition from the
 * 2) Indianapolis (5) 49-31 Expect a red wave, both at the ballot box in November, and at the newly renamed Republicans Stadium.  Their bullpen is always one of the best in the game, as Luigi Trivisonno looks for his record-setting tenth straight season with 20+ saves. They also added set-up guy Justin Chilson from Detroit, and starter Me Darvish from Los Angeles.  Too bad the Colts suck and have no WBB-friendly players (save for Blessing).  They're old, but have a couple Young Republicans like catcher Tom Polyester and they have the 6th overall draft pick to get an impact player too.
 * 3) Lexington (2nd team out) 45-35 The Gentlemen are not great but they're better than the team that limped to the finish line a year ago.  Andy Dalpound is as overrated as his hair is orange, but outfielder A.J. Blue is still very strong.
 * 4) Mobile 39-41 I think the Homes could make some noise this year, as ageless wonder Drew Breeze did exceptional last year.  They also added young guys like DH Alvin Kamara and OF Marshon Lattiless, but they are still about a .500 team
 * 5) St. Louis 6-74 I am not sure where to start with this team, but I know they are not going to play well.  First of all, when every player and team employee must check Donald Trumpet's Twitter page each morning to see if they are still employed, you know that team must have a toxic work environment.  Just in the last two months, they cut H.R. McSlave, David Shulkin, Tyrannosaurus Tillerson,  Gary Barrel, Hope Hillbillies, Rob Portman (based on Rob Porter, not the senator named Rob Portman, who the real Mr. Porter actually worked for once), and John McEn-Tee-Shirt.  Donald Trumpet is actually a decent player, but he will miss most of the season due to suspension or personal time off so he can play golf.  They were also somehow able to retain Mike Moustakas, which is why their win total is even as high as it is.
 * 1) California (3) 44-36 The Melons have always had very good pitching with the likes of Cumin, Duruncle, Bradison Bumgarner, etc.  They bolstered their pen with the signing of Derek The Netherlands and added El Paso Jackson and Andrew McCutcheek, but their offense still isnt great.  I do think they win this pedestrian division, but it should be a fun race to watch.
 * 2) San Antonio 43-37 The Astros players lead many to believe that the Something are the team to beat in the AL West, and that very well could be the case.
 * 3) Wyoming 41-39 The Oblongs started over last year and, in my opinion, overachieved slightly.  I think they regress a bit, but the addition of Litigation Keenum moves them up to the .500 range.
 * 4) Albuquerque 40-40 Like the rest of their division, they are okay, even without the retired Dennis Schlotzsky, and the injured Goomba St. James (who has to miss the entire season because Mario jumped on top of him).  In this division, they are absolutely in the hunt, which, ironically Schlotzsky's turkey reminds me of.
 * 5) Alaska 38-42 Alaska added speedster Eff Gordon but did not much else.  They're a decent team who really could have made a big leap, but they must be fine with settling for mediocrity.
 * 1) Atlantic Ocean (1) 56-24 Despite to Savannah losing in the playoffs last year, Atlantic Ocean is still the class of the NL East.  They acquired players suck as Blake Bottles, Raj Fournette, and others from Miami, while also keeping their tremendous pitching rotation.  Morgan AndCoke might be demoted to the bullpen because of their acquisition of Bottles.  They also added Cody Kramer for some reason, but that is just to give Ocean more depth.
 * 2) Savannah (4) 52-28 The surprising NL Champs will be back to the playoffs this season, falling a few games short of the division crown.  They can't seem to close out games, going back to 28-3 lead they blew to Providence in winter ball a couple years back.  Their strong offense gets them to the playoffs, but they need to address the pen at the trade deadline.
 * 3) Virginia Beach (1st team out) 49-31 The Jellyfish have a good lineup with guys like Alvarez, but they can't pitch.  I think this will catch up to them more than last year and keep them out of the playoffs
 * 4) Boston 39-41 Tobias Kieth called it quits last season to focus on his music career, but a lot of young talent on the Cups with guys like Xander Boogers and Jackie Trot, Jr. will make this team fun to watch.
 * 5) Philadelphia 32-48 The Phillises have quietly accumulated a solid rotation with the likes of Huckabee Wentz, Nate Foles, and Jake Scarrieta.  They also added Carl O'Santana to their lineup and have an outstanding catcher named Zac Enterprise.  The signing of strong clean-up hitter Snorlax Van Winkle might help, but he tends to fall assleep during pitching changes. They're probably the best last-place team and may even be able to win the NL Central by five games.
 * 1) Barrie (3) 46-34 Usually, the NL Central  is hard to pick because no one team stands out from the pile of garbage that is this division.  I feel like every team has gotten worse over the off-season (except Youngstown) but Barrie has not done quite as bad as others.  The Brios have quality defensive players and starting pitchers, but just need that team leader.  Maybe they can parlay their 12th and 22nd draft picks into such a leader.
 * 2) Detroit 38-42 They still have a lot of overpaid bums on their team, and there isn't a whole lot of youth on the team either. They added slugger Gunther Control from the Eurpoean league, but he is probably the most polarizing player in all of WBB (save for Donald Trumpet himself). A lot of their fans speak of this Blue Wave coming in 2018, but they are just a vocal minority, as the masses see the Democrats as a .500-ish team.
 * 3) Pittsburgh 25-55 Now the really bad from this division:  They traded Gerrit Cold to San Antonio and Andrew McCutcheek to California and are really starting a rebuild.  In the process, they also ridded themselves of a lot of payroll.  It will be a long year in the Steel City
 * 4) Youngstown 19-61 Youngstown has had a nice off-season adding Tire Rod Taylor, Jarvis Laundry, Carlos seek and a host of other players.  They also have two top-5 picks in the upcoming draft, so they could be vastly improved.  However, they were so terrible last year that I still see it unlikely for them to get 20 wins.  It will still be a long year in the Former City
 * 5) Totemsburgh 18-62 They started their rebuild process last season.  While they have a lot of young talent and a good starting rotation, they cant hit anything and it will be a long year in Tan and Purple City.
 * 1) Los Angeles (2) 51-29 My biggest surprise (outside of St. Louis finding a way to win six games) is the Drowners winning the NL West.  But they have a lot of great players.  Their rotation is led by Cy Old Candidate Claypound Kershaw and promising young gun Jared Goth.  Add in a lineup with young stars DH Todd Feminine, 1B Cody Dinginger, SS Corey Seagull, and the return of Logan Farsight from injury really makes this team a strong contender.  They had a promising showing in fall ball, and they didn't rest on their Laurens after that either.  They added Peter Marcuses, defensive specialist Aquib Talib, pitcher/hitter Ichiro Tebow, outfielder Brandin Chefs, and another player in the last months. The only good player from their awful days earlier this decade, Ah Buhulalaldlagugh, is projected to bat 9th in their lineup.
 * 2) Hawaii (5) 50-30 The Pineapples are always a tough out, and they wil have another strong year.  They are getting old though, and Aaron Rojers is coming back from a terrible injury.
 * 3) Las Vegas (2nd team out) 48-32 This is a difficult team to gage, as they have lots of talent but tend to underachieve a la the Raiders.
 * 4) San Diego 40-40 The Sharkweeks are going into the land of the Propels as has-beens.  The Discovery Channel-themed players are not as captivating as they were a few years ago, and I still don't think they have gotten over the trades of Large-Streams and others to the Drowners for cash to go into the owner's pockets.  They added Eric Hampster to the Padres-contingent, but it looks like they're in a rebuild.
 * 5) Tijuana 21-59 The bordercrossers have lost a step (and they really weren't that good anyway).  They are starting to let Donald Trumpet's policy get to them as they will be traveling via caravan to away games this year.  They really don't have that many talented players either.  Just Frank Anchor-Baby and Cy Old dark horse Wilhelm Müller.  Why does someone with an obviously German name play for the Bordercrossers?  I don't know, it just sounds funny.
 * AL Wild Card: NEW YORK over Indianapolis - The Professionals are the all-around better team eha eha.


 * NL Wild Card: Hawaii over SAVANNAH - I think the aging Pineapples have another run in them before they get rolling on a rebuild.  Tito Rocket has a dominant game.


 * ALDS: CLEVELAND 3, California 0.  Hopefully the basketball version is a similar result in June.  Cleveland's pitching will have no problem dominating California's offensive "attack."
 * ALDS: New York 3, NEW JERSEY 2.  By far, the more entertaining of the two ALDS, as both teams have strong pitching staffs and offenses.
 * NLDS: ATLANTIC OCEAN 3, Barrie 1.  When is the last time an NL Central team won a playoff series?
 * NLDS: LOS ANGELES 3, Hawaii 2.  A battle of experience vs. youth goes to the young team this go-round
 * ALCS: New York 4, CLEVELAND 3.  I have a gut feeling that the Generals will build up a 3-1 lead but not be able to close it out.
 * NLCS: ATLANTIC OCEAN 4, Los Angeles 1.  In the battle of the deepest stadiums, the Drowners come up just short.
 * Earth Series: ATLANTIC OCEAN 4, New York 3.  Should be a great series, but Ocean gets it done yet again for its third championship in five years.

NFL Draft

 * 1) Cleveland- Sam Darnold QB-USC
 * 2) * All of the top QBs have individual strengths and weaknesses, but Sam Darnold is the most complete of them in my opinion. Browns have to take a QB either here or at 4 and I think the Browns make Darnold their man
 * 3) New York Giants - Saquon Barkley RB-Penn State
 * 4) * The Giants have been infatuated with Rosen since the beginning of this process. But I am starting to see the Giants not go the QB route, and instead take a dynamic playmaker to go alongside Eli Manning and the Odell Beckham II
 * 5) New York Jets (from Indianapolis) - Baker Mayfield QB-Oklahoma
 * 6) * Certain to take a QB after trading into the top 3, and I think they have been fascinated with Baker this whole time.
 * 7) Cleveland (from Houston) - Bradley Chubb DE-NC State
 * 8) * Pairing Chubb with Myles Garrett gives the Browns one of the most feared pass rushes for years to come. I could also see them draft Barkley if he is available, but RB is a little lower on the position totem pole, especially after having signed Hyde.
 * 9) Denver - Quenton Nelson G-Notre Dame
 * 10) Some in the media claim that the Broncos are just a QB away from contending, but they must be smoking the drugs that are legal in Colorado.  The Broncos' offense is in shambles, and adding the best lineman in the draft to protect Keenum is a great start.
 * 11) Buffalo (from New York Jets via Indianapolis) - Josh Allen QB-Wyoming
 * 12) * Note: Indianapolis trades #6 to Buffalo for #12, #65, and a first round pick in 2019.
 * 13) * Buffalo moved to 12 to get a better shot of getting into the top ten and adding their QB. In this mock trade, I believe Indy insists on next year's first rounder as opposed to the #22 pick so they can have a better shot at a QB next year if Andrew Luck flops.  The Bills went to the playoffs with what they claimed to be a bad QB, so they can reasonably (although misguidedly) believe that they are a franchise QB away from being a dominant force in the AFC.
 * 14) Tampa Bay - Denzel Ward CB-Ohio State
 * 15) * Tampa Bay has no secondary, so adding Ward will get someone to cover half the field.
 * 16) Chicago - Minkah Fitzpatrick CB-Alabama
 * 17) * They have a lot of needs, so best to go with the best player available with this pick.
 * 18) San Francisco - Tremaine Edmunds LB-Virginia Tech
 * 19) * They have their QB, now they need to build up their defense to contend in a very physical NFC West
 * 20) New England (from Oakland) - Josh Rosen QB-UCLA
 * 21) * Note: Oakland trades #10 to New England for #23, #31, and a 2nd-round pick in 2019
 * 22) * Not only do the Patriots get their heir apparent to Brady but they get someone who can step right now in should Brady suffer an old-man injury. Also, they prevent division rival Miami from drafting one of the "Big Four."
 * 23) Miami - Derwin James S-Florida State
 * 24) * Their pass defense is atrocious, and adding a someone like James in the middle will be huge.
 * 25) Indianapolis (from Cincinnati via Buffalo) - Roquan Smith LB-Georgia
 * 26) * Indy gets a top-5 defensive talent Plus they got several 1st to 3rd round picks by trading down twice (and they could trade again if someone wanted to jump up for Lamar Jackson)
 * 27) Washington - Jaire Alexander CB-Louisville
 * 28) * Could either see D-Line or secondary here. I think putting this gentleman alongside Josh Norman really boosts Washington's pass defense.
 * 29) Green Bay - Vita Vea DT-Washington
 * 30) * Vea would be a great fit in Mike Pettine's defensive schemes.
 * 31) Arizona - Lamar Jackson QB-Louisville
 * 32) * Jackson is their QB of the future. Possibly their QB of the present after Sam Bradford's annual injury.
 * 33) Baltimore - Calvin Ridley WR-Alabama
 * 34) * Ravens are in need of receiving help
 * 35) Los Angeles Chargers - Da'Ron Payle DT-Alabama
 * 36) * Payne can be a good run-stopper and really open things up in the pass rush for Joey Bosa and their other defensive end.
 * 37) Atlanta (mock trade from Seattle) - Harold Landry DE-Boston College
 * 38) * Note: Seattle trades #18 and #226 to Atlanta for #26, #90, and #152. 
 * 39) * Atlanta needs defensive line help in the worst way, and Seattle will be looking to trade down as they do not have a pick in the 2nd or 3rd round and they need to start a rebuild. Landry at 18 is the steal of the first round. He is the second best pass rusher in this draft, only slightly behind Chubb.
 * 40) Dallas - D.J. Moore WR-Maryland
 * 41) * After jettisoning Dez Bryant, it is pretty hard for Dallas not to go receiver here.
 * 42) Detroit - Josh Jackson CB-Iowa
 * 43) * I could see Detroit go a lot of ways, but it will be something on defense
 * 44) Cincinnati (from Buffalo) - Isaiah Wynn G-Georgia
 * 45) * The Bengals need help on O-Line and Wynn is a very versatile fit.
 * 46) Buffalo (from Kansas City)-  Mike McGlinchy T-Notre Dame
 * 47) * Offensive line is a need for Buffalo as well.
 * 48) Oakland (from Los Angeles Rams via New England) - Leighton Vander Esch LB-Boise State
 * 49) * I personally think this is a bit of a reach, but since they got a large haul for trading down, its cool.
 * 50) Carolina Will Hernandez G-UTEP
 * 51) * The run of offensive linemen continues...
 * 52) Tennessee - James Daniels C-Iowa
 * 53) * and continues ...
 * 54) Seattle (from Atlanta in a mock trade) - Isaiah Oliver CB-Colorado
 * 55) * first step in rebuilding their secondary after Richard Sherman's departure
 * 56) New Orleans - Mason Rudolph QB-Oklahoma State
 * 57) *I really think the Saints have the most complete roster in the NFL. With no pressing needs, I think they will draft Rudolph as a successor to Brees and let him wait in the wings a few years a la Aaron Rodgers
 * 58) Pittsburgh - Rashaan Evans LB-Alabama 
 * 59) *The catastrophic injury to Ryan Shazier makes this pick necessary
 * 60) Jacksonville - Cortland Sutton WR-SMU
 * 61) *Offensive line could be the pick here, but Jacksonville lost WRs Allens Hurns and Robinson, so they will need to get a target for Blke Bortles
 * 62) Minnesota - Connor Williams T-Texas
 * 63) *Vikings still could use some offensive line help, and Williams could start at guard, and evolve into a left tackle.
 * 64) Oakland (from New England) - Kolton Miller - T-UCLA
 * 65) *Oakland has many holes but I think they sure up a need on the OL here.
 * 66) Cleveland (from Philadelphia) - Darrius Guice RB-LSU
 * 67) *Note: Philly trades #32 and #132 to Cleveland for #33 and #114
 * 68) *This trade benefits both teams. The Eagles may be looking to trade down since they are without a 2nd or 3rd round pick.  Now they move down one spot and have all day Friday to orchestrate a bigger trade-down, while also moving up in the 4th round.  Meanwhile, for the Browns, picking Guice in the 1st round as opposed to the 2nd round gives them a 5th year option on his rookie contract.  This can be huge for a running back.  Guice is almost as good as Barkley, but the Browns were able to add some other strong players

FIFA World Cup
My Dad once asked if it was named after Nick Fifa. I hope he was joking.

Group A Wow, this has to be the weakest World Cup group in my lifetime. With host Russia as the "seeded" team in this group, Uruguay are the only good team and will cruise through, even though star Luis Suarez may unleash his inner Bailey (pun actually not intended) and bite someone. Egypt are a team to watch too as they have Liverpool hero Mohammed Salah. Although Sports Illustrated had an interesting article about him, so the Pharaohs will probably struggle. Saudi Arabia and host Russia are the two worst teams in the field by FIFA ranking, but home field advantage and Russian meddling may be enough to move the hosts through.
 * 1) Uruguay
 * 2) Egypt
 * 3) Russia
 * 4) Saudi Arabia

Group B It is a foregone conclusion who gets to represent this group, with the winner of the group being decided this Friday when Portugal battle Spain. Portugal have Cristiano Ronaldo who is en fuego, and this may be his last chance to win a World Cup eha eha. Spain are somewhere between the side that won it all in 2010 and the team who got eliminated in the Group State last time.
 * 1) Portugal
 * 2) Spain
 * 3) Morocco
 * 4) Iran

Morocco have a good defensive arrangement and may have been a team to watch had they not gotten drawn against two juggernauts, while Iran are the best team in a lousy AFC. Or is it CAF? Whichever one is the Asia one.

Group C This is an interesting group. While it is essentially certain that France will move on, I could legitimately see any of the other three join Les Bleus in the knock out round. Peru went through tremendous drama in their qualifying run. La Blanquirroja looked dead until a late surge placed them in the tournament at Chile's expense. Peru have won a recent series of friendlies against Croatia, Iceland, and Uruguay, so I think these guys are an underdog with a decent shot.
 * 1) France
 * 2) Peru
 * 3) Denmark
 * 4) Australia

Denmark are no easy out, though, having not lost a match since October 2016. They cruised through WC Qualifying, and can score like no other, although their defense is lacking. Working in the Danes' favor is that they play France last, and the French Fries may have wrapped everything up by then. The Socceroos like to score too and have a well organized, physical demeanor to them, but are the least experienced in the group.

That second spot may come down to who can sneak away with a point against France, as the other three will probably beat each other up.

Group D Lionel Messi, like Cristianao Ronaldo, may be looking at his last opportunity to win a World Cup. THe Argentines are in a group that they should win, but they have played a bit messi over the past two years. I think Iceland are the team to watch. LITTLE ICELAND (I can see President Trump saying that while stuffing a McMuffin in his face) want to show that their quarterfinal run in Euro 2016 was not a fluke and they have great players like Gylfi Sigurdsson and Hordur Magnusson.
 * 1) Iceland
 * 2) Argentina
 * 3) Croatia
 * 4) Nigeria

Croatia will be a tough out. The Blazers have a strong midfield and are a top-20 team in the FIFA Rankings. And even Nigeria can make some noise (as long as its not vuvuzela noise) but they have a tough defense led by Chelsea's Victor Moses.

Group E This group is kind of like group C where there is one overwhelming favorite (Brazil) and three sides vying for second. Brazil boast Neymar back to full strength after a foot injury, and other players such as Fred. The other three sides are battling for one spot, and I think Costa Rica will move through. Los Ticos are used to thriving on the big stage as they won a group in 2014 that included England, Italy, and Uruguay.
 * 1) Brazil
 * 2) Costa Rica
 * 3) Switzerland
 * 4) Serbia

Don't sleep on the Hug clan and the rest of Switzerland. The Swiss don't have a lot of firepower, but have several multi-tool, versitile players. The football equivilent of a Swiss army knife. ANd Serbia are a talented side but they sacked their coach in the fall for some reason.

Group F Germany are the title holders and the #1 ranked team, however the title holders have failed to advance past the group stage in 3 of the last 4 World Cups. Germany are far too good to fall victim to this curse, however. They love to score, averaging over four goals per game during UEFA qualifying and having 22 different players score a goal for Die Mannschaft (although only 21 were wearing Germany uniforms). They have a tremendous amount of great players and great leaders like Thomas Muller, but nobody at the elite level. If they have a weakness, I guess its defense, but even that is pretty good too.
 * 1) Germany
 * 2) Mexico
 * 3) Sweden
 * 4) South Korea

Mexico should take second in this group, and could be a dark horse to win the whole thing, especially if they can avoid Brazil in the Round of 16 (unlikely without winning this group). El Tri stil have a number of players from when they won Olympic Gold in 2012 and breezed through qualifying (although it is CONCACAF, and it would take a group of dingleberries to not qualify from that federation). Javier Hernandez has had a stand-out career for Mexico, and should become their all-time goal scorer.

Sweden are a bit of a surprise team, but they beat juggernaut Italy in the two-legged UEFA play-in round, so they have shown they can contend with the best. South Korea are also in this group, but shouldn't be much of a threat.

Group G This is the kind of group I dislike, where there is a huge gap between the 2nd and 3rd best teams, but thats how it is. Belgium have world class talent, and went 9-0-1 in UEFA qualifying. Their front line is led by Romelu Lukaku (and expect to hear his name a lot) while Spurs teammates Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen  are in their backfield. The Wafflers (not their official nickname, that would be the Red Devils) have many players representing the Premier League's top sides.
 * 1) Belgium
 * 2) England
 * 3) Tunisia
 * 4) Panama

Meanwhile, England also have many players representing the Premier League's top sides, as all 23 on the Three Lions' roster play club football in England. Harry Kane is the England captain and I think he is one of the best young footballers in the world.

Tunisia and Panama are also in this group.

Group H This is yet another interesting group, as each nation brings something different to the table and I could really see any of the four advance. The Poles (not Totemsburgh) won a tough group in qualifying, finishing five points clear of Denmark. They are also quietly 7th in the world. Senegal are the class of African football right now and one of the more surprising teams in the world. It would not surprise me to see them win a game or two in the knockout round as well. They also boast Liverpool star Sadio Mane, who is one of the best finishers in the game.
 * 1) Poland
 * 2) Senegal
 * 3) Colombia
 * 4) Japan

Don't sleep on the others though. Colombia zoomed through the early parts of the last World Cup before losing to the host Brazil in the quarterfinal. Los Cafeteros have James Rodreiguez, who can create much space and score many goals. Their back line is really lacking, but they have 21-year old Davinson Sanchez, who is a heck of a player. Japan could also make some noise in this World Cup, as they are among the best Asia has to offer. Unfortunately, they will instead bring great shame to their nation.

Round of 16

Spain over Uruguay - Uruguay benefited from a bad group. Now they face a team at their own level.

France over Argentina - Wow, four football powers (Spain, Uruguay, France, and Argentina) are all on one quarter of my bracket. But in this game, France sends Mr. Messi home early

Brazil over Mexico - Should be a really good dame!

Belgium over Senegal - Wouldn't surprise me if Senegal were to make a run, but Belgium are a very tough team to get by.

Portugal over Egypt - Portugal are not the one man team that they were four years ago. Ronaldo has a decent supporting cast.

Peru over Iceland - Never thought this would be a match in a World Cup knockout stage. I like both of these teams a lot, but Peru will prevail here.

Germany over Costa Rica - Lang lebe Deutschland!

England over Poland - This is Harry Kane's coming out party!

Quarter-Finals

France over Spain - I like a good European Border Battle. Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Thomas Lemar are more than the Spanish defense can handle this day.

Belgium over Brazil - This could have been Lakaku vs. Kaka, but the Brazilian star retired, so for that they will lose this game (I would have picked Belgium anyway).

Peru over Portugal - Peru's strong run continues

Germany over England - Another battle of European powers. There's just no beating Germany right now...

Semi-Finals

Belgium over France - Tough to pick at this juncture. SO many good teams to choose from.

Germany over Peru - Peru's run ends here

Third Place 

France over Peru - Meh, its third place. THese two teams happened to have already played each other in the Group Stage. I don't know how many times that has happened?

Championship

Germany 3, Belgium 2 (in extra time) - Two teams with strong offensive attacks and good, but not quite so dominant defenses, means we may see several GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALs!