Predictions for the baseball season

Well...only a week away...:-)...Here are my ideas for the 2006 season...AL--East, Tornoto...Central: Chicago...West: Texas...Wild Card: Boston. Flop of the year: Yankees, age finally catches up. Surprise team: Kansas City NL: East: Braves--I know, I know...a bore to predict them...but I have a superstitious respect for that organization... Central: St Louis... West: LA...Wild Card: Milwaukee. Flop: Mets--nothing will go right, Pedro will collapse, Reyes will be seen as the mid-level player he is... Surprise team: Milwaukee. AL MVP: David Ortiz... NL MVP: Albert Pujols... AL Cy Young: Josh Beckett...NL Cy Young: Roy Oswalt...AL Comeback: Frank Thomas...NL Comeback: Scott Rolen...OK--flame away...

But I'm not biased. O8)

The Halos are my team, but I'd surely like to see the Rangers in the playoffs. Even going all the way.

Would like to see all the traditional crap teams of the last ten years make serious runs. Like the Brewers, the Tigers, the Devil Rays.

:hi:

to fourth place

They have looked a LITTLE better in spring training, though.

We'll see.

Rock on! Rock on!

Oh, it's gonna happen. With the crappiest division in baseball, I don't see why we can't make it all the way to third!

Nothing wrong with optimism...

for us to aspire beyond 4th

I find it really odd that people are talking about .500 as a yardstick for this team. .500 could win this crappy division.

And he can be a distraction...he has been the past few years, this year ain't gonna be any different.

NL West, I think LA DOES look pretty good with everything they've done over the winter. But...Rockies have a year under their belt now...they might not spend the whole season in the cellar.

"Might" being the operative word in that sentence.

I still see a roster that is pretty much a collection of utility players, an inexperienced bench, very thin pitching (although maybe improved) . . .

Right now is when I should be at the peak of my optimism, but I'm not a believer.

:shrug:

That's 'cause they're the Rockies...and last year...well...last year is best left in the past.

They've all got a little experience under their belts now. And maybe they've learned to manage stairs better...

and 0-2 counts

--the "distractions" won't mean anything. He'll win 8 or 9 games for your team, all by himself...not even Ruth could do that so consistently every year. But I don't think he will be healthy, or I'd pick SF...

The only reason he's still playing this year isn't to help the team, it's to help Bonds. He wants to pass Babe. He doesn't give a shit about anything else.

He'll hit the home runs that he needs to do it and then just watch...he'll retire.

Fantasy prediction:

Nolan Ryan comes out of retirement, and his only job is to pitch to Bonds.

I'm predicting my Cubbies'll go all the way. NL MVP, D. Lee. Cy Young, Carlos Zambrano.

Now...since I don't see anyone wearing parkas in hell...

I think Milwaukee's gonna surprise a lot of people if they can stay healthy.

Mets are gonna tank. All that money and nothing to show for it.

...this is the year the Cards go all the way...I'm a Red Sox fan, but this is the Cards' year...in seven games vs the Blue Jays...

Games will be won, and lost.

Players will do well, and not.

:P

I don't make predictions. :P

Gettin' my 'buds ready for some kosher dogs.

:9

When the battle's lost, and won...

I think you might be on to something there (here?)

only because they're the only club that significantly improved itself in the off-season.

But I carve this not in stone, nor even in Jell-O. Indeed, I carve it not at all.

I just wanna watch it all unfold, and pray for a two-radio pennant race in September. :woohoo:

And there's some potential there but Nomar at first? With his history?

Scary...but they DO have Hee Sop, just in case...so that's a plus...

And I'm hearing that Gagne's s'posed to be ready...

Boston picked him up.

Tragedy for all those fans who were in love with his name.

Gagne's thrown seven innings, given up seven hits, two earned runs, one homer, walked four and struck out eight. The walks bother me a little, as does the fact he's been throwing only in the low 90s.

Here's some stuff from the Dodgers site:

After technically blowing a save on Sunday and being credited with a victory, Gagne said that he'll be ready for Opening Day (pending the appeal of a two-game suspension) and he won't hold anything back. He complained about his offspeed pitches and mechanics, but not his arm.

"I have good days and bad days," said Gagne. "It felt like a typical day game. I felt all right. The ball was coming out better, but I wasn't hitting my spots, and my curveball wasn't good. You can't expect much. I feel better warming up, and the next day I feel better. I've got to get my mechanics consistent. I go too fast, and when I try to slow down, I slow down too much."

"said Gagne." :spank:

Tomko may be the best pick-up they made. He's got a 1.35 ERA in 20 innings. He pitched pretty well for the Giants last year, but they didn't score any runs for him.

I liked Choi when he played for the Cubs and I was sorry to see him go then. Of course, they got Lee so I stopped complaining.

And...they didn't do the quote like that...TELL me they didn't...

(I know, I know...still...)

Yup.

Hey, it's mlb.com. Who's editing it?

I know the guy who covers the A's for mlb.com. One of the biggest fuckwads in the history of sportswriting.

Edit: And that's saying a lot.

Some sportswriters are pretty cool...there's this one that I like a LOT.

'Course...they don't always stay on the sports desk...

I can think of three right off the top o' my head. 'course, they're all veterans of small-town papers. It's when they start sniffin' the big time that they go all asspipe on ya.

To back up Nomar at first? I mean, it's only a matter of time before he's on the DL.

(edited to fix typo in subject line and to add: Now that I've said that, he'll stay healthy. Say 'thank you, Lisa'.)

:D

They didn't "get" anybody. Saenz and Kent can both play first. Kent probably would've started there this season if they hadn't gotten Garciaparra. Kent's legs are pretty damned old for second, and Oscar Robles can play second, short or third. So can Izturis, if he's ever healthy again.

Here's the depth chart: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/depth_chart/index.jsp?c_id=la

Damn. I want what you're smoking :P

As a Red Sox fan, I've enjoyed the NY-Boston AL East dance of the past few years...but nothing in baseball is locked in forever, structural changes in leagues-divisions occur, teams rise and fall...and it's time for the NY-Boston axis to have a decline. Toronto has spent a lot of money and intelligence on their team, and this is their year, I think. If you look at baseball history, changes in power structures come quickly, as a rule...the Yanks are due for some lean years...

or GO WHITE SOX!

Can they repeat their magic in 2006? Who can say?

Just sayin'.

That's what I get for just reading subject lines.

Carry on.

I just hope you're right. :hi:

AL East - Toronto AL Central - White Sox AL West - Angels WC - Boston
NL East - Braves NL Central - St. Louis NL West - San Diego (Ya think?) WC - Dodgers
AL MVP - Mark Texeira NL MVP - Albert Pujols
AL Comeback - Barry Zito NL Comeback - Phil Nevin

And yes, the Yankees will choke even worse than usual.

Wild card for NL: Phillies

Night, all!

Preseason looked scary. :scared:

They had their first 500 season in a LONG time last year, and have worked to build a better team this year.

St Louis should win the division, but it will be difficult. The new stadium will take some time to get used to - its like playing away games at home for the first half of the year.

the Phils are going to suck. Ah well it's a rebuilding year. Again.

The pitching is the question mark. For some reason, I think 4 members of their starting rotation will have good years, with Franklin being at least .500. Good hitting will make up for the mediocre bullpen.

But I appreciate the optimism. :D

It is destiny. :P

...will be a fun distraction during the summer months. It's a great park, and if the weather is nice it can be a fun, inexpensive thing to do on a lazy summers day or evening. All you have to do to enjoy it is to truly understand that the team starts every year with practicaly no shot at competeting because of the way MLB is set up.

Here ar emy predictions:

AL East: Boston
AL Central: Minnesota
AL West: Oakland

Wild Card: Chicago

NL East: Phillies
NL CEntral: Astros
NL West: Padres

Wild Card: Braves

AL Champ: Minnesota
NL Champ: Phillies

WS: Minnesota

Awards: AL Cy Young - Johan Santana
NL Cy Young - Chris Carpenter

AL MVP: David Ortiz
NL MVP: Albert Pujols

AL East: Yankees (God I hate to say it but its probably true but the Jays and Sox will give them a run for their money, and sadly my Orioles will be above the D-Rays
AL Central: White Sox (They're gonna be motivated to repeat but I will say this division will be competitive because the Indians and Twins both can win this division too)
AL West: Angels (They're an all around good team.
Al Wild Card: Toss up between the Twins and Red Sox, ultimately Red Sox because they're still good)
AL MVP: Vlad Guerrero (I think this will be the year where he does great in Anaheim
No prediction on comeback
Cy Young: Johan Santana (The premier lefty in the game and one of my favorite pitchers because I too am a lefty)

NL East: Braves (They always do find someway to do it)
NL Central: Cardinals (Best team in the NL no doubt about it)
NL West: Giants (If Bonds is back and even fi he is a roids user, they'll do fine)
NL Wild Card: Mets (I think they finally got a playoff worthly team)
NL MVP: Pujols (My first pick in any fantasy draft, the dude is incredible and reminds you of those old time players who had the average, power, and RBIs going for them)
no prediction on comeback
Cy Young: undecided but I think Carpenter will beat out Dontrelle Willis again not because Willis isnt his equal but because Carpenter's teammates will give him more wins)
World Series: Angels Vs Cardinals
Cardinals win in 6.