Some Quick Sox Thoughts
Is anyone else impressed by Tim Wakefield’s performance so far this year? With his outstanding performance tonight, Wake improved to 5-2, and dropped his ERA to 3.59. And the amazing thing is, he threw 97 pitches over eight innings of work. This year, he’s gone two complete games, has an opposing average of .216, and brought a no hitter into the seventh inning in one game. He is also the only Red Sox starter to have an ERA under 4.00.
Everybody Else is Doing It…
Manny being Manny.
Commentators. Gotta Love Them.
“I like it when couples share blankets, Don”
That is something Jerry Remy said in the middle of the
sixth inning during tonight’s (April 28th) Sox game at Cleveland. Apparently,
it rained all day in Cleveland, making for a chilly evening. NESN had just panned
to three separate couples sharing blankets in the stands. And Jerry had
something to say about that.
I don’t know why, but this struck me as hilarious.
Over the past week, I’ve been thinking a lot about commentators during baseball
games. This past weekend, I went on a camping/fishing trip in the Middle of
Nowhere, CT (I caught zero fish. But I didn’t fall in. Which has been a problem
in the past). Anyway, this forced me to listen to the epic three game series
between the Red Sox and the Yankees on 105.5, WEEI, Red Sox Radio
Network.
I have to say, I do enjoy listening to baseball games
on the radio, especially around a campfire. And I have tremendous respect for
Joe Castiglione, who has called baseball games for 27 years. But one of the
most enjoyable parts of listening to the games this weekend was laughing at the
ridiculous things that were said on-air to fill time between pitches.
Dave O’Brien shares the booth at WEEI with Joe
Castiglione. And he is downright awful. He’s boring between pitches, he rarely
gives listeners any good opinions, and he constantly gives hypotheticals,
something that drives me crazy. I can’t understand why a commentator will say
“The Sox are down by three, late in this one. Of course, Bay could tie it
up here with a shot over the Green Monster…” Yes, we know that. Why tell
us what COULD happen every three seconds?
Apparently, however, I’m the only one who feels this
way. On a Boston
Sports Media forum, O’Brien has an 88% approval rating, and nobody
has anything negative to say about him. There’s even a petition from
2005 that asks to bring O’Brien to the Red Sox full time, as he was calling
only a portion of Sox games at that time (The petition’s main focus is asking
the Red Sox to remove Glenn Geffner from Red Sox radio. Geffner, starting in
the 2008 season, is now the play-by-play announcer for the Florida Marlins).
Not only that, but he has worked for ESPN, calling games for them since
2002.
People are applauding Dave O’Brien’s voice, saying he
has “smooth delivery and great pipes.”
While this may be true, he still sounds like a moron when he’s talking about
baseball. And it doesn’t seem like he has much chemistry with Castiglione. They
are two completely different announcers. This is my biggest problem with the
duo.
O’Brien, of course,
relieved Jerry Trupiano, who many people were relieved to see go. After all,
how many times can someone yell “WAY BACK, WAAAAYYYYY BAAACCCKKKKK…and
It’s caught by the shortstop, right behind second base” and get away with
it? (Although, Castiglione has taken up the same call. But it seemed someone
needed to carry it on as tradition.)
Despite these drawn out,
misleading home run calls, I liked Trupiano, because he and Joe Castiglione
worked so well together. And while they may make a couple mistakes calling the
game here and there, they know what they’re talking about.
This brings me back to
Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo, the Red Sox announcers for NESN. They have more fun
together calling games than anyone I’ve ever heard doing a sporting event.
Anyone who watches Red Sox baseball on NESN knows this, and it makes the game
that much more entertaining. They get a lot of criticism for being somewhat
biased, but that’s a part of being affiliated with a team. Plus, Remy played
for the Sox for seven years. It’s nearly impossible to be completely impartial
after being involved in a team for that long. Which is why it’s great that
Jerry can tell the world that he thinks it’s great when couples share blankets
at baseball games. It makes the game more personable.
As far as announcers go,
nobody is as bad as John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. And it’s not because they
call Yankee games. It’s because they’re both morons. Suzyn Waldman was actually
rated the worst sportscaster in New York by the citizens of New York. She is
ridiculously biased, as demonstrated by her crying on air after the Yankees
lost in the playoffs in 2007. Sterling is ranked on Yahoo’s list of worst
announcers in sports, along with several other similar forums.
Sports announcers don’t
have a hard job. After all, they’re simply talking about what’s going on, and
sometimes about something relating to what’s going on. But I will admit that it
is very difficult to do it well. They get nothing but criticism, because half
the people in the world watching sports right now believe they could do it
better. Sometimes, that is the case.
Next semester, a friend
of mine is taking a class taught by Joe Castiglione. I fully plan on attending
a class or two. I can’t wait to hear him yell “WAY BACK…WAAAAAYYY
BAAACCCKKK” in a college classroom.
Response to the Anaheim Angels
In response to the Anaheim Angels section of my last post:
I was recently informed by my “editor” that the reason
the Angels changed their name was to attract more of the Los Angeles fan base.
Which makes sense. However, the Angels, before they were the Anaheim Angels,
were the California Angels until 1996. You can’t be more general in terms of
location, and following their current logic, that team would have attracted
fans from all parts of California. They then changed to the Anaheim Angels, and
then switched again to their current name, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Which doesn’t make sense, because Anaheim is not in Los Angeles, nor is it a
part of Los Angeles. The only relationship Anaheim has to Los Angeles is the
fact that the two cities are 25 miles away from each other, which isn’t even
that close. They’re not even in the same county.
Again, I understand the need for the Los Angeles market. But it
seems they already covered that when they were the California Angels. Plus, it
only makes their name longer and more annoying to say. In the grand scheme of things,
it’s extremely trivial. I’ll still call them the Anaheim Angels, and
everybody will know exactly who I’m talking about. It’s just something to think
about.
Hitting for the Cycle…
I have a lot on my mind. Which is why I’m going to put
all those random things about baseball here, in short little bursts of anger,
disbelief, and happiness. Or some other emotion I’m failing to mention. At the
very least, I hope to bring up some things to think about.
Leading
off, I want to mention how relieved I am after today’s performance by Jon
Lester. He threw seven innings, no runs on four hits, and nine strikeouts. He
said there was nothing wrong with him after his first two outings, and today proved
that he wasn’t lying. We just need to see this continue.
The Red Sox
released yesterday that Jed Lowrie might need season ending surgery. Surgery is
never something to wish for, so I will simply hope that Jed doesn’t play
another game for the Sox this year. Don’t get me wrong, I really pulled for him
last season, and I thought he would be a promising player in the very near
future. But in the past three months of playing time for Jed, he’s batted .189,
with 45 strikeouts in 127 at bats. That’s one strikeout for every 2.8 at bats.
He was 1 for 18 this year before getting injured. His range is below average,
and his fielding is not nearly good enough to make up for his poor hitting. He
either needs to start coming through with the bat the way he did when he first
broke into the league, or the Sox need to realize that shortstop is a major
problem for them.
With Lowrie
being out and Julio Lugo being an $18 million trainwreck still on the DL, the
Sox turned to Nick Green to fill in. People noticed because all of a sudden,
the Red Sox shortstop was fielding well and hitting the ball, something unheard
of in Boston since Orlando Cabrera. Nick Green has played very well since
filling in, coming through with some clutch hits and a sure glove. If it was up
to me, I would keep him in, even if Lowrie was healthy. The thing that worries
me is the fact that he has never been an everyday player, and his career
average is .241. But he wants to prove that he can play, and he’s worked hard
to make it to the Red Sox roster this year. And so far, he’s done better than
anyone’s expected.
Keeping
along the shortstop thread, one of the biggest mistakes the Sox have made in
terms of players is letting Orlando Cabrera slip away after 2004. Since then,
he’s batted .257, .282, .301, and .281, while hitting either 8 or 9 home runs
each season. Not only that, but he’s been healthy. Further, he’s made 50 errors
in the past four years, compared to 87 errors made by Red Sox shortstops in the
past four years. Keep in mind, that one of those years, 2006, Alex Gonzalez
played short, and he is one of the best defensive players in the game. He made
only 7 errors in 110 games that season. My point is that the Red Sox have had a
void at the position since 2004, and it’s a bigger problem than people realize.
Why did the
Angels change their location? The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is just
ridiculous. Why not keep them simply in Anaheim? Nobody has been able to
explain this to me. And I refuse to call them the aforementioned name. They are
located in Anaheim, they are the Angels from Anaheim.
Speaking of
changing names, I didn’t notice that the Rays had dropped the Devil in their
name last year until halfway through the season. I had noticed that they had
changed their uniform to simply say “Rays,” but I just figured the
team was just changing their uniform. I’m still getting used to it. I do like
how they simply dropped one word, and came out with a completely different
mascot. I’ve been thinking about it, and I can’t figure out another team that has
done that. It’s an interesting concept.
Many people
said that the Rays played well last year because they dropped the
“Devil” from their name. While I’m still not sold on curses in
sports, I love that fact that someone thought of this. And I love when people
attribute supernatural causes to performance. Being a Red Sox fan, I’m very
familiar with the Curse of the Bambino. Cubs fans are no doubt privy to the
Curse of the Billy Goat. I’ve noticed that whether a team plays well or a team
plays poorly, there’s always a supernatural reason for it. And it makes sense.
Fans need something to blame when things don’t go their team’s way. It’s just
one more way baseball fans are the most superstitious beings in the world. I
wanted to kick the crap out of a friend of mine the other day during
Wakefield’s no hit bid. Of course, he had to mention that fact that Wake was in
the middle of a no-hitter. And right on cue, the next batter ripped a line
drive to left, breaking it up. I still blame him. What else can you do?
I will end
with Beckett’s suspension. It’s crap. And ESPN agrees, joking about it when
there was similar play in another game. Time was called very late in Beckett’s
windup, and he had been keeping a close eye at Chone Figgins at second. He was
going through his windup, which was thrown off when he realized time was
called. There is no way that Major League Baseball can ascertain beyond a
shadow of a doubt that there was an intent to throw at Abreu’s head. The umpire
crew saw the play as non-intentional, and it’s strange to see the League simply
overrule them in this type of situation. After the threat of appealing, the
sentence was reduced to 5 games, which is confusing, as it has minimal effect
on the Red Sox rotation. Which makes me wonder why suspend Beckett at all? The
whole thing seems to have blown out of proportion, and I think the League has
realized that. Beckett had this to say in response to the altercation:
“I don’t really feel
like I’ve done anything…I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. Am I supposed
to give him a hug? I wasn’t really in a hugging mood right then. I really don’t
know what he wanted me to do.”
Abreu probably didn’t want a hug either
Did Someone Really Say That?
For Red Sox
fans, the first week of the season has not gone as planned. They’ve started
2-6, and haven’t looked great. The offense has been flat, and four of their
starters have an ERA over 4.50. Is there reason to worry? Maybe. But still, the
disdain rippling through Red Sox nation shouldn’t be happening
I was reading
the write-up
on Monday (April 13th)
night’s game: Lester got shelled for the second time in as many outings,
and the Sox lost 8-2. I proceeded to look at the comments for this article, as
its interesting to read the opinions flying around, especially after the way
the Sox have started the season.
I was
appalled to read one comment. It was this:
“WAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
The Yankees are #1 in the AL East and the Red Sox are last. Guess you all need
to go home and cry to your mommy’s. YANKS, YANKS, YANKS. Why are the Yankees
sitting on the best record in the MLB – BECAUSE THEY ARE THE YANKEES!!!!”
Hmmmm. These
kind of posts are annoying in themselves, and people responded appropriately,
calling the poster a moron and an idiot. I will say that I laughed a little bit
at the stupidity. But then, the same guy posted again:
“Okay, I
am responding to you guys trying to put me down. Yes, the standings do not say
the Yankees are #1, but we are not going by this, because it does not reflect
the greatness inherant in the organization. There is only one thing anyone has
to remember – BECAUSE THEY ARE THE YANKEES. Now, it is generally agreed across
all of baseball that the 2004 and 2007 rings should be on the fingers of Yankee
players, since they were willing to let Boston win, in order to make it look
more competitive in the AL East. Why do you think the Phillies won last year?
If you look long and hard, it will be obvious – the Yankees were allowing other
teams to boost their records so that MLB would benefit from having a more
competitive overall feel. The Yankees are laying low on purpose, to fool all
the other teams into a false sense of security. you know what I am saying makes
total sense.”
Now. I don’t
know whether or not this guy was being serious, or whether or not he’s just
trying to piss people off, or whether or not he’s truly the dumbest thing on
the face of this earth. But the next guy who posted sums it up well:
“[that comment] is one of the dumbest posts I have ever read on any
baseball message board.”
I would go
further. There are no words for that kind of stupidity. It’s probably the most
ridiculously idiotic collection of words ever to have formed sentences. Ever.
To people
like this asinine moron: Stop posting on discussion boards. You ruin the point
of these forums. Sports are so great because people aren’t expected to agree;
they’re supposed to argue and bicker and share their various opinions.
Intelligently. Yes, what is said can get heated, but that’s a byproduct of the
passion each person shares for their respective teams. By coming on and writing
something profoundly inane, you’re not adding to this sense of opinionated
editorial. Instead, you’re coming out and telling the world that you’re among
the stupidest of our race, and there’s probably a spot for you somewhere in the
Darwin awards. You are not fans of the game. You are ignorant children. Next
time you feel the need to express your absurdly imbecilic thoughts, do everyone
a favor and put your head through your computer screen. If you can find it.
That being said, I’ll turn my attention to
the struggling Red Sox
Having
started their season at 2-6, their worst since 1996, there are people
everywhere who are crying out in anguish and worry. Admittedly, I too am
wondering where the Sox are going to be in a couple weeks. Other than Kevin
Youkilis, who is batting .500 in 32 at bats, only Jason Bay is batting over
.300. And Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Lowell, and David Ortiz are all batting under
.200, and Jed Lowrie has one hit in eighteen at bats. However, it is hard to
believe that this will continue. There are 154 games left in this season, and
they are just too talented to continue this poorly.
There’s not
much to say at the beginning of a season. You can throw blame around, to the
players for not coming to camp in shape or prepared, or to the management for
not doing enough during the offseason. But in either case, there is no reason
to seriously believe that a team will finish poorly until they are still
playing poorly by the end of May.
However, there
are some things that are bothering me. Shortstop is a weak position for the
Sox. Jed Lowrie, while showing promise last year, has not been impressive in
the last three months that he’s played. The position is a weak spot, and its
one more in a lineup that has too many question marks. Jacoby Ellsbury, while
also an extremely promising young player, has not yet proven himself as a
premiere leadoff man. Jason Varitek, although hitting the ball hard so far this
year, batted .220 last year. And it’s hard to forget that. David Ortiz is
coming off an injury, and Mike Lowell and JD Drew have perpetual health issues.
Some of these question marks are going to have to become exclamation points if
the Sox are to compete this year.
Speaking of
health issues, Daisuke Matsuzaka
was placed on the 15-day DL today with arm fatigue. And Josh Beckett’s 6 day
suspension means that the Red Sox depth is about to be tested. Hopefully, Clay
Buchholz can hold himself together and make some quality starts. He has better
stuff than Beckett, but needs to learn to keep his composure during games. If
he can do that, he’s going to be one of the best pitchers in the game.
Overall, the
Sox, while there are questions, will be fine. There’s too much depth and talent
for the team to simply fall off the face of the earth after the past few
seasons. Just wait. And have faith in the team that we love so much.
For Starters…
Opening Day has come and gone. Again.
And so starts another season of surprises. Already one series in, a couple
teams have jumped out to a quick start. Others have not. A big surprise was the
Orioles taking two out of three from the Yankees, something that I really
enjoyed. The Sox fared no better, dropping the opening series as well. Of
course, If you’re reading this, you probably already know that. Which brings me
to my point: the opening series means nothing. I went through the weekend with
people asking “oh man, they started the season 1-2! What’s going to
happen?” The answer: they’re still going to go on to win 90 games. As much
as I hate the thought of it, the Yankees are going to do the same thing. After
all, a team doesn’t go out and spend $423.5 million in an off-season and not
win 85 games. But that’s probably going to be a rant for another day, another
blog. Because believe me, that still blows my mind.
As has been mentioned, we’re one series
into the season. But I have not yet predicted my standings for the season. So I
suppose I’ll do that now. Like I said, the opening series means nothing.
AL East
1. New York Yankees – 98-64.
Yes,
this sucks. But I also think it’s inevitable. I mentioned to a buddy when they
first signed C.C. and A.J. that Sabathia would win 16 games, Burnett 12. I’m
still sticking to that. And I still feel that they were grossly overpayed.
Especially A.J. Then they have Wang, who is coming off an injury, but still won
19 games in each of his last two healthy seasons. Finally, Andy Pettitte, who
has been extremely consistent over the years, and Joba Chamberlain. I still
feel that Joba’s success has all been a fluke. And I still don’t think that he
can become a successful starter in the Major Leagues this year. Oh, and he’s a
massive tool. Of course, the Yankees weak spot is going to be their bullpen.
They are an extremely young group (with the exception of Mariano), and only 3
have thrown more than 100 innings. The lineup, of course, will be ridiculous.
No team in the majors can compete. Yes, Jeter, Damon, and Posada are all
getting older, and Cano has still not had that HUGE year everyone has
predicted. But no pitcher wants to face this lineup. It’s just too well rounded.
2. Boston Red Sox – 93-69
Last
season left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth after being defeated in what could
be considered another heartbreaking series. And to Tampa Bay no less. That game
5 was amazing. And the way that this team has come back from the brink of
elimination is stunning. Actually, there’s really no word for it (see 2004
ALCS!!!!). In fact, after game 5, I ran out of my dorm and sprinted to Fenway
Park barefoot. It was a great moment. After they won game 6, everyone though
they were going to win this series. But it was not to be. So, after a long
off-season with Theo Epstein sitting back and making some small but intelligent
moves, the Sox are going to be looking to get back that series. The team itself
is not retooled, and is pretty much the same from last year. I’m sure I’ll come
out with a more opinion oriented blog about the 2009 lineup at some point. But
for now, I’m picking the Sox to come in second because the lineup’s only going
to be better, and they have the deepest pitching in the major leagues.
3. Tampa Bay Rays – 88-74
Who
knew they were going to be good at some point? Nobody saw them coming, but now
they’ve got a lot to prove. They went out and added Pat Burrell, one of the
more underrated players in the game. And everyone got a year older. Which isn’t
a bad thing. Plus, David Price (although in AAA ball right now), is one of the
top prospects in baseball. So why will they come in third? Because, they have
something to prove. And because they will get outplayed by the Yankees and Red
Sox.
4. Toronto Blue Jays – 82-80
Toronto
has won at least 80 games in 9 of the past 11 seasons. The problem is they have
only been less than 10 games back in the division once in that span. I’ve heard
that they’re a team to watch this year. I still don’t buy it. Nothing about
them, except for Roy Halladay, is anything exciting. They are an incredibly
mediocre team still.
5. Baltimore Orioles – 71-91
They’ve
been rebuilding for years. And they’re not going to be able to compete,
especially in this division, while they’re waiting for prospects to come up.
Their rotation is terrible, and the only lineup doesn’t scare anyone. Nick
Markakis is really their only consistent threat to drive in runs. They are still
a bottom feeder. At least for this year.
AL Central
1. Chicago White Sox – 89-73
They
have the pitching that can get them a lot of wins, and a
couple veterans that can hit, like Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye. And
if Carlos Quentin has a year similar to last year, they could be dangerous.
2. Cleveland Indians – 85-77
Still
an underrated team, but a very inconsistent team. Fausto Carmona and
Cliff Lee could combine to win almost 40 games. Or, they could combine to win
15. Cliff Lee needs to prove that his Cy Young season was actually what he’s
capable of. Furthering the uncertainty, Carl Pavano has won 9 games in the past
4 years. And nobody has any reason to believe that he can come back, especially
at age 33, and pitch like he did for the Marlins.
3. Detroit Tigers – 82-80
Remember
when they lost 119 games in a season? Two years later, they won 95 games. Last
season, they managed to get Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, and were
supposed to run away with the Central title. That did not happen. They have a
lot of talent on their team, and they could be really good. But something seems
to be holding them back. Maybe the fact they have the 3rd largest payroll?
4. Minnesota Twins – 78-84
The
Twins are one of those teams that have a couple good seasons, then slowly fade
away. Joe Mauer has fizzled like no other, and they have nobody impressive to
base their team around. They’re rebuilding, and it might take some time.
5. Kansas City Royals – 70-92
I
don’t like picking the Royals to come in last. They added some good talent,
including Coco Crisp (who I think the Sox let go of too early), and they could
pull out a breakout season. In any case, I still don’t think they can break
.500 this year, even in this division of mediocrity.
AL West
1. Oakland Athletics – 92-70
Their
weak spot is the rotation, without a doubt. They don’t have an ace, and all
their projected starters for the year are under 26 years old. Combined, the
five have 18 career wins. Despite this lack of experience, they have the potential
to keep together this A’s team while the lineup wins them games. I know its
going against the common mantra “pitching wins games,” but who knows.
Billy Beane has always loved young pitchers, and it has worked out in the past.
The lineup is retooled, and they have the potential to hit their way to the top
of this division.
2. Anaheim (Los Angeles) Angels – 85-77
The
Angels lost a lot of talent this offseason. And it’s going to be tough for them
to come back from that. Not to mention the fact that two of their starters
begin the year on the DL. I know I’m not supposed to bring up the fact that I’m
doing these projections a week into the season, but it would be wrong to not
mention the tragedy of Nick Adenhart’s death.
He was one of the Angel’s most promising starters, but more than that, he was a
teammate and companion of all the guys on that team. Without a doubt, he will
be on the player’s minds this year.
3. Texas
Rangers – 78-84
Like each of the previous 10 seasons or
so, the pitching will be the biggest factor in the Ranger’s success this year.
They’ve got talent at a lot of positions, especially catcher, but a big factor
is going to be how they can get around the fact that Kevin MIlwood is their ace.
4. Seattle
Mariners – 63-99
An interesting team, they’re going to
need Felix Hernandez and Eric Bedard to become the players they were supposed
to be when Seattle gave them the chance in the first place. If you look at
their lineup, they have a lot of good players, and adding Ken Griffey Jr. can
make the middle of their lineup scary. Unfortunately for Seattle fans, the
depth of the team is lacking, and it’s going to show.
NL East
1. New York
Mets – 97-65
This is the Met’s year to not choke. I
think. Who knows? In all honesty, I think the Mets are one of the shakier teams
to pick. There’s no question the talent that is there: Beltran, Reyes, Wright,
Santana. And just to make sure there would be no bullpen issues, Omar Minaya
went out and got the best closer in the game (Francisco Rodriguez), along with
one of the better closers in the game (J.J. Putz). The Mets have no excuse this
year.
2. Philadelphia Phillies
- 93-69
The Phillies added Raul Ibanez, but lost
Pat Burrell. Other than that, Chan Ho Park gets added to the roster, making the
2008 World Champions essentially the same team in 2009. Shane Victorino finally
got some recognition, they have one of the best middle infields in baseball,
and their rotation is solid. Plus, they have one of the best pinch hitters in
the game, Matt Stairs. They are going to make a run for the playoffs again.
3. Atlanta
Braves – 83-79
Bobby Cox is too good to let his team
slip past 3rd in this division. They added Garrett Anderson and Derek Lowe, and
Chipper Jones is still one of the best hitters in baseball. Their rotation
is still somewhat of a mess, and Mike Gonzalez is certainly not an elite
closer, but they should do well enough to beat out the Marlins.
4. Florida
Marlins – 78-84
They have one of, if not the best,
player in baseball playing shortstop for them. Hanley Ramirez has emerged as
one of the premiere players in the game today. He was listed 1 or 2 on
the majority of fantasy baseball previews, and he’s still only 26
years old. Look for him to be a 40-40 man in the very near future. They also
have a very young, promising rotation. Unfortunately, the rest of the team is
nothing special, and you can be sure that the Marlins are not going to contend
in this division until they finish their rebuilding process.
5.
Washington Nationals – 61-101
The Nationals appear to be a team full
of players that had promise, but then fizzled later in their careers. Adam Dunn
strikes out more times than he has at bats. Lastings Milledge never came
the player people hyped him up to be. Nick Johnson’s played in 38 games in the
last two years. And none of their starters had a winning record in the last two
years. It’s going to be a long season for Nationals fans.
NL
Central
1. Chicago
Cubs – 103-59
The
Cubs have one of the best rotations in the league, and with Jake Peavy talks
still in the mix, it might only get better. Plus, look for Rich Harden to have
a great season if he can stay healthy. In addition to the pitching, their
lineup is stacked with underrated players. Fukudome is only going to get
better, Aramis Ramirez will continue to produce, Geovany Soto is going to
emerge as one of the better catchers in the game, and the addition of Milton
Bradley adds some depth to their outfield. The Cubs are going to do some damage
in the Central this year. It’s just a matter of fate as to how far they’ll get
in the postseason.
2. Cincinnati Reds – 87-75
I
pick them to come in second, but I think it’s a stretch. The pitching is there
with Aaron Harang, Edinson Volquez, and Bronson Arroyo. But none of them are
truly established pitchers, and they could all very easily have bad years.
Equally likely, however, is the chance they will all have good years. Their
outfield in extremely young and promising, not to mention fast with the
addition of Willy Taveras. Plus, Joey Votto will become one of the premiere
first baseman in the league this year. Overall, the Reds have a lot of young
talent in a division that has dropped over the past few years. Look for them to
beat out the rest of the mediocrity.
3. St. Louis Cardinals – 84-78
Their
rotation is very average, but Kyle Lohse and Adam Wainwright could have stellar
years. The lineup also has the potential to be one of the more potent offenses
in the National League. They have three legitimate long ball threats in Albert
Pujols, Ryan Ludwick, and Rick Ankiel, and Chris Duncan could be added to that
list, depending on whether or not he returns to ’06/’07 form. They have a good
team, and they’re only missing a couple pieces of the puzzle
4. Milwaukee Brewers – 81-81
For
Milwaukee, pitching is going to be the factor that determines how they do this
year. They lost C.C. Sabathia, who won 11 games for them in 17 appearances
after the all-star break, and he single-handedly led them down the stretch. Ben
Sheets is also gone, and Chris Capuano might not start a game until late May.
That leaves Jeff Suppan as their ace, and an unproven Yovani Gallardo as their
number two.. Other than the rotation, they retained eight starters, and have
Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, two guys that can hit the ball 500 feet
consistently. They will be able to keep up with any team in the National League
offensively. And if the pitching can stay consistently good, the Brewers will
have a good chance. But they took too big of a hit in their rotation to assume
that will be the case.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates – 72-90
The
Pirates are a only a few years shy of contending. Nate McLouth, Adam LaRoche,
and Freddy Sanchez will lead the offense, and they have a couple young guys,
like Nyjer Morgan and Ryan Doumit, who could have breakout seasons. Plus, Andrew
McCutchen is one of the best outfield prospects in baseball. Their pitching is still a problem, and
with a $50 million payroll, you can’t ask for much. But they’re almost there.
And with the team they have now, they won’t be able to avoid a 17th straight losing record.
6. Houston Astros – 65-97
A
team with Miguel Tejada, Kazuo Matsui, and Ivan Rodriguez will not win a lot of
games. Tejada’s reputation has been mangled by steroid use, and while he can
still be productive, his stats have dropped each of the past five seasons.
Matsui has never played more than 114 games, and has never batted over .300.
Rodriguez is 37 years old, and is a desperate attempt for the Astros. Lance
Berkman and Calos Lee will provide some offense, but the rest of lineup might
as well not exist.
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers – 98-64
Even
though they lost Derek Lowe, the rotation is still deep, and there are enough
veterans to give them solid innings. Manny Ramirez will continue to destroy
National League pitching, and the rest of the lineup will be able to produce
and bring runs around. Plus, Joe Torre always finds a way to be one of the best
managers in the game.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks – 91-71
The
Diamondbacks are going to compete for the fourth playoff spot in the National
League this year. Their young talent has more experience, Brandon Webb eats
innings, and Dan Haren is one of the most underrated pitchers in the game.
They’re going to need to develop a deeper rotation to get any better, but in
this division, it seems first is always up for grabs.
3. San Francisco Giants – 84-78
The
strength this year is going to be the rotation. Tim Lincecum needs to pitch the
same way he did last year, and he will come through. Randy Johnson will
surprise everyone with 10 wins. Even Barry Zito, who was one of the worst free
agent signings San Francisco has ever made, will do better than expected. The
offense will need work, and there are some weak points. But the Giants are
pretty deep, and have some guys who can step up and play.
4. Colorado Rockies – 76-86
The
miracle team of 2007 seems to have disappeared. Five starters from that year
are still around, but last year was a terrible way to come off a National
League championship. Todd Helton was injured, Troy Tulowitzki
basically only played in the second half of the season, and Garrett Atkins
dropped his stats in every category, except strikeouts. The rotation is still
solid, with Aaron Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez an excellent one-two punch, but after
that it almost falls apart. They won’t be good enough to play competitively this
year.
5. San
Diego Padres – 68-94
There is no depth to this team, the
offense is going to be miserable, and their rotation is being held together by
Jake Peavy, who is constantly unsure whether or not he wants to stay in San
Diego. The team has little to look forward to this year.
Playoffs
Division
Series
White
Sox over Yankees
Red
Sox over Athletics
Dodgers over Mets
Cubs
over Phillies
Championship Series
White
Sox over Red Sox
Cubs
over Dodgers
World Series
Cubs
over White Sox
Well,
there it is. Apparently, I predict a subway series this year. The 2009 baseball
season has already been established. At the end of the year, I’ll come back and
tell you where I wen’t wrong and why. Until next time, go Sox
braican
Get Better Soon, Jerry Remy
Last Wednesday, Jerry Remy announced he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the NESN broadcast booth in order to fully recover from the effects of cancer surgery undergone last year. For me, I didn’t even know he had cancer until only a few days ago, when my mother, of all people, mentioned it to me. His return to the booth was supposed to be immediate, but infection and pneumonia set back his return date, and as mentioned, he is unsure as to when he will return. My thoughts and prayers, along with that of every person in Red Sox nation, go out to Jerry and his family, and I know I speak for everyone in wishing that he gets well soon.