2012 Baseball Predictions

Who knew this would be such a popular topic that everyone would be asking me about it?  Okay, only Offord and Ryan asked me about it, but whatever.

NL East
Phillies
Braves
Marlins
Nationals
Mets

The Phillies are still the best team in this division.  The biggest problem they have will be replacing Ryan Howard's bat for the early part of the year.  Also, staying healthy is always a huge concern for them.  The Braves will be right on their heels all season, it will definitely be interesting.  The Marlins and Nationals are both just a step behind those two teams.  I could see them flipping for third place.  The Mets...well, they have Ike Davis.

Insane Division Pick:  Johan Santana wins 15 games this year and is in the running for Cy Young.

NL Central
Cardinals
Brewers
Reds
Pirates
Cubs
Astros

Yes, the Cardinals lost Pujols, but they get Wainwright back and they signed Beltran.  They have plenty of questions though:  can Berkman play like he did last year?  Can Holliday continue to rake without Pujols in the lineup?  The Brewers lost Prince, but still have Braun for the entire year.  They will be pretty damn good.  The Reds made some moves and they could also contend for first place (this will be a close race).  The Pirates made plenty of huge moves (no they didn't).  The Cubs and Astros...wow.

Insane Division Pick:  Berkman will get hurt and Matt Adams (from Philipsburg!) will be called up to the Big Show.

NL West
Giants
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Rockies
Padres

If the offense can put up some numbers, then the Giants should be able to win this division.  The Dodgers will be decent, Kemp and Kershaw?  They just need an owner to come in to excite the fan-base.  The Diamondbacks will not play like they did last season.  Ian Kennedy will not win 21 games.  The other two teams are there.

Insane Division Pick:  Trevor Cahill has more wins for the D-backs than Ian Kennedy.

NL Wildcard:  Braves defeat Brewers
NLDS:  Phillies defeat Giants, Braves defeat Cardinals
NLCS:  Phillies defeat Braves
NL MVP:  Matt Kemp, the dude will just continue where he left off.
NL Cy Young:  Roy Halladay, until he dies, he will be my nomination.
NL ROY:  Julio Teheran
Pirates Record:  77-85, I see them getting better, but only because the hitting gets better (especially Pedro).  If the pitching staff stays healthy, they should be able to hit this goal.

AL East
Yankees
Red Sox
Rays
Blue Jays
Orioles

Yes, the Yankees are still the cream of the crop.  The Red Sox will not collapse like they did last year, but they have plenty of question marks.  The Rays pitching staff should be good enough to keep them competitive all season.  The Blue Jays are good, but they have plenty of holes.  The Orioles...wow, they are going in a direction.

Insane Division Pick:  Michael Pineda goes 9-13 with a 5.23 ERA;Jesus Montero hits 35 HRs this year.

AL Central
Tigers
Royals
Indians
White Sox
Twins

The Tigers should run away with this division.  As long as everyone stays healthy and Cabrera is not absolutely terrible at third base, they will be very good.  The rest of the division is pretty bad.  That is why I think the Royals could step up and finish in second place.  Granted, I do not think they will have a great record, but seriously, this division will be pretty bad.

Insane Division Pick:  Robin Ventura gets pissed during a Rangers game and charges Nolan Ryan.

AL West
Rangers
Angels
Mariners
Athletics

I realize that the Angels signed CJ Wilson and Albert Pujols, but I think the Rangers still have a more complete team.  The only major question about the Rangers is how good will their relievers be and can Yu Darvish be a good replacement for Wilson. 

Insane Division Pick:  Pujols has his worst season ever.  .275/29 HRs.  Actually, that would be insane.

AL Wildcard:  Angels defeat Red Sox
ALDS:  Angels defeat Yankees, Tigers defeat Rangers
ALCS:  Tigers defeat Rangers
World Series:  Phillies defeat Tigers, Verlander vs. Halladay.  Makes me hard just thinking about it.
AL MVP:  Prince Fielder
AL Cy Young:  Justin Verlander
AL ROY:  Jesus Montero (I predicted him last year too, eventually he will win this award).
Royals Record:  82-80.  They give hope to Pirates fans.

Weigh-In Wednesday IV

181.0.  Woo-hoo, I lost .2 lbs since last week.  It might be time to begin phase three of my overall plan.  As with everything, I have decided that the best way to do something is to really just ease into it.  I mean, making myself healthier would not have worked if I decided to stop smoking, cut out soda, eat healthier, start exercising on the same day.

So, what that means is, I will start working out.  I plan on starting out simple:  sit-ups and push-ups.  Then as time goes on, I might move up to more advanced workouts.  I would like to try P90X again, but honestly, it kicked my ass last time.

Being Wrong

Unfortunately I was wrong.  The laptop has more problems and is now crashing hardcore.  I have reached the point where I refuse to spend any more of my time or money.

The good news is that I was able to move all of my important files to dropbox before the end.

In even better news:  I have been selling a few comics and other items on ebay.  I plan to use that money to buy a new laptop...

LFW AW'12/13 - MCQ

i love it in both...

Rummager:African Barbie

Liberia's Miss Coco puts a unique twist on black barbies by creating African outfits for them. Those outfits are amazing, being African, I love to see this. Miss Coco sells her black barbies at major events but if anybody knows a store where you can get them or any online retailers, drop me a line. Hat tp to The Nu Black.


www.iamthenublack.com

Snapped:Omar Sy

Actor Omar Sy has become the first black man to win the the award for best actor at the Cesar awards(France's equivalent of the Oscars) for Intouchables. He'd already won that same award at the Lumiere Awards (France's Golden Globes). He was the first black man to be nominated.Jesus France what took you so long? Big congrats to him. Check out his winner's speech, it's full of personality,exuberance and warmth. He has great energy and I love his dance moves at the end of his speech. I really want to see the film. Hat tip to Shadow and Act.

Good For Business

Something tells me this did not scare people away from buying porn...

LFW A/W '12 Mary Katrantzou

The current darling of fashion, Mary Katrantzou, can do no wrong at the moment. Her collaboration with Topshop launched last week and had grown women running down the escalators of their flagship store in desperation! Not that i'm balking at the idea... i have been known to run (and elbow) for a fashion fix.

(The Mary K Topshop collection...fyi on the dress below...)

So, with expectations riding high, it was great to see her take those signature shapes and push them even further, with new corseted shapes now added to her repertoire. And then there are those awe-inspiring prints. Forks, spoons, typewriters, clocks and embroidered (actual) pencils made up the quirkier combinations, with subtle, yet modern florals, giving a romantic feel to billowing, ruffled dresses. What I love about her prints is that the more you look, the more you see, and the fact that they can take on different forms, depending on whether you view them from a far or up close. A great show - long may the Queen of print reign...









images sourced from the awesome Style.com and Topshop websites.

Frosted Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies with Walnut Butter

Having set out to make an oatmeal cookie for grown-up tastes, my initial thought for Frosted Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies with Walnut Butter was to bake them as bar cookies, as if this would somehow make them more sophisticated than the usual round shape. Fortunately, I abandoned that approach almost immediately. For although they are designed for grown-up tastes, and contain plenty that’s “good for you,” these aren’t health bars. They’re oatmeal cookies, and there’s no reason to hide that proud heritage. So round it is!



Any similarity between these oatmeal cookies and the ones we all grew up with, however, ends with their round shape and the base ingredients (oatmeal, for example). While children will enjoy them too, the flavor blend includes several items more likely to be appreciated by grown-ups. Specifically:
• This recipe combines the usual all-purpose flour with ragi flour, which is found in Indian markets. Aside from packing a ton of nutrients, ragi flour has an earthy flavor that combines beautifully with the oats and deepens the flavor. 
• Coconut, which is often used in combination with ragi flour, provides not only good flavor but a kind of after-texture I hadn’t expected but was very pleased with. 
• The use of fresh cranberries adds a lively touch to the texture of the cookie, and brings a natural tartness that contrasts with the sweet ingredients. (And don’t get me started on how much more nutritious fresh cranberries are compared to the dried ones!) 
• The use of walnut butter lends a delightful, grown-up, nutty flavor that’s a change from the familiar peanut butter. (Where do you get walnut butter? Easy: you make it yourself in a matter of minutes. The recipe is described below, but here’s the short version: put a couple of cups of toasted nuts in a food processor, add a small amount of a few simple ingredients, and process the living daylights out of it until it’s smooth and creamy. Everything should be so easy!) 
• Adding a simple frosting to almost any baked good can take it to an entirely new level. In this recipe I went with a raspberry liqueur frosting, but swap any fruit liquid (orange juice, lemon juice, cranberry juice, etc.) for the liqueur and you’ve got a child-friendly version.
And did I mention these delightful treats are reduced fat?


This recipe makes 30 – 36 2-1/2” cookies. (You might want to make them a bit smaller for children or some adults. I just like larger cookies.)


First, let’s make the walnut butter. (You can skip this part if you decide to use store-bought peanut butter or almond butter instead.)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Spread 2 cups of shelled walnuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven for a few minutes until lightly toasted.




After the toasted walnuts have cooled, place them in a mini food processor and process until powdered but not pasty. Add a generous pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of flavor-neutral oil (grapeseed, canola, or similar)


Process until creamy, about five minutes.


















Set aside until ready to use.










Next, we’ll make cookies.


In a bowl, combine ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup ragi flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt.





In a separate bowl, beat together 3/4 cup butter substitute, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar until creamy.





To the butter mixture, add 2 egg-substitute eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ cup of the walnut butter.






Stir in 3-1/2 cups of uncooked oats, ¼ cup of untoasted shredded coconut, and the flour mixture. When mixed, fold in 1 cup of fresh cranberries.



Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment-lined cookie sheets. (For smaller cookies, drop rounded teaspoons of the mixture instead.)




Bake 12-15 minutes (a little less for the smaller cookies) or until golden brown, reversing the baking sheets half-way. (When putting two baking sheets in the oven at the same time, stagger them as in the photo for better heat circulation.)


Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets, then move them wire racks to finish cooling.






When the cookies are cool, make the frosting by combining 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar and 1-1/2 tablespoons of raspberry liqueur or other flavoring liqueur or fruit juice. (Don’t apply the frosting to warm cookies.)
Mix the frosting until smooth.










Using a spoon, drizzle the frosting on the cookies, and let harden before serving. (Placing wax paper under the cooling racks before applying the frosting is recommended.)
I found these cookies can be pretty addictive. You’ve been warned!


Looking forward to meeting again next week for another fun, delicious recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-) 

LFW AW'12 Topshop Unique

What i love about the Topshop Unique show is that this high street brand (albeit the leader of the pack) is one of the most hotly anticipated shows of London Fashion Week. And man, did they hit it out of the park this time. Much has been said in the press about the positive influence of Kate Phelan on this years show, which has been praised by all and described as 'Topshop grown up'. It's a real credit to the whole design team that they have produced such a coveted, yet wearable collection. By the second outfit, i knew i was in trouble - i want the whole lot! My heart aches to think it won't launch in stores until September! 










It's also worth noting that this is the 10th Anniversary of the NewGen initiative, which Topshop is a sponsor of. The scheme nurtures up and coming designers and helps them find their feet through Fashion Week, with the likes of Christopher Kane, Richard Nicholl, Louise Goldin and Mark Fast benefiting from this awesome bursary.  Did you pick up one of the celebratory tees?