OTWT Mock MLB Draft

The Scouting Staff of OTWT has been locked away in the its bunker for the last couple of days, going over the top prospects in the upcoming baseball draft and coming up with its annual mock draft. Last year, we did it and it did not turn out that well. So here goes.

1 Pittsburgh Pirates: Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA

2 Seattle Mariners: Danny Hultzen, LHP, UVa

3 Arizona Diamondbacks: Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice

4 Baltimore Orioles: Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt

5 Kansas City Royals: Tyler Jungmann, RHP, Texas

6 Washington Nationals: Alex Meyers, RHP, Kentucky

7 Arizona Diamondbacks: Dylan Bundy, RHP, Owasso (Oklahoma) HS

8 Cleveland Indians: Jed Bradley, LHP, Georgia Tech

9 Chicago Cubs: Bubba Sterling, OF, Gardner-Edgerton (Oklahoma) HS

10 San Diego Padres: Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA

11 Houston Astros: Francisco Lindor, SS, Montverde Academy (Fla)

12 Milwaukee Brewers: Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Spring Valley HS (SC)

13 New York Mets: George Springer, OF, UConn

14: Florida Marlins: Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS (Okalahoma)

15 Milwaukee Brewers: Larry Green, OF, Berrien County HS (Georgia)

16 Los Angeles Dodgers: Tyler Anderson, LHP, Oregon

17 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Brandon Nimmo, OF, East HS (Wyo)

18 Oakland Athletics: Mikie Mahtook, OF, LSU

19 Boston Red Sox: Matt Barnes, RHP, UConn

20 Colorado Rockies: Kolten Wong, 2B, Hawaii

21 Toronto Blue Jays: Josh Bell, OF, Dallas Jesuit HS (TX)

22 St. Louis Cardinals: Javier Baez, SS, Arlington Country Day HS (Fla)

23 Washington Nationals: CJ Cron, 1B, Utah

No Shirt and Tie: No Service

Maui, Anaheim, Orlando.

While all are located in very different sections of the country, college basketball coaches think that they are the same. Every week of Thanksgiving college basketball teams head to the three cities for their annual holiday tournaments. While the tournaments offer some great basketball, one thing that is lacking is stylish coaches.

While wearing a camping shirt in Maui is part of being part of the Maui Invitational, some college coaches have taken that rule to Anaheim and Orlando. Coaches at the two tournaments have decided to all wear golf shirts or camping shirts.

I understand wearing a Hawaiian shirt at the Maui cause that is part of the cultural, but wearing one at the other two tournaments make no sense. Come on some of these college coaches are making more then $2 million a year the least that they can do is wear a shirt and tie to a game, hey you don't even have to wear the sport coat.

OTWT: Draft Musings

Draft weekend can mean only one thing lots of hair gel for Mel Kiper Jr.

Here are some Only Time Will Tell musings from draft weekend:

• Is there any need for the NFL Network and ESPN to do eight hours of pregame for the draft, it's not like it is the Super Bowl.
• I think that ESPN has more people covering the draft, than ABC has covering the presidential election.
• Keyshawn Johnson and the rest of the ESPN crew are better dressed then their friends on NFL network.
• Glen Dorsey's watch is bigger then some peoples heads.
• Seeing all of the highlights of the players from college, makes me yearn for college football season.
• Few teams did as well as the Eagles did. They got the man they wanted in the second round instead of the first and stole the Panthers first round pick. It's almost too good to be true.
• Bring on Mike Mayock and Todd McShay there is still on one true draft icon: Mel Kiper.
• Brian Brohm and Colt Brennan both would have been first round picks if they came out last year. This year that was not the case. So remember kids always declare for the draft.

There is something in the water at Mater Dei

Every time you turn around a certain high school in California is producing a quarterback that will excel in college and this year will be no different at Mater Dei. Approximately eight years ago, Mater Dei has led by Matt Leinart, who later was a top ten pick in the NFL and won a Heisman Trophy at USC. During his time there Leinart was backed up by Hawaii gunslinger Colt Brennan.

Over the course of the last couple of years, the school has been grooming their next great signal caller, junior Matt Barkley. Very few high school freshman step in at a top ranked program like Mater Dei as a quarterback, but that is exactly what he did. Barkley is the number one ranked junior in the land by Rivals.com. Just like Leinart, Barkley will be playing for Pete Carroll and USC.

Mater Dei has been one of the best football programs in the country for some. Mater Dei is one of two high schools in the nation with two Heisman-trophy winning alumni. Who knows in a couple of years there might be another star quarterback getting ready to lead Mater Dei.

Nike Rules College Football

The bowl season, that was just completed, can be described in one word, Swoosh. All over the month long festival of college football, besides the football, the other constant, was that darn Nike Swoosh .

Take a look at the BCS Bowls, the only team that did not sport the swoosh was Kansas who wore the three stripes of Adidas.

Here is the list of the bowl games and the shoes and uniform deals they were wearing:

• Poinsettia Bowl: Navy vs. Utah: both Nike schools
• New Orleans Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis: both Nike schools
• Papajohns.com Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss: Both Nike schools
• New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico vs. Nevada: New Mexico Nike, Nevada Adidas
• Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. UCLA: BYU Nike, UCLA Adidas
• Hawaii Bowl: East Carolina vs. Boise State: both Nike schools
• Motor City Bowl: Purdue vs. Central Michigan: Purdue Nike, Central Michigan New Balance
• Holiday Bowl: Texas vs. Arizona State: both Nike schools
• Texas Bowl: TCU vs. Houston: TCU Nike, Houston Adidas
• Champs Sports Bowl: Boston College vs. Michigan State: Boston College Reebok, Michigan State Nike.
• Emerald Bowl: Oregon State vs. Maryland: Oregon State Nike, Maryland Under Armour
• Meinke Car Care Bowl: Wake Forest vs. UConn: both Nike schools
• Liberty Bowl: South Florida vs. Mississippi State: South Florida Adidas, Mississippi State Russell Athletic
• Alamo Bowl: Penn State vs. Texas A&M: Penn State Nike, Texas A&M Adidas
• Independence Bowl: Colorado vs. Alabama: both Nike schools
• Armed Forces Bowl: California vs. Air Force: both Nike schools
• Sun Bowl: South Florida vs. Oregon: both Nike schools, but South Florida will be becoming Under Armour next year.
• Humanitarian Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State: Georgia Tech Russell Athletic, Fresno State Nike
• Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. Florida State: both Nike schools
• Peach Bowl: Clemson vs. Auburn: Clemson Nike school, Auburn Under Armour
• Insight Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana: Oklahoma State Nike, Indiana Adidas
• Outback Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee: both Adidas schools
• Cotton Bowl: Missouri vs. Arkansas: Missouri Nike , Arkansas Adidas
• Gator Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Virginia: Texas Tech Under Armour, Virginia Nike
• Capital One Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida: both Nike schools
• International Bowl: Rutgers vs. Ball State: both Nike schools
• GMAC Bowl: Tulsa vs. Bowling Green: Tulsa Nike, Bowling Green Adidas

BCS Bowls

• Rose Bowl: USC vs. Illinois: both Nike schools
• Sugar Bowl: Hawaii vs. Georgia: both Nike schools
• Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas: Virginia Tech Nike, Kansas Adidas
• Fiesta Bowl: West Virginia vs. Oklahoma: both Nike schools
• BCS Title Game: LSU vs. Ohio State: both Nike schools

Of the bowl games that were played only two games did not feature the swoosh. In college football its all about the swoosh.

I love New Years Day!!!!!!!!!!!

For college football fans there are two special days on the calendar, opening day and New Years Day. After a hard night of celebrating, nothing beats getting up and seeing two middle of the road teams in the Big Ten and SEC do battle in the Outback Bowl. Some traditions are so hard to break.

Here are some New Years Bowl Game Predictions

• Outback: Tennessee 24, Wisconsin 10
• Cotton: Missouri 31, Arkansas 21
• Gator Bowl: Texas Tech 42, Virginia 21
• Citrus: Florida 35, Michigan 21
  
• Rose: USC 35, Illinois 17
  
• Sugar: Georgia 42, Hawaii 41 in overtime. This is the game that I can not wait for. Hawaii head coach June Jones goes for two in the first overtime and dawgs defense stops the warriors.

Some of the other BCS bowls that are not played on Jan. 1

• Fiesta: Oklahoma31, West Virginia 17
• Orange: Virginia Tech 35, Kansas 10
• BCS Title Game: LSU 31, Ohio State 14

June Jones spit at Superman

One of the things that we have learned over the last couple of days is: Do not say anything bad about superman (also known as Tim Tebow). During the bowl selection show on Sunday, Hawaii head coach June Jones called Tebow, oh sorry Superman, a system quarterback. Then it was on for Jones.

Florida fans have been flooding comments boards all over the island.

Here are a couple of the comments from a story in Honolulu Advisor over the last couple of days:

• ""We don't care what it means. We live in America. We speak English. Just be sure to show up for your butt-whipping next year. You may be "warriors" in the WAC, but here you'll just be fodder,'' this is from Bill from Tampa.
• "I thought I would never cheer for the Mangy Dawgs until I heard this clown have the Genital fortitude to make these comments. June and his Hula dancers will get their A$$es "Systematically” Whipped by the Gators in the Swamp next year and in a couple of weeks by Knowshon Moreno and the Mutts.SEC Rules !!!! GO GATORS !!!!!,'' this is from Chuck E. Gator from Miami.
• "Until Jane Jones spoke up, I had never heard of Brennan. But, Jane will know who the Gators are on 8/30/08.Go Gators,'' this comes from Mike in Eagle Harbor from Jacksonville.
• "For starters, I'm a Gator fan not a Bama fan. Furthermore, I did mispell "you're" and you thought I might come off too "southern" for using poor grammar. Then you proceeded to use "y'all", "ain't", and "ya" in your pointless banter about a Bama game. Anyway, lay off the ice out there Rainbow Brite,'' JIB from Semmes, Alabama,

The best thing about this whole thing, is some gator fans are now rooting for UGA in the Sugar Bowl, which would never happen. Now Jones will have to show the gator nation how much of a system quarterback Teabow is when the Warriors open next season at the Swap.