Man in the Hat media

I've gotten to watch a week of games and highlights, and now I'm ready to make predictions on who will win divisions, the wildcard, and who will be playing in the World Series. National League East 1-Phillies 2-Braves 3-Marlins 4-Mets 5-Nationals *The Phillies are still the team to beat. The additions of P Roy Halladay and C Placido Palanco make their rotation the best in the National League, and give them another strong bat in the lineup. And you can't forget about the trifecta of SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Chase Utley and 1B Ryan Howard (who will hit close to 50 HRs this year). Braves will win the wildcard. Central 1-Cardinals 2-Brewers 3-Reds 4-Cubs 5-Astros 6-Pirates *The Cardinals have the best pitching rotation in the division with Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Brad Penny . Don't forget the two dangerous bats of OF Matt Holliday and 1B Albert Pujols. West 1-Giants 2-Rockies 3-Dodgers 4-Diamondbacks 5-Padres *The Rockies are the favorite, but I think the Giants

It was announced by the NCAA that the men's basketball tournament will expand to 96 teams . Here is a link to the Indianapolis Business Journal for more details. The actual vote for this is still three weeks away , but all signs point that this will go through. Though I am not a fan of this, it does have merit. More teams equals more games The overall product won't be watered down , just the first round. Missed class time won't be a problem. They will miss a maximum of one extra day. The extra revenue will help fund non-revenue sports , such as track and field, tennis, etc. As I have stated in an earlier post, I was not a fan of expansion, for the simple reason I think the tournament lasts long enough, and by April, I'm ready for baseball and Opening Day (which should be a National holiday). This has a good chance of taking effect in the 2011 tournament. This won't diminish the importance of the regular season, it will enhance it. Now, the regular season conferenc