World Series Prediction

Sup.

The next 2 days in sports are huge. Tomorrow night, the NBA season tips off with the main event being LeBron James' debut with the Miami Heat against the Boston Celtics. That game is on TNT and starts at 7:30. I know a lot of people in Pittsburgh don't pay attention to the NBA, because of the lack of the team here, but I see no better time to start watching than right now. Everybody knows about LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and seeing them playing together is something that should interest you regardless. I have always been a mild fan of the NBA, I've played the fantasy game and can hold my own in a conversation (at least in Pittsburgh), but I've never truly gotten into it. That could easily change this season. I'm really excited to see some of these new rosters and new teams play, as well as see all the teams in the NBA shoot to beat the Heat.

After that, the MLB World Series gets rolling with the Giants hosting the Rangers. You can't ask for a much better pitching matchup to start it off, with Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee sharing the rubber. Lee has been phenomenal on the road all year long, and Lincecum has been electric in the playoffs, and always pitches well at home. The advantage goes to Lee, just cause he has been more consistently dominant. It's definitely hard to pick against the Rangers with Lee on the hill, and I won't be doing it tomorrow. The Rangers have a definite advantage with the bats, and with Lee on the hill they are nearly impossible to beat. The Rangers will take game 1, but will eventually lose the series.

The Giants rotation as a whole is better than what the Rangers have. When you look at the 2-4 guys, it's Sanchez/Cain/Bumgarner vs. Wilson/Lewis/Hunter. While every single one of those guys is capable of dominating any offense in this league, the strength of the Giants is better than the Rangers. The postseason ERAs for 2-4 Giants pitchers are 2.93/0.00/3.55 respectively, and the Rangers are 2.03/1.45/6.14. And yes, that did say 0.00 for Matt Cain (in 13.2 innings). There isn't going to be a bad pitching matchup all series, just how playoff baseball should be. It's gonna come down to hitting. Not in volume, but in the timing of it. Whoever can get the big hits will win this series. The Giants played close baseball all year long, and they have as many timely hits as anybody in the league, as we saw with Juan Uribe's go-ahead home run on Saturday.

If your asking me who I am pulling for in this series, I would quickly answer the Giants. However, if the Rangers do end up winning, I will not be upset. The biggest reason I would be happy if the Rangers win would be about Cliff Lee. Not that I love the guy or anything, as a matter of fact I don't particularly care for him. However, there have been rumors that he is heading to the Yankees next year, which are completely believable considering he's the best pitcher on the market and the Yankees will be looking to spend again this year. If Lee wins a World Series with the Rangers, he has already said that he would be more likely to re-sign with them next year. That certainly makes sense, why would you want to walk away from a team that you just won a World Championship with?

I guess it's a win-win for me. Here's my game-by-game prediction:

Game 1: Rangers
Game 2: Giants
Game 3: Giants
Game 4: Rangers
Game 5: Rangers
Game 6: Giants
Game 7: Giants

Bench McFleury?

Let me begin this post by (re)stating one thing - I am not now, nor I will I ever be, a big Pittsburgh Penguins fan. In fact, in recent years I have come to dislike them to a pretty good extend. When I really think about it, it's not the team I dislike, they really have not done anything to warrant that, but it's the fans and the sudden rise to popularity that the team has experienced that has grown this dislike in me.

Now regardless of that, I am not incompetent when it comes to hockey. I watch sportscenter, pay attention to what is going on, and even play fantasy hockey. What I want to talk about today is what is going on with the goalie situation for the hometown Penguins.

Before this year, Marc-Andre Fleury was the no-brainer starting goalie. However, 6 games into the season, it is no longer that clear who the starter is.

Fleury has started 3 games this year, and has not done well at all. He has allowed 10 goals on 68 shots in those games. Those are not good numbers. Fleury's backup, and now competition, Brent Johnson has also started 3 games, and has allowed 4 goals on 85 shots. He is 3-0 while Fleury is 0-3. Those numbers right there are the reason that Johnson got the call for tonight's game against the Senators.

It is unclear whether coach Dan Bylsma is simply riding the hot hand or seriously considering making Johnson is starter. My guess would be that he still has Fleury on his mind as the starter, but just does not want to sit a player that has helped the team win all 3 of their games this season.

Here's the deal folks, Brent Johnson is 34 years old. He has been around since 1998 and has a career 124-100 record with a save percentage of .904. Fleury is 25 years old with a career 148-109 record and a .906 save percentage. The age surely favors Fleury, and the numbers do as well (not by much, but they do).

The Penguins have a lot more invested in Fleury than they do in Johnson, and Fleury has proven that he can come up big when it counts the most. He was huge in their playoff run to the Stanley Cup 2 seasons ago, and it's going to take a whole lot more than 3 games to have the team take away his job.

I am totally on board with everything I just said, and I think that the Penguins should start putting Fleury between the pipes every night.

That is mainly because he is on my fantasy team, but I do seriously think it would be best for the team as well in the long run.

Let's Go Bucs.

Meet The McSteelers

Here at "The 'Mc' Effect", we love a lot of things - but one thing more than the rest - and that is athletes with an "M - c" at the beginning of their last names. Since the Pirates' Mc's are done until next March, we'll have to switch gears and meet the rest of the Pittsburgh Mc's.

Sean McHugh, FB/TE, Pittsburgh Steelers



Sean McHugh isn't the best football player in the league. In fact, he's not even in the top 3 at his position on his own team. He is, however, one of my favorite Steelers, if not only because of his last name.

McHugh attended Penn State University, and played a lot in the backfield, letting 4 times. In his career there, he ran 82 times for 332 yards and 6 touchdowns. Those 6 touchdowns were just 14 shy of what Larry Johnson had in his senior season, so you could say that McHugh's skill level is just inches below Johnson's.

McHugh's skills were recognized and he began his NFL career in 2004 with the Green Bay Packers. He played one game for the Packers, and didn't get a carry or a catch, but he provided some highlight reel worthy blocking.

The next stop on the journey of McHugh was Detroit, where he played for 3 seasons. In that time he caught 20 balls for 277 yards. He failed to reach the endzone, probably just because of his incredible humility. He was probably the Lions best player in those years, with Kevin Jones and Sean Rogers coming in at a close 2nd and 3rd.

After the 3 years in Detroit, the Lions had run out of the material needed to make McHugh jerseys at the rate of demand, so they let him go. He was picked up by the Steelers in 2008 and caught 3 balls in his 3 starts for 24 yards. One of those catches went for an astounding 15 yards, a real season changer for the Steelers who went on to win the Super Bowl that year, undoubtably because of McHugh's efforts.

His career has slowed down a little bit since his Super Bowl royalty days, he has been on and off of free agency, and he really isn't a factor for the Steelers as they stand right now, but he is listed on the Steelers.com roster, which makes him worth a couple billion dollars.

Steve McLendon, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers



On January 3rd, 1986, Steve McLendon was born in Ozark, Alabama. He grew rapidly and by the age of 3 Steve was 6'4'', weighing in at 284 pounds. He didn't fit in too well in kindergarten, but all the pain of a tough childhood was made right when he was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009. After a successful career at Troy, McLendon was ready to bring his game to the next level. He worked extremely hard to make the team, but was tragically cut on the last day of camp by the Steelers. Immediately after he was informed of this, the Steelers realized their mistake and offered him a practice squad contract the next day.

Earlier this year, the Steelers, without their star quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, called up McLendon to fill in until Ben's suspension ended. McLendon was ready to start at QB against the Titans, but he came down with a terrible case of scarlet fever right before the game, and was forced to play defensive tackle. In the game he recorded a near record breaking 1 tackle, while almost getting an interception return for a touchdown. He would have had it, but he missed the ball because he was temporarily blinded.

The Steelers came to the realization that a man like McLendon is probably way to violent and skilled to play in the NFL anyway, so he will continue to help other players like Casey Hampton get better at their trade during the week, when it really counts.


The Penguins don't have anybody with a "Mc" at the beginning of their name, because almost all of their players are Russian or Canadian, maybe if the Penguins start recruiting some actual athletes, I'll pay more attention to them.

Your welcome for the enlightenment. Have a great mcMonday.

Off-Season Changeup

The Pirates season is over. It's October and, being that they are the Pirates, they have not been relevant since April. The Phillies, Giants, Yankees, and Rangers are still battling for the right to go to the World Series, and Pittsburgh sports fans are all focused on pigskins and pucks. Now my knowledge of the other 2 major Pittsburgh sports does not come anywhere close to my knowledge of the Pirates and the game of baseball, but I might as well give it a shot. I have this blog and I have a decent amount of readers when I update consistently, so I'm gonna change it up and make this a completely open sports blog. I'll focus a lot of playoff baseball until that is over, and then I'll concentrate mainly on the Steelers and the NFL, with possibly a Penguins post every now and then (I'm not really big on hockey, so don't expect much of me).

All I ask is to keep clicking the Mc Effect, give me reason to invest more of my time and effort into this blog, and by the time baseball season rolls around again it'll be a very successful blog.

Posts are coming, possibly one in the next hour or so, so keep on clicking.

McSee ya soon.

My 2010 Playoff Predictions

The MLB playoffs start Wednesday, and, like every year, I am providing expert knowledge on the game of baseball. I have done this every year since 1994 and have never missed a pick. So here's how it's gonna happen folks:

National League

Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The Reds are the team I'll be pulling for from the National League this year, but unfortunately it's incredibly hard to pick them to beat the Phillies here. The Phillies feature one of the best 1-2-3 starting pitching punches in the history of the major leagues. Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels are all near the top of their games right now.

Roy Halladay is a top 3 pitcher in the game and has been for years. His numbers don't even need to be said. He's nearly unbeatable, but it will be interesting to see how he fairs in the playoffs, as he has never been there before.

Oswalt seemed kind of hittable with the Astros the last few years, but he has found a home in Philadelphia and has been outstanding. In 12 starts with the Phils, he has a 1.74 ERA with a .186 batting average against. And if you take out his first start with the Phillies when he got tagged for 4 runs in 6 innings, his ERA stands at 1.41 with a .176 BAA. He has also struck out close to 8 batters per 9 innings since the trade. He's been in the playoffs two times, in 04 and 05, and has a 3.66 ERA with 4 wins and 0 losses. Pretty good numbers there.

Cole Hamels is another guy that looked pretty average earlier in the year, but has turned it on lately. In his last 7 starts he has an ERA of 1.48 with a .205 batting average against. If you know anything about baseball you know he's been incredible in the playoffs. In 3 trips to the postseason he has a 3.86 ERA with a record of 5-3. He wasn't too great last year, as the Yankees beat him up pretty good in the World Series, but in 2008 he was untouchable and won the World Series MVP award.

As for the Reds, it's all about offense. They're pitching rotation isn't too impressive, but they have statistically the best offense in the National League. They'll send out Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, and a third pitcher selected from Mike Leake, Homer Bailey, or Travis Wood. My bet's on Travis Wood, who has been fantastic in his rookie season. He has a 3.51 ERA and nearly pitched a no-hitter earlier in the year. None of these pitchers have dominating stuff or incredibly impressive statistics, so the offense is going to have be even better than it has been, especially matching up against the Phillies pitching staff.

Unless Joey Votto, Jonny Gomes, Jay Bruce and company go on a ridiculous tear against Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels, they don't have much of a chance.

My pick: Phillies in 4

Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants

Another pretty one-sided matchup in my opinion. Both of these teams clinched their playoff births on the last day of the season with wins, but one team is much stronger than the other when it comes to playoff baseball. In case you're wondering, that team is the Giants.

The Braves got ridiculously hot in the 2nd and 3rd months of the season and built a pretty comfortable lead in their division, but played average baseball down the stretch, lost the division to the Phillies, and almost missed the playoffs entirely. Playoff baseball is all about the pitching, and they just don't really have what it takes. Tim Hudson (17-9, 2.83), Tommy Hanson (10-11, 3.33), and Derek Lowe (16-12, 4.00) will tow the rubber for the Braves, which just isn't enough to matchup with Tim Lincecum (16-10, 3.43), Matt Cain (13-11, 3.14), and whoever the Giants pick for their 3rd option (between Barry Zito (9-14, 4.15), Madison Bumgarner (7-6, 3.00), and Jonathan Sanchez (13-9, 3.07). My vote would be for Sanchez, who I'm sure will get the nod after his performance yesterday. They pulled him after 5 innings of shut out ball against the Padres, which is a pretty clear sign that they're gonna go with him in game 3.

Neither offense is elite. They both have some solid young bats (Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann) and some suprise veterans (Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, Juan Uribe, Martin Prado). It's pretty even offensively, with a slight advantage going to the Braves in my eyes, but the pitching is just too much for me to pick against the Giants. The Braves best pitcher has been Tim Hudson this year, and he has looked pretty terrible at times the last couple months. He's very hittable when he doesn't have his control, and that's not what you want from your ace.

Giants in 3

San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia Phillies

So it's Giants vs. Phillies in the NLCS, a great series for pitching. The Phillies still have a clear advantage on the mound, and an even more clear advantage offensively. Their bats have been hot lately; everything is clicking at the perfect time for the Phils. No way I can pick against them now or anytime. Phillies in 5

American League

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

My number 2 team in the league is the Tampa Bay Rays. No doubt they're the team I want to take it all. However, it's gonna be a tough road for the Rays, whose pitching isn't the strongest. They'll send out David Price (19-6, 2.72), Matt Garza (15-10, 3.91), and either James Shields (13-15, 5.18) or Jeff Niemann (12-8, 4.39) for the first 3 games. Niemann's numbers are better but I think they'd be better served with James Shields, who has a 2.88 ERA in 4 starts in the postseason.

The Rangers pitchers are gonna be Cliff Lee (4-6, 3.98 with TEX), CJ Wilson (15-8, 3.35), and Colby Lewis (12-13, 3.72), a pretty solid 3-man rotation. Cliff Lee is one of the best in the game but has had some bad luck with the Rangers this year. The Rangers definitely have an edge in pitching.

The offenses in this series are 2 of the best in the league. The Rangers ranked first in offense for the American League this year, but have looked beatable of late. Josh Hamilton was probably the best hitter in the league this year, winning the batting title with an average of .359 this year, but he has missed a lot of time with a pretty serious injury lately which he has recovered from, but it will probably have some nagging effects which could throw his timing off and result in a bad postseason showing. Without him at 100%, they will have to depend on guys like Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Michael Young, and Nelson Cruz to get it done. They're lineup is very impressive up and down, but there are some definite question marks there. Andrus, Borbon, and Cruz are all young and unexperienced in the playoffs, and Hamilton could be affected by that injury.

Because of the experience factor and the fanhood factor, I'm going with Tampa. Rays in 5

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees

The hated Yankees are once again in the playoffs. They did not win the division this year as the Rays squeaked it out by a game this year. However the Yankees have another very solid team, more offensively centered like always, and should be a force in this years' postseason. They draw the Minnesota Twins, who have been extremely impressive all year long but aren't really built for a playoff run in my opinion.

The pitching for the Twins is iffy, featuring Francisco Liriano (14-10, 3.620, Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.75), and Scott Baker (12-9, 4.49). The offense doesn't impress me too much either, Justin Morneau will not be playing for the twins, which leaves out a huge power threat for the Twinkies. Joe Mauer will have to carry the load after having another solid season with a .327 batting average, but didn't show much power, hitting only 9 home runs. The Twins are gonna have to hope the Yankees choke and hand this one to them, which probably isn't going to happen.

The Yankees have two solid postseason starters in CC Sabathia (21-7, 3.18) and Andy Pettitte (11-3, 3.28), but don't have too much after that. Phil Hughes (18-8, 4.19) got off to a ridiculous start to the season but has been hittable since, and Javier Vazquez and AJ Burnett have been pretty terrible all year long. My guess would be that the Yankees give Vazquez a chance to start. Wouldn't surprise me if they pitched Sabathia on extremely short rest at some point this postseason too, he's a horse and they aren't gonna be scared to use him if they need a win. They shouldn't really need a win in this first series though, they're gonna cruise to victory.

The Yankees offense is too good to lose to the Twins, Robinson Cano is a serious MVP candidate, and then they have guys like Jeter, Rodriguez, and Teixeira, which just makes it unfair. Yankees in 3.

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays

That makes it another AL East ALCS. While I would love to pick the Rays here, I just don't think I can do it. Their pitching isn't the best, and David Price has pitched a lot of innings this year and could begin to wear down. It'll be close, but I think Sabathia gets 3 wins in the ALCS and leads the hated Yankees to another WS berth. Yankees in 7.

New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies

That makes a 2nd consecutive Phillies vs. Yankees world series, which I probably wouldn't even watch most of. Hate both the teams. Really hoping I'm wrong about this prediction.

However my prediction does end on a positive note, with the Yankees losing the world series. The Phillies will cruise through the entire playoffs and finish it with a 5 game win over the Yanks.

Philadelphia Phillies, World Series Champions, in 5 games over the New York Yankees.