2026 Preview – President’s Cup
As the President’s Cup comes upon us once again, we here at CBA Today stop and take a look back at our president’s career. Every year we pick out a specific quote from The Rock himself, and that quote becomes the inspiration for athletes competing in the tournament.
This year’s quote (slightly edited to fit in context for the CBA):
“There is only one true Superstar of the Decade, true Superstar of the Millenium! You know who that is? The Rock’ll tell you who that is! Cooperstown, that is – the jabroni-beating, pie-eating, trail-blazing, eyebrow-raising, stronger than a bear, faster than a buck, the biggest thing to hit Cooperstown ’cause the CBC sucks!”
Anyways, here are the pool predictions:
Pool A: – The “How in the world did Detroit get in such a good pool?” Pool
Detroit Motors: 5-1 (7 Points)
Salt Lake City Snappers: 3-3 (4 Points)
Indianapolis Hawks: 3-3 (3 Points)
Austin Outlaws: 1-5 (1 Point)
Why we’re calling this: Detroit’s got the easiest path to make it to the second round here – they’ve got the weakest pool and also have the best team. It’d be a miracle if two of the other teams make it in. We think that Salt Lake City matches up better against Austin than Indianapolis, so they pull off the sweep and thus gain the deciding point between themselves and Indy.
Team to watch out for: Indianapolis made a big move in the offseason picking up Jose Sanchez, and they’ve got a great middle of the lineup. They might be able to steal a game here and there, thus picking up the points needed to advance.
Pool B – The “Who rigged the bingo ball machine?” Pool
Dallas Devils: 4-2 (5 Points)
Florida Giants: 4-2 (5 Points)
Sacramento Golden Bears: 2-4 (2 Points)
Arizona Thunderbirds: 2-4 (2 Points)
Why we’re calling this: In the most competitive division, we think that it’ll be close all the way around. Dallas’ pitching staff hurts them, but their offense picks up the slack and propels them to the second round. Florida, meanwhile, just is better than the other two teams in the pool. Still, this is anybody’s pool to win.
Team to watch for: We’re going to say both Sacramento and Arizona here. Sacramento vastly improved in the offseason and has a good enough team to take some close games. Arizona has a great middle of the lineup, and with a revamped bullpen, could win some games based on bullpen alone.
Pool C – The “Rebuilt” Pool
Cincinnati Royals: 4-2 (5 Points)
DC Eagles: 4-2 (5 Points)
LA Chilis: 2-4 (2 Points)
Bay Area Pandas: 2-4 (2 Points)
Why we’re calling this: DC and Cincinnati will beat each other up in the first series, though DC’s rotation depth and lineup should carry them through the remaining games. Cincy has two bonafide aces on their squad, and should win games on the backs of Varela and Jackson alone.
Team to watch for: LA has the offense and the ballpark to split games at home – all they need is a win away and they may advance.
Pool D – The “We’ve all been in the SL within the past two seasons” Pool
Portland Axemen: 5-1 (7 Points)
Miami Warriors: 4-2 (5 Points)
Mexico City Chupacabras: 2-4 (2 Points)
Atlanta Swarm: 1-5 (1 Point)
Why we’re calling this: Portland has the team to beat in the pool, with Miami close behind. Considering that Miami handily beat both the other teams in the pool, and Miami is not as good as Portland, and you’ve got the closest thing to a sure pool as you can get.
Team to watch for: Mexico City has the ballpark to win low scoring games, but also has a middle of the lineup that can take games on the road.
How the tournament plays out:
Detroit wins this on the depth of their rotation. Guzman and Golden should beat just about any challenger in their way, and the only upset comes from DC beating Dallas – though the last two times DC has faced Dallas, Aaron Hannah has given up 4 earned runs over 13.1 innings. Assuming Hannah starts, DC might be the favorite in that game. Florida beats Cincy, then DC with their strong 1-2 punch but their lack of depth in the third rotation spot costs them when it comes to the big game.