Stock Up, Stock Down - Late Season MLB, Preseason Football

Stock Up

New York Yankees - After taking two out of three from Boston over the weekend the Yanks look primed to make a serious postseason run. They may have scored close to 30 runs this weekend, but pitching is going to be the key to their success. While CC Sabathia pitched well, AJ Burnett was less than stellar on Saturday in the Yankees only loss. Still, the team has been on fire and the back end of the bullpen, which may include Joba Chamberlain in the playoffs, has looked sharp since the arrival of Phil Hughes. The last thing teams want is a seven inning game against Burnett, Sabathia or Chamberlain.

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Jay Cutler - It’s unbelievable that people actually knocked Chicago for making this trade. They gave away draft picks to a team that isn’t going to pose as a threat to them and doesn’t draft well enough to ever make them look bad. Now, the Bears have a franchise quarterback to go along with a dominant defense. Cutler will only make second year running back, Matt Forte, that much better and bring the best out of tight end Greg Olson. The Bears are going to be a force in the NFC this season.

ACC Football - It was a conference with excruciating parody last season and people tried to pass of the league as being good from top to bottom. That simply wasn’t the case and they didn’t come close to having a legit title contender. This year, quarterback play should be much better, there are good NFL prospects to bring individual attention, Florida State should be back in the mix on the national scene and the Virginia Tech Hokies are going to make a push for a BCS championship if they can get past Alabama in the season’s first week. It’s a tall order but Frank Beamer’s team is up to the challenge.

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Stock Down

American Soccer - They had an opportunity to capture the attention of the entire nation with a win over Mexico. Not only was the game hard to find on television in the weeks prior to the game but it was poorly marketed and there was no built-in drama to be heard of. Soccer, if only for one day, had its chance to take the spotlight and failed.

Denver Broncos - Nobody is really sure what Josh McDaniel is doing in Denver and it might be a painful season for an otherwise proud franchise. After trading their franchise quarterback this summer, McDaniel can’t get on the same page with star wide receiver Brandon Marshall and his new quarterback looks like a train wreck at times. Rookie running back Knowshon Moreno will hopefully hold the key to a brighter future for the Broncos.

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Big East Football - Everything is cyclical but the Big East does not look like an exciting conference at all this season. Not only do they lack star power, but there is an overall lack of excitement that usually resonates through a conference before the season. This is what happens when there is no dominant team to gun for. Sure, every coach thinks their team has a chance to win the conference but the Big East is always better when West Virginia has great teams, with teams trying to knock them of their pedestal.