http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/blogs-1-1-1-22.html With a week or so of baseball now in the books, here are ten shameless predictions for this MLB season.  Some of the following may dissent my earlier predictions, but it’s my blog so I’m considering it fair game.   1. St. Louis’ Rick Ankiel will hit 40 home runs and be more in contention for the National League MVP award than heralded teammate Albert Pujols.  Ankiel’s inexplicable breakdown in a playoff ga]]> It’s one of the busiest parts of the sports year and yet here I am at a loss for the time to do a full-fledged, well-reasoned, thoroughly-researched, “column”-style post.%uFFFD As a result, here are some quick-hit thoughts on March Madness, baseball ramp-up, and the NBA home stretch: %uFFFD -Everyone seems really caught up in Stephen Curry being the next Danny Manning (that is, a guy who carries his team during the tournament)]]> Two years, one month, and twenty-five days ago, “The Birdman” Chris Andersen was a high-flying NBA superstar, a crowd favorite, and the proud owner of a $14 million contract.  One day later it was all gone.   That day, Andersen was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for testing positive for what the league terms “drugs of abuse”.  In so doing, he became the first player in se]]> Spring is fast approaching, and that means that it is once again time for the holiest of sports traditions; the age old days that help to transform young boys and girls into the men and women of tomorrow.  I refer, of course, to the ubiquitous fantasy baseball drafts that so many of us are painstakingly preparing for with the MLB season on the horizon.    Ok, so maybe ‘holiest of sports traditions’ was pushing it, bu]]> Since it would seem that we’re about to get to know each other, I figured it would be appropriate to begin my tenure here on Express Milwaukee with a bit of an introduction.  I have found that most sports fans have a core set of beliefs that color and shade the way they watch each passing game and analyze every new story.  I am no different.  Seeing as this blog is going to feature my thoughts and feelings on the world of s]]>