Right On The Right

It's baseball season, which offers a nice change of pace to my daily routine, now characterized by school, election coverage, and the spare time I spend gaming. I am a huge fan of Cleveland Indians Baseball, and I've decided I'm gonna do a bit more coverage on the blog this year. I hope the regulars don't mind it. This year should be an interesting one, with the Indians coming back with a pretty similar team, spear-headed by amazing pitching and a dynamic lineup. The difference is, the team that came one game from the World Series will now be facing a tough challenge from the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. The story, as written on the Indians site:

In some ways, the pressure to repeat has been relieved for the Indians by the moves the Tigers made this offseason. Despite having the AL Central title banner hanging at Progressive Field, the Indians will enter this year as underdogs in the estimation of many onlookers.

They'll also enter the year enjoying remarkable familiarity with each other. The Indians took the rare opportunity in professional sports to return virtually their entire team, the one that walked off the field after a Game 7 loss to the Red Sox in last year's AL Championship Series.

As I watch and listen to all the Indians games this year, I'll be following them on Let's Go Tribe, a great site dedicated to the progress of Cleveland's finest. The site offers some unique perspectives on the team from some of the best amateur writers on the net. With all that said, before the Indians season officially begins (Opening Day is today, 3:05 PM Eastern start), here is my official prediction for the year:

The Cleveland Indians win the American League Central going 101-61, securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They face the AL West's champion, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS, winning the series 3-0. The Wild Card Detroit Tigers beat the AL East's champion Boston Red Sox to set up an AL Central matchup. The Indians best the Tigers in the ALCS 4-2. The Tribe goes on to beat the NL champions, The Chicago Cubs 4-2 in the World Series, keeping the curse alive, and bringing glory to Cleveland. That's my Opening Day prediction.

Cuba's Under-23 national soccer team has lost a few members recently, showing that Cuba's sports teams still face a unique problem, defections. Back in 1996, two Cuban boxers defected to the United States. The newest case as I mentioned, is with Cuba's soccer team. The Miami Herald reports:

Five members of the Cuban Under-23 national soccer team defected to the United States after an Olympic qualifier earlier this week, and two more players have reportedly left the team.

Cuba tied the U.S., 1-1, on Tuesday in its first Olympic qualifier and five of the players left the team afterward.

Although the players have not officially been identified, Jose Manuel Miranda, Erlys Garcia Baro, Yenier Bermudez, Yordany Alvarez and Loanni Prieto were not at practice Wednesday.

ESPN also reported that Yendry Diaz and Eder Roldan had left the team.

ESPN's article includes some more information, including some information about our "Wet Foot, Dry Foot" policy. Essentially, because they are Cuban nationals in the United States, they can pursue asylum and eventually citizenship. If the men do not return to the Cuban team, they may be forced to forfeit one or more of their upcoming matches. Communism punishes productivity and skill, so it's no surprise that these men wanted out.

You have to love dunks in NBA Basketball. Via Hot Air, here's a great video of Dwight Howard being Superman, flying to the hoop to throw one down. This post and video is dedicated to a close friend of mine:

Reebok made a commercial so that when it inevitably happened, they could get a boost from it. Now it's incredibly funny, because they didn't reach their goal. Hot Air has Reebok's tribute to the Patriots' perfection:

Update: I still support my school, and for those that bash, The Ohio State University has proven itself to be the pinnacle of athleticism and education. We'll get 'em next year.

I have two things to say. First off, good luck to The Ohio State University Buckeyes in their quest for another National Championship under Coach Jim Tressel. Last year, they got to the big game and didn't manage to take down the Gators. This year, they have another tough competitor from the SEC. Secondly, I received my acceptance letter today from the very same Ohio State University, and that's where I intend to earn degrees in both Political Science and Communications (T.V. and Radio). More info on that later. Let's go Buckeyes!