Washington Huskies Way Too Early Preview

Steve Sarkisian looks to lead the Huskies back to another bowl game
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The Huskies found their way back to bowl contention for a second straight year after a long drought that spanned most of the 2000's. Their match up against Baylor and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III was a high octane, score fest which saw the Huskies take a commanding lead before finally succumbing to the  Bears and losing 67-56. It was another step in the right direction for a program that has clearly made the right coaching decision in Steve Sarkisian. The Huskies got out to a quick start winning 5 of their first 6. Their only loss came on the road to Nebraska 51-38 in that stretch. After that torrid start though, Washington ran into trouble in their schedule having to face Stanford, Oregon and USC losing all three of those including a head scratcher against Oregon State. They righted the ship against rival Washington State to close the season and give them their mark of 7-5 going into the Alamo Bowl.


The Huskies boast one of the best quarterbacks in the conference in Keith Price. Price is a second year starter and was a great backfield companion to star running back Chris Polk. Price passed for more than 3000 yards and had 33 touch downs to only 11 interceptions. The challenge that comes for Price this next season is he is going to be missing he three best targets from last season. Jermaine Kearse, Devin Aguilar and Chris Polk are now all in the league and he is going to have to start anew with a new receiving corps. However, he does have a pair of talented individuals coming back in tight end Austin Safarian-Jenkins and Kasen Williams, both Sophomores. The departure of Chris Polk will also be a major impact on an offense which had to often outscore it's opponents. Polk was an absolute workhorse for the offense and he doesn't leave a lot of experience behind him. Sophomore Bishop Sankey and Junior Jesse Callier will likely be the ones to try and carry the load for the offense but the two only combined for 447 yards last season. If they can get it going however, it would go a long way in keeping the pressure off Keith Price and the passing game.

The defense gets a new beginning this year bringing in a couple faces not unfamiliar to the Pac-12 in Justin Wilcox and Peter Sirmon. Last season under Nick Holt, the Huskies struggled on defense. They allowed over 450 yards per game and 35 points per game. Something had to change and bringing in Wilcox could be just the man for the job. At Tennessee, Wilcox coached a defense that was ranked top 30 nationally in the highly competitive SEC and before that, coached at Boise State during their championship runs. The Huskies are losing starters from every level of the defense to graduation but probably the player they are going to miss most is Cort Dennison. Dennison lead the team in tackles last season and added an interception. The defense is experienced, though with Desmond Trufant and Sean Parker. The cupboard is far from bare for coach Wilcox. If the defense can retool itself in Wilcox's mold, the Huskies could make a push this next season in the north.

The schedule sets up well for the Huskies with their only speed bump before conference play coming against LSU. Even still before that, they have a game against San Diego State which should give them the opportunity to tune up the offense for the showdown against the Bayou Bengals. They then face Portland State and go up against a Stanford team who will be breaking in a new quarter back and offensive line before they have to go on the road to face the Oregon Ducks. That game is followed up with a faceoff against the familiar USC Trojans. The second half of the season is much more favorable as they face the likes of Oregon State, Colorado and Washington State.

If all goes according to plan, the Huskies could find themselves with a 9-3 record and in contention to go to the conference championship with the Rose Bowl on the line. However, if Price can't find the chemistry he had a year ago on offense and Wilcox doesn't quite get the defense in line, the Huskies could be looking at another 7-5 year and have to wait another season to get back to Pac-12 prominence.

Stanford Cardinal Way Too Early Preview

The Cardinal have big shoes to fill, Stepfan Taylor can help with that.
Alex Baranda

The Stanford Cardinal have spent the last couple seasons under coach Jim Harbaugh and saw success they hadn't experienced since John Elway was under center. Harbaugh left for the San Francisco 49ers and left the table set for coach David Shaw. They opened the season on a tear and walked through much of the Pac-12 schedule until they had to face USC at the Coliseum. It was the first time all season that the Cardinal faced a deficit and they responded by taking the lead before the end of the third. Things got dicey when Andrew Luck threw a pick 6 and put the Trojans back on top. Stepfan Taylor, though would tie the game up with under a minute remaining. After a back and forth affair in overtimes one and two, Stanford took the lead and recovered a USC fumble in the end zone to preserve the victory. After drubbing the Beavers in Corvallis, they returned home for what was being touted as the game of the year against Oregon. The game was tight early but the Ducks capitalized on Stanford mistakes to pull away in the end 53-30. It was the only regular season loss the Cardinal would face before losing a see saw overtime affair against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Stanford faces probably the highest profile loss in the Pac-12 having to replace the conference's premier quarter back in Andrew Luck. Not only are they going to be losing Luck but they are going to be without the services of Griff Whalen, Chris Owusu, Coby Fleener, David DeCastro, and Johnathan Martin. All of them made the offense a lot of what it was and a lot of youth is going to take their place. Fortunately, the Cardinal recruited well across the line and Brett Nottingham was a highly touted recruit out of high school. This upcoming season they open with the same squads they did a year ago in San Jose State and Duke. That lines up well before they face USC and follow it up with a road test against Washington. Those two games will steer the course for the season early on.

On offense, while many pieces have left, Nottingham, the likely starter will have help from one of the most underrated backs in the Pac-12. Stepfan Taylor is going into his Senior season after he rushed for over 1100 yards last season. He provided the balance in the play action game that kept defenses honest and also flummoxed. It was truly a pick your poison scenario with Luck at QB and Taylor at RB. Losing TE Coby Fleener will hurt also but TE was a position that was already pretty stacked for Stanford. Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo are returning this season and the two of them combined for over 50 receptions and 10 scoring catches. For a first year starting quarterback a solid tight end corps can be a great security blanket and help them grow up in a hurry. Conventional wisdom says to blitz a rookie quarter back for defenses and the conventional counter is dropping it off to the tight end. Stanford has the perfect counter punch to go against the most likely defense against Stanford.

The Cardinal also boast one of the best line backing tandems in the conference in Jarek Lancaster, the teams leading tackler and Shayne Skov. The Cardinal lost Skov early on last season and his absence really caused Lancaster to have to grow up quickly in the 30th ranked scoring defense in the country. The Linebackers are going to have to live up to expectations as 4 of the Cardinal leading tacklers were not only seniors but three of them were defensive backs. Stanford did not have a huge turnover margin as a lot of defenses do, they were only +5 on the season. But what is notable is that in their losses, the Cardinal were -4 in those games. However, in those wins they showed that good defense isn't all about big plays but it's also about playing with discipline and keeping things in front of you. Anchoring the defensive line will be Ben Gardner. Gardner had 10 tackles for a loss last season and proved himself to be trouble against offensive lines.

Forecasting the upcoming year, it's easy to see a 9-3 record, competing for a shot at the Rose Bowl, and a win in the big game against rival California. Their toughest early season test is at home and when they go on the road to face Washington, the game will not be in often raucous Husky Stadium. It's being renevated so the Huskies will be playing in CenturyLink Field, the home of the Seahawks. Although if the offensive line isn't what it has been and Nottingham shows his inexperience, the Cardinal could be looking at a 7-5 season with losses against Notre Dame, USC and Oregon. It's not going to be an easy season but we're going to see if coach David Shaw has an encore to his first season which saw his team in a BCS game.

Oregon State Beavers Way Too Early Preview

It was a baptism by fire for the Beavers last year, hopefully the experience
will temper the squad for the next season.
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Last season was another tough year for the Beavers. They could not have started the season much worse losing in overtime to FCS opponent Sacramento State in over time. They followed that up with three more losses, including a 35-0 shut out at Wisconsin. The Beavers would get their first win of the season against Arizona at home and then beating Washington State in Seattle. Oregon State would not win again until the Huskies came to town to give the Beav's their last win of the year. OSU had one of the most prolific passing attacks in the country, ranking in the top 20 but in a lot of situations the Beavers were trying to throw their way back into the game. Their running attack was anemic and the offensive line wasn't helping matters much. That's where the Beavers must start to rebuild if they are to be competitive this season in the Pac-12.

The Beavers are young, last season they played more froshmen than ever before in program history. They had to face a steep learning curve, going up against the likes of Oregon, Wisconsin and Stanford but overall the trial by fire will serve them well in the future. While the offensive line was the weak link of the team they got some help in the recruiting field, reeling in 7 OL recruits including Isaac Seumalo a 4* recruit from Corvallis.

As was mentioned, the Beavers were a top 20 passing team last season. Markus Wheaton and James Rodgers were the main targets for Quarterback Sean Mannion who threw for over 3300 yards. Wheaton came close to a 1000 yard season and James Rodgers bounced back from an ACL tear to reel in 45 receptions and three touchdowns. Not only has Rodgers graduated, stalwart Joe Halihuni is also graduating. Halihuni was the go to guy when OSU needed a first down to keep the drive alive. The Beavers still have Wheaton as well as Jordan Bishop to carry the load. As far as the running game goes, Sophomore Malcom Agnew will likely tote the rock the most for the Beavers. He lead the team last year in rushing with 423 yards and found the end zone 5 times on the ground. He is going to have to step up his production to take the pressure off of Mannion so the offense can produce.

On defense, the Beavers are going to to have to rely on defensive back Jordan Poyer who lead the team in pass break ups. While the defense held their own against the pass, they had a tough time defending the rush. They allowed nearly 200 yards a game on the ground and the defensive line is going to have to shore themselves up if they want to stay in games this upcoming season. They are going to have to replace defensive leader Lance Mitchell who intercepted the ball twice and was among team leaders in tackles. Replacing him will be a challenge as his affect was felt far beyond the box score.

With the Beavers going a combined 8-16 the last two seasons, the fans are clamoring for change. Coach Riley and staff are going to have to show improvement this year or the boosters may be calling for a new regime. Looking at the schedule for the next season, they have a similar beginning, Nichols State before Wisconsin comes to town before the conference schedule starts. Optimistically, the Beavers could find their way to a 6-6 record and get themselves back to a bowl game. That may be what they need to keep the current coaching staff intact and show boosters and future recruits that the team is making progress. However, in the worst case scenario they could find themselves in another 3-9 season which could cause a lot more grumbling in Corvallis.

Oregon Ducks Way Too Early Preview

The Ducks had plenty to celebrate last season, is a fourth title in the cards for them?
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

The Ducks are coming off the two greatest seasons in program history. A berth in the national championship followed by a long awaited Rose Bowl victory had Duck fans clamoring for another season with senior quarterback Darron Thomas at the helm and an experienced backfield starring Kenjon Barner and last year's break out star De'Anthony Thomas. However, the draft called and Darron Thomas answered leaving a big question mark at the quarter back position heading into the 2012 season. The Ducks are the 3 time defending conference champions and in the North, the road to Pasadena goes through Eugene.

Last season, the Ducks had national championship aspirations but they were derailed in the first week with a loss against eventual national runner up, LSU. Oregon would bounce back and win their next 9 straight games including a dominant performance on the road against conference rival Stanford. Oregon rose as high as #4 and were back in the national picture when Oregon's furious comeback attempt went wide left against USC, giving the Ducks their only conference loss of the year. They would go on to win the conference and Rose Bowl in an instant classic against Wisconsin 45-38. Coming into the summer, all eyes will be on the quarter back battle between Bryan Bennett and Marcus Mariota. Mariota red shirted last season and Bennett's only meaningful playing time came in the second half against Arizona State and then on the road at Colorado, both wins. Mariota, on the other hand got the fans buzzing at the Spring game where he acounted for 3 scores and outshined Bennett to start the conversation in Eugene.

A lot is riding on Coach Kelly and his ability to plug and play as he did in Darron Thomas' first season at quarter back. This season faces even more uncertainty than the aforementioned year as the Ducks must not only replace a quarter back who only had 3 losses on his ledger in his career but they also must deal with missing the workhorse of the offense, running back LaMichael James. James, forgoing his senior season proved himself to be one of, if not the best runner in school history, leaving as the second highest rusher in the conference. All eyes will be on Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas to shoulder the load out of the back field this season. If they are unable to be a serviceable companion to whomever the quarter back will be, the Ducks may not be a threat to four peat in the Pac-12. The Ducks have question marks all over the offensive side of the ball, not only limited to the backfield. They lose Senior Lavasier Tuinei who had a virtuoso performance in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks have a bevy of talent at the wide receiver position but much of it is untested. Josh Huff is going to have to step up and show himself as the leader of this unit and fulfill the potential he showed as a Froshman. The Ducks are going to be missing a pair of senior offensive linemen but the way the offensive line rotates, the cupboard is far from bare moving forward into the future.

Coming into last season, the Ducks had one of the most exciting players in the conference on  the defensive side of the ball in Cliff Harris. When ever Harris was involved in a play it was going to be spectacular. Whether it was spectacularly good or spectacularly bad is another point of conversation. After Harris' run in with the law he was suspended indefinitely and in his final play in a Duck uniform he recorded a safety, breaking up the shutout against Colorado. His absence threw inexperienced but talented corners such as Dior Mathis and Troy Hill into the fray. This would have been Harris' senior season but he is no longer with the team. The Ducks ended up playing a lot of youth and it hurt them early on, especially against LSU. However, the defense started to gel and form one of the better units in the conference. They don't lose a lot from the defensive side of the ball save for Safety Eddie Pleasant and Line Backer Josh Kaddu. While they will be missed, play makers like Terrance Mitchell and Kiko Alonso will have their opportunity to leave their mark.

This year, the Ducks don't face a marquee opponent like LSU to open the season. Their offense will have a couple weeks to warm up before they face their first conference opponent in Arizona. In the best case scenario, the match up at USC will be the game to decide who hosts the conference championship game when the two likely rematch to decide who moves on the BCS, whether in the national game or in the Rose Bowl. The best case scenario for Oregon is they run the table and go undefeated and move on to play in the BCS. That is if the offense can pull it all together and get rolling like they have been in the last few years. If the team is similar to the previous issues, they are going to be tough to deal with. However, if the offense can't put it together, its possible that the Ducks could end up 9-3 while Washington or Stanford go on to the conference championship game.

California Golden Bears Way Too Early Preview

Keenan Allen is one of the most dynamic players in the Pac-12.
Mark J. Rebilas/US Press Wire

Last season Cal opened with three straight wins, including a shellacking of Presbyterian in their final warm up game before the conference season. The Bears then lost a close one in Seattle (31-23) against the Huskies before walking into a buzz saw against Oregon (43-15) the next week. Another loss to USC leveled their record at 3-3. Cal would win 3 of the next four, their only loss coming on the road against UCLA (31-14) and played rival Stanford close (31-28) before beating Arizona State in a shootout (47-38.) The Golden Bears were invited to the Holiday Bowl where they couldn't get the offense off the ground against a stifling defensive performance by Texas and fell 21-10.

In Coach Tedford's 11th campaign, he leads this year's edition of the Bears back to newly renovated Memorial Stadium. The schedule is favorable for California as they face their toughest division opponents at home. These match ups against Washington and Oregon will go a long way in deciding the Bears fate and post season outlook. They also face Stanford at home in what is one of the more storied rivalries in the Pac-12. The Bears will only face two out of conference opponents before having to go on the road to face Urban Meyer's Buckeyes in Columbus. The week following that they have to leave the iconic "Horseshoe" and travel back to USC to face the Trojans. It will be a trial by fire to see if Senior QB Zach Maynard has put it all together in what could be a swan song senior season.

Look no farther than the connection between Zach Maynard and wide receiver Keenan Allen for the offensive focus on this team. Last season, Maynard fell just short of a 3000 yard season tallying 2990 through the air. While he threw 17 touchdowns he was also intercepted 12 times and sacked 27. The Cal offensive line loses some beef from both sides of the O-line in Mitchell Schwartz and Justin Cheadle. However, the line is not inexperienced and will return three starters from a year ago. Maynard's favorite target, Keenan Allen will look to improve upon his successful second season which saw him go for 98 receptions totalling 1343 yards and 6 scores. Someone will need to step up opposite Allen in the WR department or he may see his production dip a bit. His former mate Marvin Jones kept secondaries honest and provided another vertical threat for Maynard.

While the passing offense gets the attention, what really makes the offense go is running back Isi Sofele. Last season, Sofele went over 1322 yards and tallied 10 touchdowns. In what is the most telling statistic, the Bears were 6-1 in games where Sofele carried the ball 20 times or more. The only game they lost was against Stanford who were the only squad to hold Sofele under 100 yards when he has 20 or more carries. What this shows is that if the offense is successfully and consistently running the ball than the Bears are dangerous. However, once the offense becomes one dimensional, it could spell a long day for the California faithful.

On defense, the Bears are going to miss the service of Pac-12 defensive player of the year Mychael Kendricks. Kendricks was a stalwart as the inside linebacker and really quarterbacked the defense. While he was a fantastic player, it is his leadership ability that will be missed most. Last season, the Bears tallied 12 interceptions but half of those were by seniors. With the influx of young talent for the Bears it will be interesting to see where the game changing plays are going to come from on the defensive side of the ball. One possible solution is Corner back Marc Anthony. Anthony was already establishing himself as a capable cover corner last season and will likely continue to grow and prove himself to be a pest in a league that is predominantly a passing conference.

Overall, the Bears are no team to write off and can give anyone in the conference a game and if they're playing at home they are very tough to beat. The optimistic outlook on the season puts them at 8-4 while a more downtrodden approach would see them conceivably low as 5-7 and missing the post season. That would be a rarity under coach Tedford who has only missed the post season 1 time since 2002 and has made bowl games an expectation. One expectation, realistic or not for the old blues is the Rose Bowl. The Bears have not been since 1959. For them to make it back this year would take a magical run for the senior class. They would need wins against Oregon, Stanford and likely Washington to get to the Championship game to face probable opponent USC out of the south. While it's a long shot, it's not outside the realm of possibility. All three must win division games are at home and one can never tell what can happen on any given Saturday.

USA Leaves No Doubt Against Dominicans 113-59

LeBron James looks to get his team mates in the act against Dominican Republic
Brian Jones/Las Vegas News Bureau

With all the news stories about a fantasy match up between the Dream Team and the 2012 US team, it was almost lost that Team USA played a real game against a live opponent Thursday. The US national team opened up against the Dominican Republic in their first of five exhibitions before the Olympics begin. Kevin Durant lead all scorers with 24 and Andre Iguodala added 18 as the Americans ran up and down the floor putting on a show against the Dominicans. The US trailed only once at 4-2 and never looked back. The game was well in hand in the 3rd quarter and their lead swelled to as much as 54 points as the Americans stifling defense forced 25 turnovers and used that defensive pressure to pull away. With the win, the US national team improved to 50-1 under head coach Krzyzewsi. Their only loss in that time came against a Greece team which they later defeated in the medal round.

The starters, including Kobe Bryant and LeBron James saw limited action in the win as they allowed the reserves carry much of the weight. One reserve they didn't have for the game, was Blake Griffin. Griffin flew back from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and discovered that he has a torn meniscus. Griffin is going to miss the Olympics but plans to be back for the next NBA season. As the starters sat back and watched, Kevin Durant put on a scoring clinic, scoring 21 points in the first half and connected on his first 4 three point shots.In the FIBA game, the 3 point line is closer than in the NBA so to all the NBA players around the world, a 3 point jumper is little more than a mid range jumper. The rest of the national team followed suit as the US went 13 for 33 from down town.

One of those 3 pointers came from an unexpected source. Anthony Davis, rookie center for New Orleans was called up to replace the injured Griffin hit a three pointer near the end of the game, after Davis made the shot and got fouled he got up and taunted Dominican coach and his former coach John Calipari. It was a light hearted exchange that punctuated a dominant performance from the Americans. The US showed how dangerous their whole roster can be as they had 27 assists on 42 baskets and shot a torrid 56% from the field. On the other side of the ball, the defense kept the Dominicans to 31% from the field. Facing the US national team and all of it's NBA superstars will be a challenge for any team but especially so when the finest NBA product on your roster goes 1-12 from the field and only tallies 7 points. That stat line belongs to Al Horford, currently a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

The US is the top ranked team in the world and are set for the Olympics. The next team the face will be Brazil which boasts a little more NBA level talent. Many people are saying that the Brazilians could be a sleeper and make some serious noise this year in pool play, so they aren't a team that USA can just show up and expect to beat. Coach K's style as coach would not indicate that Team USA would take any game for granted but it's definitely too early to start reading press clippings, even after a 54 point rout.

The only particular weakness that the US showed was a slow start in the first quarter. They simply won't be able to do that against teams like Spain and Argentina. If they do, they could find themselves in a fight they don't want to be in. Even though they started slow, USA used their speedy pace of fast break basketball to force opponents into mistakes and eventually pull away, a strategy that could pay them dividends in pool play. Team USA is going to have to wait for a better opponent to show what they are really made of but experience is definitely on their side. The squad boasts 5 returning players from the 2008 Beijing games and 5 more from the World Championship winning team from 2010.

Braves Midseason Position Player Report Cards

Well, we are just slightly over the halfway point of the 2012 season and the Atlanta Braves are sporting the 8th best record in baseball after 85 games with a 46-39 record.  There have been some lean years in the 21st century for the Braves, but the past couple of years, with the help of the Braves farm system, have made the Braves slightly inconsistent, but dangerous nonetheless. The term "lean" is relative and totally subjective; because I know there are Cubs fans out there who would love to win more than 75 games, whereas a 75-win season would be seen as a failure in Atlanta. 


Those upstart Nationals in our Nation's capitol are leading the NL East over the 2nd place Braves by 4 games. A lot of baseball is left to be played, and this Braves fan is very curious to see what happens when Nationals "ace"(a 15-7 career record does not constitute ACE in my book)  Stephen Strasberg approaches his "inning limit;" the Nationals front office claims that Strasberg will not pitch more than 170 innings this year. That means that if the pennant race is close in the NL East, and Strasberg hits that inning limit (it will happen in early September) then Davey Johnson will bench their #1 starter...I'll believe that when I see it. That being said, here are the mid-season grades for the Atlanta Braves:


STARTING POSITION PLAYERS:




Catcher ~ Brian McCann GRADE: C-

Knowing that Mac isn't going to be anywhere near Kansas City saddens me.  Brian McCann has been an all-star every year since his rookie year in 2005. except this year; and for good reason.  Mac is having a horrid season by his standards. His batting line (AVG./OBP/SLG) is a paltry .238/.301/.430; all three of these statistics are well below McCann's career averages. The only thing that saved Mac from receiving a D is the fact he has hit 4 homers in his last 4 games, which helped the Braves sweep the hated (and last place) Phillies going into the all-star break.  Hopefully the rest will do McCann well, because the Braves postseason hopes are partly rested on the shoulders of the Braves catcher; without his bat, we will be hard-pressed to make the post-season.

First Base ~ Freddie Freeman GRADE: C+

The runner-up to the Rookie of the Year in 2011 (losing to teammate Craig Kimbrel) is having a ho-hum first half of 2012. His line reads: .264/.318/.451 which are all below his career averages. The first quarter of the season Freeman was on a tear and looked as if he was unstoppable; flash forward two months and he only has 11 homers, but has an adequate 49 RBIs.  Baseball is a game of streaks and superstitions and all it takes are a few balls to start dropping in and Freeman will be back in the groove; look forward to a more productive 2nd half now that Freeman has adjusted to his new goggles instead of his usual contact lenses.

Second Base ~ Dan Uggla GRADE: D

The buffest second baseman in history is mired, yet again, in what seems like a season-long slump.  His batting average is an embarrassing .221 and he has only gone deep a dozen times.  It took a 33 game hit streak to get his .185 average over the Mendoza-line in 2011. Though as I stated for Freddie Freeman, all it takes is a little luck and Uggs can get his average back up to his career average of .256.  Hopefully hitting coach Greg Walker can work some magic with Uggs and get him back to crushing the ball out of the park, as well as raising his slugging percentage up from the current .395 up to his career mark of .475.

A) Shortstop ~ Tyler Pastornicky GRADE: C

"The Rev", as Tyler Pastornicky is known in the Braves clubhouse (Pastor-nicky, Reverend...get it?) played adequately in 45 games this season before losing the starting shortstop job to the slick-fielding Andrelton Simmons. Pastornicky posted a line of .248/.241/.324, had he not been a rookie I probably would have graded him at a D+, but I'm taking into consideration how young he is (22) and how he needs to grow into the role of everyday shortstop.


B) Shortstop ~ Andrelton Simmons GRADE:  A

This young man came into spring training this year and made an instant splash. Tyler Pastornicky during this past offseason was listed and discussed as the heir-apparent to take over everyday shortstop duties; until Braves coaches and manager Fredi Gonzalez got a demonstration of Simmons' glove. This kid has the potential to be a multi-gold glove award winner. As an added bonus, the youngster can hit!  He is currently boasting a line of .296/.336/.452 with 3 dingers and 15 RBIs in 33 games; not too shabby. Bad news on the last day before the all-star break had Simmons break his pinkie finger and land on the 15 day DL. He will be back folks, you can bank on that.

Third Base ~ Chipper Jones GRADE: A+++

The old gray mare still has it. When Chipper is in the lineup the Braves are a completely different team than when he has to rest his 40 year old body or when he has to take a trip to the 15 day DL.  Chipper has been the face of the Braves since my adolescence and I well up when I think of him walking off the field for the last time this fall. This first-ballot hall of famer is boasting a great line of .318/.396/.480 and has added 6 dingers, (including an improbable walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th over Philly) and will be the lynch-pin for the Braves to play in October. Left Field ~ Martin Prado GRADE: A MVPrado is to the Braves as Michael Young is to the Texas Rangers; he can play almost any position...well. Prado has played LF, 3B, 1B, he's a gamer who the Braves inexplicably tried to trade away this past off-season.  Believe me, I was elated when nobody took Prado. He's not too bad with the stick either; his line is .321/.382/.457, all of which are above his career averages.  The reason the Braves tried to fence him away was due to the fact that his production fell off after being unlucky enough to contract a staph infection in his calf.  In my opinion, Prado was one of the snubs of the all-star team this year, as his numbers are far better than Dan Uggla's, yet Uggla is a NL starter for this year's all-star game. Prado is the unsung hero of this organization and it's high-time the powers that be recognized that fact. Center Field ~ Michael Bourn GRADE: A 2012 All-star reserve Michael Bourn is the spark plug that leads to a lot of runs. He is one of the premier lead-off hitters in the Show and for good reason, he boasts an on-base % of .366 and has 25 steals at the break. Also, he is arguably the fastest man in the major leagues and led the majors in larceny last season with 61 steals (only Jose Costanza can give him a run for his money in the speed dept....excuse the terrible pun). Bourn is batting .311 and gives pitchers the heebie-jeebies when he takes his lead from first base. Hes no slouch in the outfield either; having won a pair of gold gloves while with the Houston Astros. Look for much of the same in the second half of this season and if I were Frank Wren, I'd be making promises and give him what he wants. He is the first true lead-off man we have had since Furcal. Right Field ~ Jason Heyward GRADE: A- To say J-Hey has turned his career around after a disastrous sophomore season would be an understatement of epic proportions.  How good Heyward was his rookie season of 2010, was exactly how bad he was last year. He has made adjustments, shortened up his swing and is showing more patience at the plate which has translated in raising his slugging % of .389 to a blistering .497 this season.  Also, J-Hey is becoming more of a terror on the base paths; he had 9 steals in all of 2011, he already has 11 this season which makes pitchers a little more nervous which could lead to a mistake thrown to a hitter. That previous scenario is a domino effect that makes baseball the special game that it truly is; America's pastime, no matter what the meatheads in the NFL say! BENCH PLAYERS/RESERVES: PH/Third Base ~ Juan Francisco GRADE: D Francisco has had 118 at-bats this season and translated that into a .220 batting average; not good when we need production in the form of a pinch hit or when Chipper needs a breather.  Francisco's on base percentage is almost microscopic at .256, again, NOT GOOD. His 38 to 1 strikeout to walk ration is mind-numbing. This translates to being way too aggressive at the plate and swinging at pitches outside of the strike-zone, plain and simple.  If Francisco doesn't pick it up in the 2nd half of the season, don't look forward to him being a Brave in 2013. Shortstop ~ Jack Wilson GRADE: D Jack Wilson was picked up from the Seattle Mariners at the end of the 2011 season almost exclusively for his defensive abilities; much like when Raphael Belliard backed up Jeff Blauser in the early 1990s.  As good as Wilson is with the leather, he is twice as bad with the bat.  So far this season in 69 at-bats he has produced a putrid batting average of .174 and a dismal slugging percentage of .194.  The former Pittsburgh Pirate starter is now in mentor status to work with the younger guys in the organization on how to field properly; much like when catcher Eddie Perez became the Braves bench coach. 3B/1B/PH ~ Eric Hinske GRADE: D- Hinske started off the season gangbusters. In his first 55 at-bats he was hitting .313 and was the most reliable pinch-hitter on the Braves bench. What a difference 2 months make. Hinske has 99 plate appearances and is dangerously close to falling below the Mendoza-line with a .202 batting average.  This huge man has 1 home run in 99 attempts...ONE HOME RUN.  That is just plain awful and I'm afraid if Hinske doesn't drastically improve his hitting, hitting for power and patience at the plate (only 10 walks this year) then he will be placed on waivers, given his outright release or perhaps someone will take him off our hands.  One category that Hinske is leading is the category of best tattoo (see below):    Left Field/Pinch Hitter ~ Matt Diaz GRADE: D While Matt Diaz is unquestionably a wonderful human being (see the Diaz Foundation) his bat has not been so wonderful this year.  While having exactly 100 plate appearances this year and only 23 hits to show for it, its easy to see he is batting a paltry .230.  The days are over when Bobby Cox had all the faith in the world in Matt Diaz, the sad truth is that since the Braves re-acquired Diaz from the Pirates last year, he is a shell of the scrappy player he was for the Braves for the better part of 5 years.  The one positive thing I can say about Matt Diaz is that he can still hit left-handers fairly successfully, but that is not enough to take away the fact that he is not the same "hit em where they ain't, mainly the opposite field" Diaz and the Braves need to move him before the trade deadline for a bench-bat that can provide the kind of consistency the Braves need in order to make a run into October. Catcher ~ David Ross GRADE: A David Ross is the one bright spot on the Braves bench. Not only does he provide valuable days off to Brian McCann, he has provided some pop at the plate. His line is .276/.345/.434 and his defense has been more than reliable; he has thrown out 38% of attempted steals.  Ross provides invaluable experience on the bench and is helping to groom younger players and is seen as the captain of the bench. OVERALL BRAVES POSITION PLAYER GRADE:  B The Braves are one trade away from going from the 8th best record in baseball to being perennial contenders for the NL East crown.  I fully look forward to a Washington National collapse once those youngsters (talking to you Bryce Harper) feel what its like to play a full schedule in the Show. Once Strasberg's inning limit comes to fruition, and the kid, Bryce Harper feels the fatigue of the dog-days of baseball and the marathon into September, expect the Braves to surge and take back what is rightfully theirs: The National League East pennant.