Time to let the 162 games of gutwrenching fun leading to the playoffs commence.
A.L. East
New York: Barring utter collapse or maleria running rampant throughout the clubhouse, they'll win at least 107-111 games based on their line-up killing mediocre and worse pitching and having dominant pitching in the rotation. Some flaws could develop in the bullpen (Rivera's age, Gordon being a 3 time choker in the post-season, 3-5 starters), but those won't impact the regular season.
Boston:(WC) Should win in the 95-98 range. Could get off to a slow start, and health in the rotation could be a concern. However, much like the Yankees, they'll destroy the poor pitching in the league, and as long as the rotation is healthy, they should cruise to the wild card.
Baltimore: Should be in the .500 range. 4 hour games should be the norm with their line-up and their pitching. If they fall out of the race, B.J. Ryan will be the most desirable player in baseball at the trade deadline.
Toronto: So, now the Billy Beane disciple wants to play smallball? High 70's in the win column, yet the G.M. will keep his job because the media actually thinks he has a plan.
Tampa Bay: Back in the cellar after a 1 year reprieve. Lou might be looking for a revolver mid-season when they don't turn it around like they did last year. Step back into the low 50 win total season.
A.L. Central
Minnesota: Was tempted to pick Cleveland, but Radke and Santana are the two best pitchers in the division. Do question whether Nathan can be dominant two years in a row. Should win division high 80's.
Cleveland: On the cusp of the playoffs. Doubt they'll fade late this season. Sabathia's health has to be some concern. Mid 80's, within striking distance of Minnesota entering the last 5 games of the year.
Chicago: This team could go hot or cold, depending on El Duque and Contreras. If they decide they want to pitch well, they could contend. If they decide they are out of the race and decide to shut it down (specifically, El Duque), they could flop. .500 team.
Detroit: If Urbina and Percival are healthy and with the team, they have a veteran 8-9 combination that could help them. Have no faith in Ordonez being healthy. Slight improvement from last season, high 70's.
Kansas City: Only two years ago, they were contenders. Now, they might contend for the ignominity the Tigers barely avoided two years ago. High 40's.
A.L. West
Anaheim/L.A./Guatalajara/whatever they call themselves this week: Surest bet in baseball is the Angels winning this division. Replacing Guillen's bat will be important, but should win this in a walk, as long as the starting pitching is better than mediocre. Around 100 wins, possibly 105.
Seattle: Marked turnaround from last season, but doubt they'll be able to keep up with the Angels. The power bats in the big park should be interesting. Mid 80's.
Oakland: The year Billy Beane learns that Moneyball's most important factors were Hudson and Mulder. Mid 70's.
Texas: Shocking team of last season, the celebration of ridding themselves of A-Rod should wear off, and Buck Showalter should wear thin. Low 70's.
N.L. East
Atlanta: The sun comes up in the East. The Braves win the division. When you are in your 30's and the Braves have won every division in a season that ended since you were a senior in high school, it would be utter stupidity to pick against them. Plus, Hudson and Smoltz are nice upgrades to the rotation. Mid 90's.
Florida: (WC) Strong line-up plus strong starting pitching should have them nip and tuck with the Braves, and, if not for historical precedent, possibly winning the division. Bullpen could be a concern. Low-Mid 90's.
Philadelphia: They rid themselves of Bowa and Captain Pitch Count Kerrigan. That is a positive. Unfortunately, there pitching isn't that great in a bandbox. Mid 80's.
Washington: Should benefit playing home games in front of actual people. If healthy, they actually have talent. High 70's.
New York: I'm convinced that Met reports on the FAN by mid June will detail Pedro pitching to Jose Reyes/Cliff Floyd/Mike Piazza in simulated games in Port St. Lucie. Slight difference for Beltran playing in Shea rather than Minute Maid, and he showed in K.C. last season he can't singlehandedly carry a team. Low 70's.
N.L. Central
St. Louis: Almost as much of a lock as the Angels to win their division. Mulder provides a solid front of the rotation pitcher to the staff, still have a strong line-up, and I don't like any of the other teams in the division this year. 100-105 wins easily.
Cinci: This year's dark horse team. Bit of a stretch thinking they'll actually be healthy, but, this division should break in a way to allow the Reds to finish in the top half. Mid 80's.
Chicago: I hate the bullpen. I don't like Wood. I think Dusty killed Prior in the 2003 season. I think the shortstop hasn't been the same since 2000. .500 area.
Houston: Lost to much offense, and I doubt Clemens can repeat his performance from last season. Yankees might have known something letting Pettite walk. High 70's.
Milwaukee: Could be interesting second half team if they bring up the great prospects. Still a few years away from contending. Mid 70's.
Pittsburgh: Don't know. Sadly, don't care. High 60's.
N.L. West
San Diego: Dave Roberts. That is my justification, as I will root for him on whatever team he plays for (caveat being Yankees or facing Red Sox) until his career ends. Low 90's.
San Francisco: Still a veteran team, and Bonds might be back sooner than he lets on. Still, I hate Benitez. High 80's.
Los Angeles: Derek Lowe with that hideous infield defense could be hilarious. Lost a lot of offense from last season, and Gagne might have a setback season. .500 area.
Arizona: Much better than last season, but really, could they be worse? High 70's.
Colorado: See Pittsburgh. High 60's.
Playoffs: NL Marlins over Cardinals in 4: Power pitching knocks out the Cards again. Padres over Braves in 5: Much as Braves win division, Braves out in Round 1 is becoming a tradition as well. Also, Dave Roberts.
Padres over Marlins in 6: The ghost of Jack McKeon past beats Jack McKeon present. Also, Dave Roberts.
AL
Yankees over Twins in 5: This year, the Twins extend it an extra day. Yankees win, but that extra day has added importance. Red Sox over Angels in 4: Just like the match-up. And, I have money on one of these teams.
Red Sox over Yankees in 7: Hell, I need to age 5 years in a week again, so why not. Yankees are hurt by Johnson pitching Game 5 against Twins, and thus being on the 3-7 schedule. Unfortunately for them (and precedent is in place for this prediction), Game 3 gets washed out at Fenway, causing Johnson to have to pitch Game 7 on short rest. Red Sox capitalize on this, and knock around Tom Gordon to blow the game open late.
World Series Red Sox over Padres in 6: A.L. wins All-Star game, thus the clincher is at Fenway. Dave Roberts has a monster series, and almost singlehandedly carries the Padres to the promised land. However, Wells wins Game 6 to set off the party in the place he repeatedly has stated he wants blown up.
Thanks for a great season, Pick of the Week fans...see you next year at Planet Magic in Denmark, WI!
Originally posted by redsoxnationBoston:(WC)
How I love seeing that world championship qualifier by the Sawx.
Originally posted by redsoxnation againMilwaukee: Could be interesting second half team if they bring up the great prospects. Still a few years away from contending. Mid 70's.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA! C'mon, man...my Brew Crew ALWAYS does a second-half swan dive like they're the Olympic, uh, diving team. It'll be like every year: 1st half, they won't suck as bad as some feared, sparking just a tiny li'l bit of hope; after the All-Star Game, the annual plummet begins.
Of course, I'll probably catch a couple @ Miller Park anyways. Wonder if I get a refund if my seat's directly under a roof leak...
Star wipe, and...we're out. Thrillin' ain't easy.
THE THRILL ACW-NWA Wisconsin Home Video Technical Director...& A2NWO 4 Life! (Click the big G to hear the Packers Fight Song in RealAudio...or try .MP3, .AU, or .WAV!)
Originally posted by redsoxnationAnaheim/L.A./Guatalajara/whatever they call themselves this week: Surest bet in baseball is the Angels winning this division. Replacing Guillen's bat will be important, but should win this in a walk, as long as the starting pitching is better than mediocre. Around 100 wins, possibly 105.
Los Angeles: Derek Lowe with that hideous infield defense could be hilarious. Lost a lot of offense from last season, and Gagne might have a setback season. .500 area.
Anaheim will definitely not disappoint this season. Having rid themselves of albatrosses like Guillen, Glaus, and the oft-injured Percival, bolstering their defense with Orlando Cabrera, and improving their lineup with Steve Finley all with the combination of Oakland's offseason collapse makes them, as mentioned, the sure thing. A rotation that includes Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar (who's much better than last year's record indicated. He lost a lost of close 1-0 duels last season) is something to be feared and if something goes wrong, don't think they won't bring in the new Weaver kid.
The only concern is the departure of David Eckstein, which is largely symbolic. Eckstein was a major fan-favorite and a tremendous feel-good story. He was among the many represented the blue-collar Angel team that won it all in 2002. Eckstein wasn't the best, but he overcame his size and other shortcomings with more heart than anyone. His departure represents Anaheim shifting their focus to winning a championship the George Steinbrenner Way, by spending lots and lots of cash. And that's something I'm concerned about, as an Angel fan.
On the Dodger front, Derek Lowe's had plenty of good outings this spring and gives me optimism for the coming year, but doesn't take away from what looks like a lackluster rotation. Jeff Weaver's the only viable #2 and that's a very scary thought. Best case scenario, Brad Penny makes a huge improvement, STAT. The lineup isn't looking too good either. I still can't believe the front office told Dodger fans for YEARS to wait patiently for Adrian Beltre to blossom after almost ten years of being a bust and when he finally DOES put up good numbers, they let him run off to Seattle. Idiots.
How I love seeing that world championship qualifier by the Sawx.
I'm pretty sure "WC" means "wild card," as in, Boston is redsoxnation's wild card pick. Unless redsoxnation also seems to think the Marlins are reigning world champions. Anyway:
The only divisions I really think are up for grabs are the AL Central and NL West. Yeah, in theory Boston may overtake New York or Florida will pass Atlanta, but until I actually see it I no longer will expect it. St. Louis and Anaheim should dominate their respective divisions.
As for the other two, my instinct says the Twins win big in the Central, but I wouldn't be completely shocked to see Cleveland or maybe even the White Sox make a run. In the NL West, your guess is as good as mine.
EDIT: Oh yeah, wild cards go to Boston and the Marlins, with the Cards avenging last year's defeat by beating the Sox in the Series.
AL East Boston Baltimore New York Toronto Tampa Bay
The Yankees are not as good as everybody thinks they are. This teamis old, the bullpen past Rivera is suspect, and still doesn't have a quality 2B.
AL Central Minnesota Chicago Cleveland Detroit Kansas City
Any of the top four teams could win this decision, which is amazing giving where Detroit was two years ago.
AL West Los Angeles/Anaheim/Northwest Orange County Oakland Seattle Texas
Crapshoot. Oakland could fall off the map with their pitching or win 110 games.
AL Wild-Card: Oakland
NL East Atlanta New York Florida Philadelphia Washington
NL Central St. Louis Houston Chicago Milwaukee Cincinnati Pittsburgh
NL West Los Angeles San Francisco San Diego Colorado Arizona
NL Wild-Card: New York
AL Champion: Boston NL Champion: Atlanta
World Champion: Atlanta
It's time we call political correctness what it is: a liberal code of thought, speech and conduct. Anyone who thinks conservatives are behind any of this lunacy is either uninformed or being dishonest.- David Limbaugh
AL East Boston New York Baltimore Toronto Tampa Bay
AL Central Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Chicago Kansas City
AL West Anaheim Texas Oakland Seattle
AL Wild-Card: New York
NL East Atlanta Philadelphia Florida New York Washington
NL Central Chicago St. Louis Houston Cincinnati Milwaukee Pittsburgh
NL West San Francisco Los Angeles San Diego Arizona Colorado
NL Wild-Card: Philadelphia
AL Champion: New York NL Champion: Atlanta
World Champion: Atlanta
"Lita holds a Stone Cold Steve Austin home pregnancy test. What will the Bottom Line say? “Hell Yeah” or “Eh-EH”?" - Raw Satire, 6/15/04 (Apparantly ours said "Hell Yeah", 03/08/05)
AL East Boston (105-57) New York (101-61) Wild Card Baltimore (87-75) Tampa Bay (79-83) Toronto (70-92)
AL Central Cleveland (91-71) Minnesota (89-73) Chicago (85-77) Detroit (75-87) Kansas City (65-97)
AL West Los Anaheim (98-64) Oakland (88-74) Seattle (85-77) Texas (73-89)
NL East Atlanta (91-71) New York (91-71) Wild Card Florida (81-81) Washington (75-87) Philadelphia (69-93)
NL Central St. Louis (100-62) Chicago (90-72) Houston (89-73) Cincinnati (80-82) Pittsburgh (72-90) Milwaukee (69-93)
NL West Dodgers (88-74) Padres (84-78) Giants (76-86) Rockies (70-92)
Divisionals Boston over Cleveland in 4 New York over Los Anaheim in 4 Atlanta over Los Angeles in 3 New York over St. Louis in 5
League Championship Series Boston over New York in 7 New York over Atlanta in 7
World Series Boston (home field) over New York in 6
(edited by gugs on 28.3.05 1521) "He is the most overrated piece of crap in the league. He bitched and whined after he got his ass beaten in New England last year, so the NFL changed the rules. Then he got his ass beaten in New England again. Every year he's the top MVP candidate. Every year he's supposed to be the best. Every year he's going to carry the Colts to the Super Bowl. And every single year he goes to New England and gets his ass beaten. And his brother's a whiny little bitch." -A friend of mine, on Peyton Manning
AL East 1. NY 2. BOS (WC) 3. BAL 4. TOR 5. TB New York wins the division because they are the Yankees and Boston is second because they are the Red Sox. That's just how it is. But, I'm not impressed by new York's decrepit overpriced pitching. The Red Sox will make it close but come up a bit short.
AL Central 1. MIN 2. CLE 3. CHI 4. DET 5. KC I don't think any of the bottom four have a real chance. Maybe the Indians if Millwood pitches like an ace instead of how he did in Philly. Santana is by far the best starter in the division so he'll lead the Twins to the playoffs (again).
Al West 1. LA 2. OAK 3. TEX 4. SEA I think that Oakland will still be competitive, but unlike in previous years, their starting pitching isn't good enough to cover up abysmal hitting. Texas played over its head last year and doesn't have the pitching. Their infield is great, though. The Angels have more than enough in all areas to win this league going away.
NL East 1. ATL 2. FLA 3. PHI 4. NY 5. WSH Atlanta wins the division and the sun comes up in the morning. Both are the facts of life. People who pick against the Braves are dumb. Not because there's no way they don't win the division, but because people have done that for three years now, and it backfires every time.
NL Central 1. STL 2. HOU 3. CHI 4. CIN 5. MIL 6. PIT Saint Louis is the class of this division. I mean, goodness, they won the pennant and then added Mark Mulder. I'd say they should be pretty good. They've got that Pujols guy, too. I hear he can hit. Astros with the Wild Card just because Clemens, Pettite, and Oswalt are a formidable trio and they've got more than enough hitting to do it.
NL West 1. SD 2. LA 3. SF 4. ARZ 5. COL The Dodgers will be close, but with pitching being their strength in their ballpark, they just don't have enough. San Diego could be done in by a lack of hitting, but I think their young starters will be good enough to carry them in a pitcher's park. San Francisco could make a run if Bonds was in it mentally, but I don't think they will. Without him, they are average at best. The Diamondbacks will improve because it'll be hard to win fewer than 51 this year.
Divisional Playoffs: MIN over NYY in 5 BOS over ANA in 5
AL East NY Yankees Boston Baltimore Toronto Tampa Bay
Comments: This is a two-team division and everyone knows it. Yankees just beat too many mediocre teams, and Boston starts slow due to pitching issues. In Baltimore, Sammy Sosa decides he can evade steroid questions by in fact claiming to have sneezed and thrown out his tongue.
AL Central White Sox Minnesota Cleveland Detroit Kansas City
Comments: I'm drinking the kool-aid this offseason, but I see the Sox with the deepest 1-5 in the division, and people they can plug in should someone falter. Brandon McCarthy could be a Kerry Wood like phenom if he gets called up at some point. The Twins will be solid, but they just keep plugging holes, and eventually one or two guesses won't pay off. Plus Mauer just can't seem to stay healthy. Cleveland is not going to be as good as people think. They are starting Juan Gone in RF, and he may be the closer as well.
AL West Whatever Angels Seattle Texas Oakland
Comments: The geographically enigmatic Angels will run with this division. Seattle will be decent and win 85 or so games. Texas is still working on improvement, and Billy Beane may need to write a book called "Winning was easy with 3 stud pitchers".
NL East Atlanta Florida Philadelphia NY Mets Washington
Comments: Ho Hum. Another year, another NL East title for Atlanta. Florida will be strong and I think they'll take the WC spot. The Mets will need Pedro to go 25-3 and Beltran to have a 360/50/160 season in order to have a chance.
NL Central St. Louis Milwaukee Cincinatti Houston Cubs Pittsburgh
Comments: St. Louis is still the class of the NL. I think Milwaukee will surprise people. They got a legit stud this offseason in Carlos Lee who will help the offense of those around him in the order. Cincy could surprise, esp. if Griffey can finally play a full year. Houston will miss Beltran, and Roger's only getting older. The Cubs are about to begin a swift decline. Their best pitchers keep getting injured, they have holes all over their lineup and the bullpen is ghastly.
NL West San Diego Los Angeles San Fran Colorado
Comments: I didn't like the way the Dodgers meshed after the trade last year, so I'm going to say this year they don't quite get it done. Honestly though this division I could see going to anyone but Colorado.
AL Wild Card: Boston NL Wild Card: Florida
Divisionals:White Sox over Yankees in 5. Boston over Angels in 4. Florida over St. Louis in 5. Atlanta over San Diego in 5.
Comments: I know, it looks like a homer pick. But I feel like in a short series America would get to see Mark Buerhle stake his claim to being an elite pressure pitcher, and Freddy Garcia right behind him. Boston is just too strong for the Angels. Florida pulls the upset with pitching as the Cards break down like they did in the WS last year. And Atlanta wins as Hudson and Smoltz step up.
LCS: Boston over White Sox in 6. Florida over Atlanta in 7.
Comments: Just too much talent for Boston, as Jose Contreras and Orlando Hernandez each admit to in fact being 54 years old. Florida guts out a tough low-scoring series.
World Series: Boston over Florida in 5.
Comments: The Red Sox stop being cuddly as they repeat in the battle of Yankee killing teams. America decides Red Sox are new mortal co-enemy along with the Yankees. Red Sox fans don't care as they spend another year in manic celebration of their victory.
Originally posted by gugsNew York (90-72) Wild Card Chicago (91-71)
You wanna 'splain that one??
Um...look over there! *runs*
"He is the most overrated piece of crap in the league. He bitched and whined after he got his ass beaten in New England last year, so the NFL changed the rules. Then he got his ass beaten in New England again. Every year he's the top MVP candidate. Every year he's supposed to be the best. Every year he's going to carry the Colts to the Super Bowl. And every single year he goes to New England and gets his ass beaten. And his brother's a whiny little bitch." -A friend of mine, on Peyton Manning
1. Yankees 2. Red Sox* 3. Orioles 4. Blue Jays 5. Devil Rays
With a World Series under their belt, the Sox will certainly give the Yanks another run for their money. The O's just can't see to make progress with their pitching staff. The Jays had the embarrassment of finishing below the D-Rays last year. They'll fix that. Tampa has some good young pitching, but not enough offense.
The Sox have one of the best up-and-coming managers and their line-up looks good. The Twins will just hold off the Tigers, who keep throwing the $$ around. It'll get them somewhere this year.
A.L. West:
1. Angels 2. Rangers 3. A's 4. M's
The Angels lost less than the A's in the off-season. I like what the Rangers are doing. The M's addition of two big bats this off-season will make it interesting.
I've learned my lesson- I'm picking the Braves til' they prove me wrong. The Mets will somehow screw things up (they always do), and I'm not as sold on Washington as some are.
The big teams in this division lost a lot this year. The Reds are looking better to me. The 'stros still have their killer B's. The Cubs took some big hits this off-season.
The Giants can still get it done without Bonds. If injries hit though, watch out. I consider the Pads and the Dodgers about even. I like Arizona's lineup.
A.L. Playoffs: Yankees over White Sox in 5 Red Sox over Angels in 4 Red Sox over Yankees in 6
N.L. Playoffs: Marlins over Giants in 5 Cardinals over Braves in 5 Marlins over Cardinals in 6
AL East: 1. Yankees 2. Boston 3. Baltimore 4. Toronto 5. Tampa Bay
The Yankees may be older, but they can mash the ball, and I still like their pitching, fragile as they are. Boston will get the wildcard, as is tradition. Baltimore will give it the good old college try, but their bats won't be enough. Toronto and Tampa Bay will battle for the cellar.
AL Central: 1. Minnesota 2. White Sox 3. Indians 4. Tigers 5. Royals
I don't think the ChiSox have enough to catch the Twins. Cleveland is improving and will keep up. Detroit needs another year or two. KC is awful.
AL West: 1. Irvine Angels of Anaheim 2. Texas 3. Seattle 4. Oakland
The (insert city here) Angels are huge. They will runaway and hide if they stay healthy. Texas still hits a ton, but their pitching is a huge concern. Ichiro may hit .400, but he can't carry the M's. Thanks to Billy Beane, the A's will have to wait another year.
NL East: 1. Atlanta 2. Philly 3. Florida 4. Mets 5. Washington
To be the man, you have to beat the man, and Atlanta is the man. Chipper should have a better year now that he has returned to 3B. Philly should be better in their second year in the new yard. I like the Marlins, but I think this will be a down year. Pedro and Delgado are improvements for the Mets, but they won't be any better. The Nats will pick up where the Senators left off.
NL Central: 1. St. Louis 2. Cincy 3. Houston 4. Chicago 5. Pittsburgh 6. Milwaukee
The Cardinals improved themselves during the off-season. With the emergence of Willy Mo Pena last year, the Reds don't have to depend on the oft-injured Ken Griffey, and I like the Reds offenese a lot. Houston will slip as they continue to age. The Cubs should consider themselves lucky to finish 4th in this division, especially if Prior and Wood continue to have injury troubles. Pittsburgh and Milwaukee will pick up the scraps.
NL West: 1. San Francisco 2. Padres 3. The real Los Angeles 4. Arizona 5. Colorado
The Giants are old and will not have Bonds for at least a month. If Bonds is out for more than a month, this is the Padres' division to grab, but the Pads will have to be MUCH better at PETCO Park tihs season. Billy Beane's mini-me, Paul DePodesta, tried to decimate the Dodgers' rotation, and who in the blue hell is going to catch the ball in that infield? The over-under on JD Drew to the DL is May 17th. Arizona improved, but they have to pick up 35 games... too much too soon. Colorado is Todd Helton and a bunch of other guys.
Ever since the NHL season was cancelled, I have been jonesing for baseball to start. Sunday night cannot get here soon enough.
(edited by mountinman44 on 29.3.05 1135) "You have to vote for one of us. It's a two party system. HAHAHAHAHA!" -- Kang and Kodos
Originally posted by redsoxnationPittsburgh: Don't know. Sadly, don't care. High 60's.
But you should...if only for Oliver Perez (consider that a free tip for all you fantasy freaks). I think they also get one more game than last season in an AL park, so Craig Wilson can safely DH, instead of ramble around RF. That reason alone might account for ONE additional victory.
Also: Ty Wigginton has shown some promise this spring (emphasis on the word "some"...as in "looked better than he did at the end of last season"). Jack Wilson and Jose Castillo are a decent DP combo. Jack's been hampered by an appendectomy over the off-season, but he could challenge 190-200 hits again. It's also the first time in his tenure that Lloyd McClendon's gone through a spring training without having to patch together an entire rotation. They just had the usual rotation question: a fifth starter. But the Eternal Search for a Lead-off man has been in effect since Omar Moreno left.
Not expecting them to contend or anything, but high 70's or even a .500 flirtation are not out of the realm of reason. At least a step above Milwaukee. Last year they bounced around .500 until August or so.
AL East New York Boston (wild card) Baltimore Toronto Tampa Bay
AL Central Chicago Minnesota Cleveland Detroit Kansas City
AL West Anaheim Texas Seattle Oakland
NL East Atlanta Florida (wild card) New York Philadelphia Washington
NL Central St. Louis Houston Chicago Milwaukee Cincinnati Pittsburgh
NL West Los Angeles San Francisco San Diego Colorado Arizona
AL Playoffs Yankees over White Sox Boston over Anaheim
ALCS Yankees over Boston
NL Playoffs Atlanta over Los Angeles Florida over St.Louis
NLCS Florida over Atlanta
World Series Yankees over Florida
I see my fancy White Sox teasing me all summer with non-stop speed, manufactured runs, excellent defense, a strong return by Frank Thomas and great pitching from Garland and Buhrle. This all leads to a playoff meltdown by El Duque and Contreras at Yankee Stadium shattering all hope of a bright future for mankind.
"Well, you can't involve friendship with business. It has to be one or the other. It's either business or friendship, or hit the bricks!" --Life Lessons from "The Tao of Bobby the Brain Heenan" Uncensored 2000 preview
"As long as the check don't bounce, I guess he's okay with it!" --Former All Pro Giants LB Harry Carson on Bill Parcells joining the hated rival Dallas Cowboys
Originally posted by redsoxnationPittsburgh: Don't know. Sadly, don't care. High 60's.
But you should...if only for Oliver Perez (consider that a free tip for all you fantasy freaks). I think they also get one more game than last season in an AL park, so Craig Wilson can safely DH, instead of ramble around RF. That reason alone might account for ONE additional victory.
Also: Ty Wigginton has shown some promise this spring (emphasis on the word "some"...as in "looked better than he did at the end of last season"). Jack Wilson and Jose Castillo are a decent DP combo. Jack's been hampered by an appendectomy over the off-season, but he could challenge 190-200 hits again. It's also the first time in his tenure that Lloyd McClendon's gone through a spring training without having to patch together an entire rotation. They just had the usual rotation question: a fifth starter. But the Eternal Search for a Lead-off man has been in effect since Omar Moreno left.
Not expecting them to contend or anything, but high 70's or even a .500 flirtation are not out of the realm of reason. At least a step above Milwaukee. Last year they bounced around .500 until August or so.
And you didn't even mention rookie of the year Jason Bay yet and they added Matt Lawton, which is something, atleast better than what they would've had otherwise. I think the Cubs and Reds are going to be worse than most people expect, while the Pirates and Brewers are going to be better than people expect. Which is going to result with teams 2 - 6 all really close to each other around the .500 mark while the Cards run away with the division. Unfortunately whatever little hope the Pirates have of being a formidable team will be ruined when they decide not to re-sign Oliver Perez and Jason Bay.
Yanks still have to play another series against Boston in another week or so. Maybe we should wait until we see how that series goes before declaring any "psychological edge"?
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