Last year YF took the crown, with more correct predictions than yours truly. This year it will be different. And that's not because we expect to do much better than him (these predictions are at once fun, silly, and fruitless, owing to the major roster changes that occur over the course of any given season). It's because we have a spry and young mind in our midst now, in the form of Nick-YF, and we're nervous. We better raise our game. So here goes:
AL East: TB, Bal, Tor, Bos, NY
Sorry, lost my mind there for a second. Now, for real:
AL East: Boston, NY, Tor, TB, Bal (what would biased predictions be without a little homerism?)
AL Central: Min, Cle, Chi, Det, KC
AL West: LAAoA, Oak, Sea, Tex
AL WC: NY (ride that offense to first round disappointment, baby!)
NL East: Atl, Phi, NY, DC, Fla
NL Central: StL, Hou, Chi, Mil, Cin, Pitt
NL West: LA, AZ, SD, SF, Col
NL WC: Phi
AL Champ: Bos
NL Champ: StL
WS Champ: Bos
AL Cy: Santana
AL MVP: A-Rod
AL Man: Gardenhire
AL ROY: Johjima
NL Cy: Peavy
NL MVP: Howard
NL Man: Manuel
NL ROY: Zimmerman
Call it wishful thinking, call it a Bostonian's biased boosterism, but we call it the year the Yankees rely too heavily on their offense while their defense up the middle and pitching staff crumble and the Red Sox shoot by them for the division. Finally. There are simply too many question marks for the men from the Bronx. Is Mike Mussina cooked? Is Wang for real (or dependable from a health standpoint)? Will the real Aaron Small finally show up? Is Jorge Posada going to play like he's 47 years old? Our answers? "Like a hot dog at a tailgate", "every other start", "in his first start, and every start thereafter", and "nope, like he's 44". Now before everyone (Yankees fans, that is) gets in a tizzy, we admit that yes, the Red Sox have similar question marks - can Beckett throw 200 innings and stay healthy? Can Schilling rebound? Is Foulke still a viable Major League closer? Who's on third? Will Manny lose a fly ball in the glare of his PSP? But we predict at least two of those get "yes" answers, and handheld video games have already been banned from the Sox' clubhouse. Optimism abounds.
As for the rest of the league, we profess that since giving up the drug of rotisserie baseball our in-depth knowledge of starting players, bench jockeys, and minor league talent down to the Single A level has dropped precipitously. So we came up with our remaining prognostications based on a little bit of research, some cursory residual knowledge, and a dartboard. We have high hopes for the Phillies, no confidence in the Mets' staff, no idea how many games Barry Bonds is going to play so therefore cannot locate the Giants with any confidence, but conversely know that the Cubs are going to do their thing and break the streak of tired, winless franchises grabbing the World Series title, and thank god for that. Who needs happy Cubs fans, right?
Next up, over the course of the rest of the week, this site's two Yankees fans weigh in. Just like here, don't plan on being too surprised by what you'll read.
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