How does San Diego appear out of nowhere ( based on your division finishes) and lose to Chicago? Did the Dodgers concede the title to the Padres? As Houston did the least to improve their team in the offseason I am suprised you have them as the wild card. The wildcard will again be from the West with the winner of the Central participating in the playoffs only on the premise of winning their division,not on winning percentage. A bunch of Free Agents does not a Winner make.

Pedro missed large chunks throughout last season and the Mets somehow managed, and if there is one certainty in life its that the Phillies will find a way to choke out of the playoffs. Position for position the Mets are better at nearly every spot, with the exception of the right side of the in field and the rotation. Better lineup + better bullpen = better record. Don't be surprised.

michael:

Damn! Thanks for bringing the error to my attention. I had changed my previous pick of the Padres to the Dodgers and forgot to change my playoff predictions before I posted the entry. (I would still stick by pick of that whoever comes out of the West will lose to the Cubbies.) Sorry for the confusion!

will g.:

Your equation leaves out one thing: Questionable starting pitching = having to go to the bullpen A LOT in all liklihood = tired bullpen by the All-Star break and into August=no playoffs. Great lineup, though; the Mets will need it for all the runs they're likely to cough up.

How can you leave the braves out of the mix. As long as cox is around the braves will always be contenders. I predict at least a second place finish and a trip to the playoffs........

Couldn't agree more with your AL selections, but in the NL West or Wildcard, I wouldnt' rule out the Dbacks, they made some big offseason moves for hitting, and young talent will be sweet. Not too sure about the Cubs either.

jeremy:

Here are the reasons I left the Braves out of the mix:
1. Starting pitching. Tim Hudson is solid, but Smoltz, while still a stud, has logged a LOT of innings the last 2 seasons on an arm that isn't getting any younger. After that, Hampton is a BIG question mark and James is effective, but wild.
2. Chipper's hamstrings.
3. Possible bullpen issues. The middle relief, if it did what did last year, especially in Villareal's case, it will keep the Braves in a lot of ball games. If not, ouch. And 39-year old Wickman as your closer? Not for long...
4. Plus it was nice to have the Braves NOT in the playoffs for a change. ;-)

That said, they have a very good lineup. I just wish Francouer would learn to take a walk every so often...

Joe:

Yeah, the NL West was a real crapshoot to pick—hence why I screwed up my post-season matchups. The DBacks (god those uni's are ugly) have GOT to get a better year out of Tracy and for Jackson to start displaying the power he's capable of in order to avoid losses of 2-1, 2-0, 3-2 all-season long. Good pitching staff, though!

Ya know, if Prior stays healthy, and Lilly pitches well, and Wood doesn't fall apart, and Lee's wrist is OK, and Soriano and Lou get along....Now you know why I said they look good on paper! LOL

March Madness is the next big thing to come up. Until then, a big yawn is in order.

Dafool.com - Everything Foolish blog

Yes, the endless banter about "bracketing" and whether or not the likes of George Mason or South Dakota State will be invited to the Tournament is just breathtaking. Or, we could talk about the NBA—the Nothing But Ass**les league.

Wake me when the Tournament starts, otherwise I'd MUCH rather talk about baseball.

GO YANKEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

as always PHILLIES CHOKE and METS WIN!!!
Philidelphia is at best a second rate and second place town in every way.
LETS GO METS

I agree with your selections in the AL including the gutsy pick in the AL Central putting Cleveland #1 and Detroit and ChiSox #3 and 4. However, don't be fooled by the Cubs' spending spree in the NL. The Cubs have added two middle of the road pitchers whose stuff doesn't match up with the Brewers. The Soriano signing was big, but not enough to make up for the glaring holes up the middle of the infield and at the outfield corners. The Cubs will finish no better than third.

Couldn't care less about that "other" league (read: AL), but in the Senior Circuit the Cardinals will rule again.

Accept fate. Accept fact. Redbirds will put up another pennant and another WS Championship.

See you all in October.

Philadelphia a second place town??? Are you crazy?

ZooTrouble

IT'S THE YEAR OF THE DODGERS!!!!

WOW...Two Mets fans talking about the Phillies choking? 97-65 and bowing out of the first round isnt choking???????????

Detroit is getting no respect. Do people think that it was fluke last year? They were in first place all season long. The pitching destroyed the Yanks in the playoffs and Maroth is back. It has only gotten better. Sheffield is the bat needed in the line up. Its gonna be a barn burner in the Central, but the Tigers are gonna take it.

P.S. you spelled Detroit wrong. No respect.

mets didnt choke in the first round dumbass, they lost the NLCS, where were the phils?

Chicago Cubs finish better than the Chicago White Sox? Are you high?

Here's why it's not going to happen:

1) Aramis Ramirez is an overpaid schmuck (it's hard not to be a Star on a team as bad as the Cubs). 2) Mark Prior (whom MLB scouts almost universally regard as "Mrs. Prior") is a head case and is not just done, he's desicated like Clark Griswold's Christmas turkey.
3) Kerry Wood tries hard, but can't seem to avoid injuring himself. What sort of guy breaks his ribs getting out of a hot tub?)
4) Soriano's a hell of a player, but I'm not sure he's "The Answer".
5) Even a skilled MLBD like Lou Pinella can't save the train wreck that is the Chicago Cubs.

Peter F: Are you a resident of Wrigleyville, by chance, as you seem to have an amazing case of terminal optimism.

Let's face it: having a large payroll does not a winner make. If that were the case, the Yankees (of whom I am a fan) would win the World Series. Every. Single. Year.

Yanks win the AL East again. But, get their butts handed to them again in the first round! Count on it.

Detroit in 3rd place in the central?....shows how much you really know about baseball. i am not even from detroit. they have the deepest team by far in all of baseball

All these Mets fans keep saying the Phils are going to choke?? cmon guys what happened to your boys last year?? i believe they are the ones who choked. nothing further on that matter.

Starting pitchers is everything in winning games! Im sorry Mets fans but my man Cole Hamels is going to tear it up this year and Howard is hands down getting another mvp year.

Milwaukee Brewers will finish first in NL Central and will go to World Series, Brewers starting 5 are all solid and if Sheets remains healthy the win it all, Chicago Cubs spent alot of money for a couple of number 4 starting pitchers and soriano is overated and a liability on defense. Cardinals have no pitching other than Carpnter and will finish third at Best. Cubs will finish 4th

OK, where are the Red Sox? I'm sorry, but Boston has arguable the best rotation in the AL. A lot of power arms and a decent bullpen + very good lineup = 2004 World Champs. The talent is there once again for Boston to not only take over the AL East, but the MLB. The BoSox will win the World Series.

Dave:

Let's review Boston's staff:
Dice-K: Two words: Hideki Irabu. Remember him? Long way to go before Dice-K becomes the saint and savior of the Sox.

Curt Schilling: The ERA keeps getting higher and higher each year. Love the guy, but...

Papelbon: Pitched 68 INN last year and has shoulder issues. And now he wants to be a starter? Eeesh.

Josh Beckett: 5.01 ERA. Yikes. 16 wins=lots of run support...and when will those blisters appear again?

Wakefield: Ugh. Charlie Hough he is not.

Boston's offense:
As always, very good with Manny (if he decides to show up) and Papi. After that? JD Drew is rejected by most insurance companies he gets hurt so much. Lugo, Crisp, Pedroia and Youk? Speed, but not much else...Crisp has a .317 OBP last year...for a leadoff hitter. Ugly. Lugo's decent; Pedroia is unproven. Varitek is aging fast. Lowell had a nice year...after several years in serious decline. The jury's out on him to repeat.

It's not that I don't want the Sox to beat the Yanks, but 2004 is looking to be a long, long, long time ago, especially given how powerful the AL Central has become. Lots of questions and if's for the Sox.

langtry:

I'll address each of your points:

First, nope, I'm not a member of Wrigleyville. I have the misfortune of being a Giants fan. But onwards...

1.) Aramis Ramirez is an overpaid schmuck? A schmuck who puts up monster numbers—31+HRs, 90+ (119 last year) RBI and bats close to or around .300, ALL each of the last 3 years. Schmuck? No.
2.) I agree, Kerry Wood is an accident waiting to happen. So seems Prior. I can rule out a Wood comeback, but Prior is too young and too talented; there's still hope for him. And I think Lou can light a fire under his ass, too. (I'm from Seattle, trust me, Lou will make a BIG difference in ChiTown.)
3.) Soriano is a Grade AAA stud. No...doubt...about it.

The biggest questions are around their pitching staff, obviously. But, unlike Boston, I think there are far, far fewer holes in the Cubs' O that just MIGHT be able to overcome pitching lapses.

P.S. Jason Marquis? Now there's a classic Cubs move for you...ugh.

I Like the sox, but I have to agree with Dave.

They will be great or be thinking about playing golf come late September

ted turner hasn't owned the braves since the 90's. you're a douchebag

bob,

However right you are about Turner selling the Braves, you are more the douchbag for missing the entire point of my comment: the Braves are falling into the proverbial toilet. And if you want to get picky, Turner, like it or not, will be forever linked—in reality or folklore—with the Braves (hell, the stadium is named after him ). If you don't like the reference, well, root for another team. Otherwise, lick my left one, f-wad.

i dont think thta the brewers are going 4th this year look for them to beat up on the cardinals and astros with there middle infielders back and there sured up pitching staff

Phillies will not choke this year. They got Freddy Garcia, who already knows what it is like to win it all. Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, and Adam Waton will own the Mets this year. Hopefully Jon Lieber will get traded for bullpen pitchers. Then we would kill even more. With Gordon, and Geary. And the offense is the best part. Howard, how many home runs 58!!! How many awards in 2 years. NL Rookie of the year and NL MYP!!!! Utley is probably the best 2b in the league. And Rollins is a good lead off man. I believe Burrell will do what he is expected to do backing up Howard. On the defense Rowand. How many top ten Sportscenter plays did he have last year.
My Philadelphia PHILLIES are winning it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure you're really in tune with reality on your comments of the Dodgers. TripleA batting champion (.380 average) .312 this spring - will likely take over at first base and move Nosemar over to third. The Dodgers were like 30-11 with Russell Martin behind the plate for them last season. They lost JD Drew but he is an injury scare and isn't worth the loss of sleep that entails. Andre Ethier was a candidate for rookie of the year last year until he ran into shoulder problems, but has been swinging a real hot bat in spring thus far. Gonzo has a good year left in him and our pitching staff is the best in the NL. Schmidt, Lowe, Penny, Wolf, Billingsley. The bullpen should be strong too, with Broxton (98mph) and Saito (2.14 era last year?) and what was his save percentage 93%? holding up the rear. The Jacksonville Suns were the minor league team of the year 2 years ago (Double A ball) and these players are going to make an impact for a long time. Just waiting on Andy LaRoche, and Matt Kemp. Kemp averaged what a homerun every 7 abs last year when he was called up? Granted his spring numbers arent hot now in spring.

Furcal SS
Pierre CF
Kent 2B
Loney 1B
Nomar 3B
Ethier RF
Gonzo LF
Martin C
--Pitcher--

Schmidt - pitched in WS
Lowe - pitched in WS
Penny - pitched in WS

Ugh, Dodger Defenders

That said...

Schmidt, Penny and Lowe pitched in the WS. Big whoop. That means squat until the post-season, and they have to make it there first.

Greg:

You make some points, but you make my point in that the Dodgers O is so anemic that they may have to dip down to the minors for help. Second, a rookie isn't going to move Nomar (Nosemar...haha), .312 AVG and all (so what? it's spring), so don't count on Loney being brought up to be a savior.

Gonzo and Kent? Please. They both need walkers just to get their positions. Diminished productivity in the past two years, could signal a significant decline in O from these two. (Two reminder words to keep in mind re: Gonzo: Steve Finely. Capice?)

I like Russell, Pierre (except for that sad OBP of his) and Furcal. Two nice 1-2 hitters and a good hitting backstop. But the middle of the order is VERY short on power and at Dodger Stadium that isn't good.

Ethier is a nice player, sure. But, there's always the Soph Jinx and scouts will find his holes sooner than later. We'll see what happens...

Outside of the Rockies, there's good pitching in the NL West, with the Dodgers having some of the strongest ones and a good BP. But even pitching will only take you so far in the REGULAR season; you've GOT to have hitting, too. The Men in Blue just don't scare any one, at least for now.

we all know the falcons are wining the worls series! u guys r dumb

Yo idiot who said the Falcons are going to win the world series. The Falcons are NHL every1 knows that. The Flyers are going to win the Series World DAH!!!!!!

It's true that the White Sox are weaker than they were in '05, but fourth? Not a chance. But to predict the scrubs to win their division? That's positively insane. If the scrubs and Sox changed leagues, the scrubs would battle the Royals for the basement, and the Sox would win the NL central by 20 games.

Can I have some of what you're smoking?

Forget about the Red Sox this year, Curt Schilling's past his prime and Dice-K will be woken from dream land when he sees the Yanks lineup. I would like to see a close race but in the end the Yanks are gonna blow away this division. However the playoffs are all about pitching so look fo Pettite to come up big in the playoffs.

GO RED SOXS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YANKEES SUCK

GO BOSTON RED SOXS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEW YORK YANKEES SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

JETER SUCKS AROD HAHA

Lemmie guess.
Your a Cubs fan whop lives in LA?
Jeez.

Do you people read? I said I was a Giants fan for crying out loud. How painful do you think it was for me to pick the Dodgers? Christ Almighty, give me some Objective/Unbiased Brownie Points for doing that much! LOL

I dont believe you.

dm:

This is America and you don't have to believe me if you don't want to. But for the record I can tell you this : I'd still like to choke the living crap out of Dusty Baker for pulling Russ Ortiz in Game 6 AND for starting Livan "Hit Him Hard" Hernandez over Kirk Reuter who had handcuffed the fastball-hitting Angels in Game 3. In fact, I couldn't even watch Game 7 I was so sick to my stomach over the Game 6 five-outs-to-go-to-a-World-Series-championship meltdown.

I just don't dislike the Dodgers. No, no. I f***ing detest them. I detest their city. I detest their indifferent, leave in the 7th inning fans. I detest their uniforms. I detest their ragged-ass stadium. And with deep regret I will reluctantly, if I have to, draft a Dodger for my fantasy team. But I feel deeply violated in doing so. No, the only redeemable quality about the Dodgers are the Dodger Dogs—perhaps the best dog in all of baseball. And that...is...it.

To put it simply, I bleed Giant Orange and Black. (In fact, I wore my Giants' sweatjacket to work today.) I grew up in the Bay Area and they, next to my Raiders (I can really pick winners, huh?), are MY team until I shuffle off this mortal coil. Preferably in Giants' and Raiders flag drapped coffin...

You idiot otic.. the Flyers are not going to win the series world cause they are in the NBA .... MLBA champions will be the Cinncinati penguins of Anahiem.... the ones that play at three rivers in Las Vegas..... man u stupid and you dont know a thing about the NL or the wales conference in the leagues.

Wow.ur lack of baseball knowledge amazes me. The Mets Have The Best Lineup and Bull Pen in the NL. Pedro Missed much of last year, Mike Pelfry and John Maine are quickly rising to be young superstars. Houston Made no changes other than replacing Andy Pettite with Jason Jennings. The PHillies Lineup isn't World Series Material. The Cubs Rotation is decent. is gonna be
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Angels
AL Wildcard: WHite Sox

NL East: Mets
NL Central:Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wildcard: Phillies

Seamus is right your lack of knowledge is a disgrace to the game of Baseball. Never predict the outcome every again. AND YANKEES RULE!!!!!!!!!

I like your call on the Phillies, they are going to make some noise, but most likely from a Wild Card as the Mets can reclaim this division. The Cubs did spend money but ask Steinbrenner where that gets you. Have you seen them this spring? Sloppy! Cubs finish lower than the Brewers this year. And here is something else you haven't studied...the KC Royals are the most improved team in baseball (yes I know only way is up) however if you look closely at why they lost games, it was the 31 blown saves. This is a decent offense with rising talent that they are finally committed to keep instead of deal. Alex Gordon will be Rookie of the Year and the Royals will shake things up in the AL Central and take 3rd. If they were in any other Yankee less division...they could make a run. Bannister, Dotel, Meche, Riske are going to solidify this pitching that wreaked last year...making them above .500. You heard it here first dude...KC is on the move.

Ladies and those pretending to act like gentlemen,

Pay attention to Joe; that is a reasonable, well thought out analysis.

Joe, you're spot on with Alex Gordon. Add Shealy, DeJesus, Gathright, Teahan, etc. to the mix and the Royals have potential. But you counter your argument, IMHO, when you cite the pitching staff. Being from Seattle, I can tell you that Meche is NOT the guy to build your staff around. A nice 3 or 4 starter, but that's it. (I know Riske, through a friend, and sorry, he doesn't have the goods to be a starter.) The Royals will be formidable cellardwellers at best.

Wow, the Cubs are that bad in SPring, eh? Yikes...News on Prior isn't good either.

remember what john rocker said about NYC? the mets organization encompasses that very idea.

oh yeah, go phills

prediction: new york officials have brainfart...implode Shea stadium prematurely with team still inside....result: no more team. YEAH!!

I have no idea why so many people are overlooking the jays. Roy Halliday's one of the top three starters in all of baseball, A.J. has more potential than LeBron James, & they have the best batting line-up in the AL. A little more respect please???

guy above, i woudlnt put Halladay in the top 3 in baseball. Hes great, but hes not top 3.

...& they (Blue Jays) have the best batting line-up in the AL. A little more respect please???

Not when you make statements like that. Try the Yanks, Indians, Twins, Red Sox, all of whom have much, much better offensive lineups than the Jays. Glaus, Wells and Rios are very good, no doubt, but they can't hold a candle to these other lineups.

i woudlnt put Halladay in the top 3 in baseball. Hes great, but hes not top 3.

You've gotta be kidding. Without question, Halladay is easily the 3rd best pitcher in baseball behind Johan Santana and Chris Carpenter. If it weren't for some of his freakish injuries, I might even put him ahead of Carpenter, too. And he's well ahead of guys like Webb, Oswalt, Peavy, Sheets, Zambrano. Halladay is a pitcher's pitcher.

The Phillies have probobly the strongest starting pitching in the league. Freddie Garcia, Brett Myers, Cole Hammels, Jamie Moyer, Adam Eton, and John Leiber for whatever they want to use him for. They also have the best infield in all of baseball and an amazing defensive outfield. They have speed in Rollins and Victorino, clutch hitting and power in Utley and Howard, production from Helms, Rowand, and Burrell. Why can't they take the division and World Series this year? Give me a good answer please you Mets fans. The only reason anybody says the Mets are winning the division is because everybody favors anybody from New York. So stop, all you have is a bunch of old burnt out players and no starting pitching.

Peter F. - Thanks for at least seeing my view point in Halladay.

As for my Jays batting line-up, you seemed to have forgotten a few key players: Lyle Overbay, Frank Thomas, Reed Johnson.....together with Alex Rios, Vernon & Troy Glaus........You're saying they can't hold a candle to the Indians & Twins??? My friend; I believe it may be the other way around.

I'll just let my team to the talking. When they win the wild card spot, (or maybe even their division). I'll accept your apologies.

Kevin:

You're right, I did forget Thomas and Overbay. But maybe that's because they're in Canada and, honestly, I'm an arrogant Republican who just doesn't think much goes on in Canada besides snow, hockey and beer drinking. (Relax, I'm kidding...)

Back to the subject.

Nope, the Indians and Twins STILL have better lineups than the Jays. I did a little position-by-position comparison. Perhaps I exaggerated when I said they couldn't hold a candle to the Twinkies and Tribe, but the Jays still aren't as good.

C: Mauer v. Zaunn. Edge: Twins. (A huge edge)
1B: Morneau v. Overbay. Edge: Twins (MVP vs....?)
2B: Castillo v. Hill. Edge: Twins
SS: Bartlett v. Clayton: Edge: Twins (But only slightly...)
3B: Punto v. Glaus: Edge: Jays
LF: White v. Johnson. Edge: Jays
CF: Hunter v. Wells. Edge: Jays (But only slightly...We could have a great debate here. I could give it to Hunter based on his defense, but I'll stick to the subject of offense.)
RF: Cuddyer v. Rios Edge: Twins
DH: Kubel v. Thomas Edge: Jays

Twins get the edge, 5-4.

C: Martinez v. Zaunn: Edge: Indians
1B: Blake v. Overbay: Edge: Draw
2B: Barfield v. Hill. Edge: Indians (3rd in 2006 ROY voting)
SS: Peralta v. Clayton. Edge: Indians
3B: Glaus v. Marte. Edge Jays
LF: Dellucci v. Johnson. Edge: Draw
CF: Sizemore v. Wells. Edge: Indians. (Why? Sizemore may not have the power numbers of Wells; Wells hit 31 last year, Sizemore, 28. Wells outpaced him in RBI. But Grady's got him in runs, SB and they're about even in Avg. But Grady has ALL the tools, making hin the quintessential 5-five player. Don't be surprised if he hits even more homers this year than Wells, too.)
RF: Nixon v. Rios: Edge: Jays
DH: Hafner v. Thomas Edge: Indians (Maybe back in his prime Thomas get the edge, but Hafner takes this one hands down.)

Indians get the edge, 5-2-2

Overall edge: Twins and Tribe

You'll accept MY condolences at the end of the season when the Wild Card comes from the AL Central. ;-)

A few things here that you are forgetting.
1. The Mets played most of last year like they are now with questionable starting pitching (12 different starters) and they were fine. They actually have a bunch of guys now that are looking good and came out of last year strong (Perez and Maine) and some veterans to lead the way for one more year hopefully. They haven't gotten any weaker if thats what your trying to say and well have to see where the pitching ends up. Pedro is great to have, but he didn't win them the division last year as much as you seem to put it.
Not to mention the Phils bullpen is still shit comparatively.

2. The Yankees have little to no improvements in their team that make you believe they can win at the big level. They are full of a bunch of 40 year old power hitters who get owned by good pitching. (ala the Tigers who everyone thought sucked) They will get in, but there is no way they are beating a bunch of teams that have good pitching. If they got to play the Devil Rays all year and in the playoffs, maybe then, but not until they get more contact hitters who can play well in any game will they win another title. Plus, Abreu ain't the problem, he was fine in the playoffs. A-Rod on the other hand, its probably gonna be another "I really wanna do well this time" year. You can win 162 games in the regular season and not be a lock.

3. The AL by no means has a lock at the title(especially the Yankees). The NL destroyed them when it mattered last year in 4 games. (when everyone was saying Tigers in 3, lolzzz) Interleague showed nothing because many AL teams were hot and it came down to one batter in the All Star game (when again people were saying the NL would give up crying).

4. Your comments for your pics are meaningless frequently. What does the D-Backs uniforms have to do with their position in the division and what does the Angles name have to do with it. Your pics often seem to be picked from a hat, not from knowledge. (Just a thought)

Im the biggest Philadelphia Phillies fan you will ever meet but I do not think the Phillies will make it to the World Series

JL:

1. Perez was dandy in the playoffs...for one game...and he's done what the past two years except get shelled? According to scouts, the kid has a million-dollar arm and a ten-cent head. If he can put it together, great. But I wouldn't bank on it.

Maine, fine pitcher. Unproven, but a fine pitcher.

The refrain that Mets fans have been using on this thread of "well we did just fine last year without real starting pitching" means squawdoosh this year. That was last year, so it really doesn't hold any water. This is not to say that the Mets' starters are capable of repeating, they certainly are. But wouldn't you like to feel a little better about the starting pitching? And if they have to lean on the BP too much early on, that could hurt them down the stretch.

2.) They are full of a bunch of 40 year old power hitters who get owned by good pitching. Please. You don't make the playoffs umpteen years running without being able to hit the ball. The Yanks had some major issues lsat year, no doubt (see A-Rod). And you're wrong, they did much to improve their bullpen and got rid of some dead weight pitching in the Unit and Wright.

3.) I never said the AL had a lock, but they've certainly performed better over the previous years.

4.) Lighten up on commenting about my flip comments regarding the teams. I outright said this whole picking this is kinda pointless. And it is.

Oh, and the D-Backs uni's still suck donkey balls. ;-)

Hey Peter:
I do like you for saying the phillies will make the WS. But being a Philadelphia Fan for all my life, i tend to be very pessimistic about sports. especially Eagles, Flyers and Phillies. I agree they will win the NL East. but i think they will lose somehow in the playoffs. they have the edge, but they are from philly, they will find a way to lose. either a last inning homer or injuries. not that i dont want them to go to the WS, its just i do not believe they can merely because of Fan pressure/demand and Philadelphia sports history.

Paul B.

I appreciate the pessimism and angst of Philadelphia fans, though I think it's a bit unfounded in the Phillies case. After all, they did manage to win a World Series in the last, what, 25 years—unlike my Giants who haven't won a WS in 52+ years. But I digress.

There's much to be optimistic about in Philly regarding the Phillies. Sure, there are concerns with the starters and pen, but what team doesn't have those. The starters are pretty solid; not great, but solid. Freddy, Myers and Eaton are all very durable and capable of winning 15+ games. Hamels and Moyer are the wild cards, for sure. Hamels needs to step up. If the starters do well, they'll put less pressure on an otherwise suspect pen, outside of Gordon. A trade for a good middle reliever at some point would be a good move.

Your O should be fine in that small park for 81 games, save for a somewhat large hole at 3B. They'll probably have to shore that up at some point.

If you see this, I'd like to know how the Philly faithful like or dislike Pat Gillick. Pat was well liked here in Seattle but upper management had a notoriously tight lock on the old purse strings during his tenure—a philosophy that cost the M's dearly through 2000-3 seasons, especially in their 116-game winner season of 2001.

The playoffs are a different setting though. Pitching wins the playoffs and the yankees lineup didn't have enough to match it. They need more hitters like Jeter who do well contact wise. You can make the playoffs fine if you beat all the bad teams and split the games with good teams. The hard part is when the rest of your games are against the good teams (like in the playoffs).
The Cards won the series and the NLCS because of pitching.

As for the yanks pitching, there has been improvement, but is it enough to go the distance this time? I don't think so.

As for the Mets, things may look kinda sketchy now, but they have a lot of guys there who can come through. There are problems and lackings in some places, but its not enough to just count them out against a Phillies team that is lacking in the bullpen.

How do you have Charlie Munual the manager of the year? He is one of the worst managers in baseball. Even philly fans know that. They are rippin the guy everyday saying he is going to loose them 7 games just by his stupid managing moves he makes in the game. Also how are the yankees and phillies in the series? The phills have no bullpen and the yanks got more probloms than pitching. The redsox take the division and the world series. Please give me a break. Charlie as manager of the year. If they dont get off to a good start then hes gone! Terrible predictions on your part.

The Tigers are really that good. Leyland, I'll give you has been successful. The Twins are really good - don't forget 'em. Tired of the Yanks always being pre-season favorite...Twins, Tigers either could take them out of that role.

i like the final outcome, the yankees will bring #27 home but the mets will be in the playoffs and so will the dodgers. unfortunately the red sox will make the playoffs and play the yanks in the alcs. i like the angels in the west and chicago in the al central. how dont you put the returning world champs back into the playoffs? i predict another ny subway series with the yanks coming out on top again

rich r.:

Good. Somebody finally questions my "wisdom" on not selecting the Cardinals to return to the Series.

I'll tell you why, straightup: Outside of Albert, a very questionable offense. Here's a random review of the offense as it comes it to me:

Rolen is not the Rolen of 2004. Edmonds is starting the season on the DL. Preston Wilson strikes out more than Bill Gates did in high school with hot girls. Eck is a fine leadoff guy. So Taguchi hasn't proven himself to be an every day player in the last 4-5 years, why start now. Kennedy is solid at 1B. Spiezo, keep him for the post-season and sit him in the regular season when he can't seem to hit his dog's weight. Encarnacion is starting the year on DL, likely; hasn't proven himself either. Molina, great glove, very mediocre bat. I think that covers it.

After reading "Three Nights in August" I'll never again question the genius of Dave Duncan and LaRussa. It's not a question of if Duncan can turn Looper and Wainwright into starters, but when; Reyes could have a breakout year, too. If they all perform as well or better than expected, then maybe I'm overvaluing the importance of an offense. I just don't think so, though.

Are you seriously saying the Yankees would straight out beat everyone (and the Mets who will have a much improved and comfortable pitching team if they make it to the Series) to get #27. Every single year they are favorites and for 6 straight years now they have disappointed. Unless they buy themselves 400 more pitches like they always do (but are going to do less with a depleted minors) they ain't doing it.
If you take a look at the Yankee pitching, its filled with some guys that can be good, but they could also have bad years. They don't have the staff you look at and definitely say oh no its the Yankees.
Yeah their bats may be dangerous, but they sure weren't when it mattered most. They haven't revamped enough to be such a team.
For any team, pitching is the key to success. Your offense is there to back you up and just get the runs you need. Having too much pitching is a good thing. Having too much offense can be a waste if your pitching sucks.
Look at the padres, horrible offense but they still made it.

u said no pedor equals no playoffs for mets, well for its "No Baseball Knowledge Equals Don't apply for any sports writing jobs anytime soon"

TOmmy G + EL DUQUE + OLLIE PEREZ + JOHN MAINE + MIKE PELFRY= NL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR METS

serously, this is the rundown. The Dodgers are going to Win the NL west and will have a cinderella story through out the playoffs, except in the world series, because the yankees are gonna play like they did in 2000. The Yankees struggled to win the series since playing the D-backs, but this year they are hungry. Derek wants to prove he is the best team captain in baseball, at leat in our generation. A-rod wants a ring and the pitching is solid, and of course who can forget abouy #42, mariano riveria, sure he is aging, but his arm fears no one.

TOmmy G + EL DUQUE + OLLIE PEREZ + JOHN MAINE + MIKE PELFRY=...

You've just listed 4 of the 5 reasons why the Mets won't make the playoffs. Thanks for saving me the work.

I did not review my comment: who can forget about #42, mariano riveria, sure he is aging, but his arm fears no one

I agree the yanks are gonna take it this year, the past winners were just a buch a flukes, for example the D-backs lost power since 2001, The Angels are not good they just seem good and will take another cinderella story for them to win like in 2002, The Marlins in 2003 just a fluke like the D-backs in 2001, The Redsox in 2004 much respect how they won but that year the yanks were under a lot of pressure and the Redsox took advantage of that. The winner Between the Yankees and The Redsox would have gone to win the series because who did'nt see the cards just ready to choke.The white sox WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the 2006 world series Tigers vs cards once again WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOTH TEAMS WERE JUST FLUKES. If pedro would have not been injured the cards would have not gone to the series.

Your a bunch of retards. Desire doesn't win you a championship. Your gonna tell me they didn't desire it the last 6 years and this year they said yeah i think we should win now. give me a break. Jeter, A-Rod and Rivera are only 3 members of 25-40 they will need so don't go being ignorant.

4 of the 5 reasons they are gonna lose? Yeah cause john maine and oliver perez are just so bad right now with constant 1 earned one performances and such. Its spring training but they are trying to get ready on both sides so it shows some tendencies. Again, give me a break. Last time i checked the yankees have a new pitcher and a guy who didn't pitch at all last year. Id be so confident.

The dodgers are good but the mets shut them out with all those pitching concerns, don't go getting to sure about that cause the mets have the same guys in that rotation.

Lastly, your statements about them all being flukes is again retarded. They may have sucked after but they didn't have the same players in a lot of those cases. The marlins were a great team and then gave everyone up. Thats not a fluke. The red sox had good pitching. Not a fluke. The white sox had dominant pitching to the point were a bullpen was unnecessary. Again, no fluke. Same with the cardinals. There pitching won it throughout.
If you want to make intelligent reasoning for who's going to win, WHO CARES doesn't usually cut it. Look at the yankees, they are a bunch of overpaid fat men, WHO CARES. I guess they ain't gonna win now. 6 years with a pretty constant team structure doesnt just change one year.
Look who the yankees had when they won. It wasn't a bunch of power hitters, it was mostly contact hitters(Tino, Derek and Paul o neil). They still lack that and ain't gonna just change one year.
Your points are horrible so if you want to go back and make intelligible reasonings for a winner, please do.

NL- EAST: PHILADELPHIA
NEW YORK(wc)
FLORIDA
ATLANTA
WASHINGTON

CENTRAL: CHICAGO
CINCINNATI
ST. LOUIS
MILWAUKEE
HOUSTON
PITTSBURGH

WEST:LOS ANGELES
SAN DIEGO
ARIZONA
SAN FRANSICO
COLORADO

NLDS: NEW YORK OVER LOS ANGELES
PHILADELPHIA OVER CHICAGO

NLCS: PHILADELPHIA OVER NEW YORK

NL MVP: RYAN HOWARD
NL CY YOUNG: CARLOS ZAMBRANO
NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: KEVIN KOUZMANOFF
NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: CHARLIE MANUEL

AL- EAST: NEW YORK
BOSTON
TORONTO
TAMPA BAY
BALTIMORE

CENTRAL:MINNESOTA
CLEVELAND(wc)
DETROIT
CHICAGO
KANSAS CITY

WEST: LOS ANGELES
SEATLE
OAKLAND
TEXAS

ALDS: LOS ANGELES OVER CLEVELAND
NEW YORK OVER MINNESOTA

ALCS: NEW YORK OVER LOS ANGELES

AL MVP: JUSTIN MORNEU
AL CY YOUNG: JOHAN SANTANA
AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: DELMON YOUNG
AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: MIKE SCIOSCIA

WORLD SERIES: PHILADELPHIA OVER NEW YORK

Boogity Boogity Boogity, lets go racin boys!

And oh yeah,

Cubs will win WS this year AND for all the bitter cardinal fans who thought it was a fluke, they will repeat next year also. Mark it down. Too many good farm pitchers waiting for their shot at the rotation. Lastly, cardinals finish in 5th place and Tony LaDrunka gets axed. True Dat cause thats how i roll.

With the recent news out of NYY camp, they are in trouble as far as pitching goes. If you have been watching Matsuzaka, then you know he has the stuff necessary to win 17 games. Beckett has had his best spring since he led Florida to a championship. With Papelbon's move to the closer role, there is an open spot for Clemens in the rotation. Clemens said last season that he was very impressed with what Boston's ownership has done. The smart money says Clemens goes back to Fenway. Schilling, Clemens, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Wakefield with Papelbon as the closer --- can you really ask for anything more? That would be world-class pitching.

webby:

I like a lot of your picks! Save for the Seattle one. Seeing as that's where I hail from, I can assure you that the Mariners are a positively God awful baseball team that can't fire their GM fast enough.

Kyle B.:

Yes, Beckett and Dice-K have had good springs. Let's repat the last portion of that sentence: they've had "good springs". And we all know what a good spring amounts to: squat.

Here's my cautionary prediction on Dice-K:First time through the league, he could eat it up. He could even make the AS team. However, watch his second starts against teams and see how he performs then. If he does well, then you can get excited, but I would temper your enthusiasm until that happens.

Regarding your Dream Rotation: what will the Sox do about a number 4 or 5 starter until—and when and if—Clemens un-retires? Pinero? Wakefield.

Re: The Yanks

With Wang down for a month, you're right, the Yanks are having some issues with starters. It'll be a rough first month for Torre & Co.

ASTRO FANS:
Why in the hell did they send Hunter Pence? This makes ZERO sense to me. Just a shame. From all that I've read, the kid just LOVES the game and is more than ready to play in the Show. Remember his name, everyone.

As a local Missourian, you know i gotta root for the Royals. They may not be playoff material (duh), but their getting better every year, i can see them going 500. Gil Meche was a huge pickup for this team, as he is a decent staff ace to build on. Emil Brown is a underrated player who can hit good and play a sharp left field. They still have crafty veterans in Mike Sweeney, Reggie Sanders, and Mark Grudzialanek, and a great defense with Center fielder David Dejesus, Catcher John Buck, and 3rd basemen Mark Teahen. I like the pitching this year alot, other then Gil Meche. Scott Elarton wont be relied on as a staff ace, and he can still hurl the ball. Joe Nelson is a great reliever to set up in the later innings, and dont forget, the Royals have a decent closer for the first time in a decade (Octavio Dotel is a great closing pitcher).

You may all think i'm crazy for praising the Royals this much, but we'll see, i can see them pulling a cindarella story this year.

LOL at the Joe Bob redneck who picked the Cubs to win the Series 2 years in a row, and then to go around and say the Cards will finish 4th in the division.

A-The cubs are hyped because they got Alfonso Soriano, come on. The guy constantly bats 260 every season, and besides the yankees, what winning has he brought to a team ?. He went to the Rangers, didnt do much at all, then they traded him and Texas did better actually. In Washington, he didnt do much, as they constantly finish last in the division every season. Yes he hasnt had good back up the past couple of years, but this is the Cubs team that lost 90 plus games last year, you cant say that an outfielder who bats 260 every season and an injury proned 1st basemen is going to save them!, not to mention that Kerry Wood not hurting himself within a 2 week span would be like George W Bush doing a speech without messing up.

Lets evaluate your opinion on the Cardinals. You say "Tony Ladrunka", but honestly, look at the Cubs manager, Lou Piniella. That fruit cake is a Bobby Knight wannabe who freaks out for the stupidest reasons ever, I think he took this job to pay off his much needed ridelin subscriptions. Anyways, the Cardinals are alot better then the Cubs. Hitting wise, it's just obvious. Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds. The last 2 might sound fishy, but these 2 were all stars a few years ago, they still have it in them. Pujols just flat out changes a team, he's that good of a player. Eckstein is as good as a lead off hitter as you will find. And even where they have cold spots in their lineup, they still make it up on defense. Yadier Molina is a god awful hitter, but he's a defensive Gem, try comparing him to Michael Barrett. Pitching wise, i think their better also. As i said, the Cubs are to unreliable. Carlos Zambrano is an excellent pitcher, but just 3 hours ago, he was making headlines on MSN.com about a trade with the Yankees, you cant trust a guy that doesnt have a long term contract and has already complained numerous times to the media. Prior and Wood are untrustable, as they will get injured at any time. The Cardinals are looking stale, but i'd take their rotation over Chicago's. Chris Carpenter is the Cardinals best player other then Pujols. He's an easy Cy Young candidate, and can take down anybody but maybe 5 pitchers in Baseball. Adam Wainright was an excellent closer, with Dave Duncan, he should be just as good in the starter roll. Mulder is injured, but when he comes back, he can still throw an excellent 4 seam fast ball. Bullpen wise, Jason Isringhausen is coming back, and that's all i need to say, one of the most reliable closers in the game

Cardinals come close to repeating, Cubs are a mere wildcard team (if that). There, i said it

How do you not have the Red Sox at least in the mix in the AL? One of the best rotations, and could still get Clemens, the best offensive tandem at 3-4, an upgrade in the 5-hole, more offense at SS, and now one of the top closers is back in his role. Gotta like them to do some damage, no?

Erik:

I already addressed the Red Sox previously in this thread, so you'll just have to dig it out to see why I have the Sox finishing second. Though with the way the Yanks rotation is heading to the DL at the moment that could change...

Roger:

I admire you sticking by your Royals, I really do. But you failed to mention the biggest player to come along since Beltran left: Alex Gordon. He's your new messiah. Kid...is...a...freakin'...stud. They've got good guys to surround him in Teahan, Brown and others you mentioned. I'm not too high on retreads like Sanders, Grudz and Sweeney as you are, but they still have a little game left and their experience can only help the youngsters. I would like to see Gathright live up to his potential and increase his OBP, that would go a long way toward helping the offense. DeJesus simply isn't living up to projections.

And Gil Meche? Come on. I'm from Seattle and this guy is in NO way, shape or form a #1 starter that deserved the contract the Royals gave him. Good luck with that.

Keep hope alive in KC, bro. They could pull off what the Tigers did in a couple of years.

here's my predictions

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox ( Great pitching, Solid offense)
2. N.Y. Yankees(W.C.) ( OK PITCHING, Great Offense)
3. Toronto Blue Jays (Pitching? Good Offense though)
4. Baltimore Orioles ( Getting Old)
5. Tampa Bay Devil Rays( Name 1 good player besides Crawford)

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians( Good Everything)
2. Minnesota Twins( Pretty Good at Everything)
3 Detroit Tigers (Back to regular Tigers)
4. Chicago White Sox ( Nothing)
5. Kansas City Royals ( UH?)

AL West
1. L.A. Angels ( Good Pitching Solid Offense)
2. Oakland Athletics ( Pitching? Offense ok)
3. Texas Rangers (Texiara that's all)
4. Seattle Mariners ( Ichiro's all they have)

Boston over N.Y. Yankees
Cleveland over L.A. Angels
Cleveland over Boston
AL CHAMPS: Cleveland

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies ( MVP Good Pitching and Great offense)
2. N.Y. Mets(W.C.) ( No pitching there're lucky for offense)
3. Florida Marlins ( Very good young players)
4. Atlanta Braves ( Getting TOOOOOO OLD)
5. Washington Nationals ( NO ONE!!!!!!!!)

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs ( LEE, Soriano, Zambrano, Ramirez)
2. St. Louis Cardinals ( Good Pitching ok offense)
3. Houston Rockets ( Ok Pitching ok offense)
4. Milwaukee Brewers ( Pitching)
5. Cinnicinati Reds ( Good Offense)
6. Pittsburgh Pirates ( Ok Offense terrible pitching)

NL West
1. L.A. Dodgers (Good Everything)
2. San Diego Padres ( Pitching)
3. Arizona Dianomdbacks (Offense and Pitching ok)
4. San Fransico Giants ( Too Much distration with Bonds)
5. Colorado Rockies ( Almost fogot they were a team)

Philadelphia over N.Y. Mets
Chicago over L.A. Dodgers
Philadelphia over Chicago
NL CHAMPS: Phillies

WS Philadelphia over Cleveland 7 Games
Champions: Phillies ( Final!)

I'm sorry, but if your a huge Giant fan, why can't you see that their the most dangerous team in the MLB ?, i'm from Missouri, so I'm not a fan of them, i just know that from what they have, they could win the World Series with ease. Barry Zito was the biggest pick up this year, he is as cy young candidate, with that uber sick curveball. Matt Cain is a decent number 2 starter, and Matt Morris would be an ace in most pitching staffs. Armando Benitez is a great underrated closer who could still smoke half of the hitters in the division. Hitting wise, they look good also. Ray Durham, Dave Roberts, Omar Vizquel, Ben Molina. All great veterans who do so much to this team. Vizquel and Molina are gold glovers, Durham and Roberts can still swipe 30 bases, and who can forget Barry Bonds, he'll still hit a home run every couple of games, and pitchers still fear him.

I predict them to win 100 games and win the series in 5 games.

Jesse said:

I'm sorry, but if your a huge Giant fan, why can't you see that their the most dangerous team in the MLB ?

Well, Jesse, thanks for asking about my team. Simply put, they're an old ballclub who are about 8-1 favorites NOT to make it though an entire season without an injury thanks to age.

Re; The pitching staff. The last time I was so stunned when it came to the Giants unexpectedly signing a big free agent like they did with Zito, was with Barry Bonds back in 1993. Trouble is, I'm not even 28% as giddy about the Zito as I was with Bonds' signing. Why? For starters, Zito is a pitcher and the durability and potential breakdown factor is high. Second, the history of teams signing pitchers to huge contracts is, well, not good. Think: Kevin Brown, Mike Hampton, Denny Naegle, Darren Drfeifort, Chan Ho Park, just to name a few. Each and every one of those NEVER lived up to the size of their contract. Why should Zito be any different. Finally, he's switching leagues. I think his curveball will suit him well in the fastball-dominant NL. But if he gets behind, forget it; his fastball will end up in the seats. These are my fears and I don't think they're unfounded.

As for the Giants lineup. My, oh my. The van from the retirement home will be pretty full of Giants players when it heads to the ballpark in the mornings. I'm not joking either. This team is old. Really old. The average age of the projected starting lineup is 36.5, give or take a month or two. And not a single one is their 20's. That's just unbelievable. Injuries are inevitable.

The pitching staff after Zito is full of question marks. Cain has ace-like stuff, but he is still very young and he is going to go through the inevitable sophomore slump at some point. Morris may have been an ace in the earlt 2000's but he's no where near the pitcher he was back then. Lowery is just a junkballer who, when he can't find the corners, gets bombed. Hennessey and (gulp) Russ Ortiz as my team's number 5 starters? Double yikes. And while Benetiz is capable of saving the same amount of games as he eats daily in donuts, he's equally unrealiable at times. The middle relief is just really is who's-not-who of no names. Maybe that's good, maybe that's bad. My guess is bad.

The Giants, thanks to being in the worst division in baseball, may finish a few games above .500. Or a few games below .500. Heck, they may even win the division with a crappy record. What they won't do is well enough in the playoffs to go the Series.

Just a high dose of realism from a die-hard Giants fan.

LOL, I love to see you wanna bees slap the braves down to third , fourth, fifth in the div. ARE you joking? The braves have agrubly the strongest bullpin in baseball. Andrew, Chipper, Mc"CAN".. The only REAL question mark is the leadoff spot and if Johnson can keep par with Giles of last year they are pretty much a shoe in for the playoffs. Closer? they've GOT THREE!!!! What I love about the braves??? all you dolts hate em' LOL..

T:

Yeah, good luck to those Braves and their starting rotation not taxing the crap out of the bullpen before June. Their starting rotations was once their pride and joy is no more.

Are you kidding me The Rangers have eric gagne micael young mark texiara and a good underrated Ian kinsler at 2nd and vincente padilla and kevin millwood are going to have great years they aquired kenny loftman and frank catlinotto who both are having a great spring training AND THE RANGERS ARE 1st IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE IN SPRING TRAINING and i think they will win the AL West.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO RANGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Da Truth..... You can not make ONE starting staff out of the 2 NY teams ! Cubs Win Cubs Win...... Not because they are that
good....they are in a crappy division..... St. Lou - No Pitching
I repeat No Pitching..... WSox - How to make things interesting
Trade your Horses........... Marlins Trade Dontrell July 31 and
maybe Cabrerra..... Hey Dontrell is really the # 3 guy anyway
Olsen winds up the ACE....... I think the Dodgers could be
Dynomite and I aint a Bums fan ..... What happened to all the
Stud Starters ????

Peter F.,

HOW many times do the braves “not this year” starting rotation have to put up the numbers to,, let's say "hush",, you professional guessers up. How many innings has smoltzy put up the last two years... If I'm guessing you were right on that “not likely he can be a successful starting pitcher again" bandwagon a couple of years ago,,, and last year,,, He is a Jerry Rice type athlete. He trains year around and takes it seriously. If it wouldn't have been for the BULL PIN last year the Mets would not have even been a factor, as usual. ( braves: most runs scored in NL,, or was it ML?)

I'll be the first to say that Huddy has be a grave disappointment,, but he has been a disappointment to himself as well and that leads me to believe this is his year. He talent is there, he just has to stay mentally sharp throughout the season.

Hampton.... we might get 5 wins out of him this year... The trick with him is not to give him too many chances to “prove” he’s healthy. James and Devine are young; James has proven he can hang with the big boys,, devine still has something to prove. And we have a young man named Moylan that should be developed to the major league level come July...

Oh yeah,,, and the braves have always and still do have a deep minor league to pull from at a moments notice. Schuerholz learned his lesson about pitching staff (bull pin importance)last year... He's just to smart a baseball guys NOT to be in it at the end... And Bobby Cox... come on,,, he's spent his whole career in the playoffs or at least most of it. They are both in their last year of their contracts... If they go you know they want to leave their mark with style...
Braves Yankee rematch,,, yes AGAIN!!... This time Braves in 6...

Good day sir………………….ah,, I said good day sir! ;v\

T:

OK there with the Rhett Butler ending! LOL

You actually helped make my point in that after Smoltz and Hudson what does the Braves rotation look like? At best, it's "iffy". Those 3,4 and 5 starters could heavily tax a very good bullpen (not 'bullpin" as you insisted on spelling it) and that in turn could affect how the bullpen performs when Smoltz and Hudson need relief. Capice?

Rookies and prospects are all well and good and bode well for the future. But to expect them to make a significant impact, especially in the middle of a season, is really unrealistic when it comes to baseball history. It just doesn't happen that often.

Sadly, Cox and Scherholtz do not play the field otherwise being in a contract year might mean something. Here it doesn't mean diddly. So that's a moot point. On the same semi-sad note, I think you're right: Smoltzy is a Jerry Rice-esque like athlete. Trouble is, even Jerry started slowing way down after his 40th birthday, and Smoltzy's is May 15. He's a HOF shoe-in, no doubt. He's just not what he once was is all.

The Braves, if they can stay healthy—especially Chipper—and the 3–5 starters can exceed expectations, they will have a shot. I just wouldn't count on it.

POINTS OF INTERESTS (or amusing things I'm noticing in the comments):

1.) I can't believe how everyone underestimates the A's. They've either made the playoffs or made very serious runs at the playoffs in each of the last 10 years. That's Atlanta Braves-esque. And with a helluva lot less money at their disposal.

2.) The Cardinals pitching "sucks"? Are you nuts? Dave Duncan may be the best pitching coach in the last half-century of baseball. Lee Mazzone is great and he's produced some good arms, but he hasn't resurrected Cy Young award winners from the career trash heap the way Duncan has. And Duncan's been doing it for 25+ years.

3.) Mets fans are delusional when it comes to their 2007 pitching staff.

4.) Phillies fans conveinently ignore the holes in their bullpen. And Ryan Howard's aawful spring and his attitude have to be a bit of a concern.

5.) Cubs fans calling Tony LaRussa "Tony LaDrunka". Cute. You don't Lou Pinella very well, do you? Think Lou got that gut from an Atkins Diet? No, no. That gut started here in Seattle at The Metropolitan Grill where Lou dined on red meat and wine, almost daily. (And just my guess, but if you ever see any of Lou's interviews one can only surmise that he's had a few beers before meeting with the press.) So zip it, Cubby fans.

6.) Note to Red Sox fans: 2004 was 3 years ago. Let's all move on now, shall we?

U sir are a moron, u honestly think clevland will win that division, u said it urself with the Twins, after Santana then who, same for Sabathia, after him wat? Jake Westbrook pssshhh ya right, and u seriously think that the Yankees will win the division? They lost Sheffield and signed a pitcher over30 whos always getting hurt, and Wang is already out for a month. I'll give credit though where credit is due, you got the NL right except for Cincinatti Aaron Harang got over 200 K's last year, if Griffey and Dunn have amazing years like last year, and Brandon Phillips plays like a gold glover then the Reds have a shot at 2nd in the division.

But the Yankees COME ON

Some of you need to note when I made these predictions...February 5 BEFORE all spring injuries came to beat. So bite me...

Anonyomous:

After CC, I'd take Westbrook, Lee, Sowers and Carmona/Byrd over the Twins' Boof Bonsor, Sidney "Where's the beer" Ponson, Ramon Ortiz and Carlos Silva

And who cares about losing a cancer—no, an aging cancer—like Sheffield? Have fun with him Tigers.

About the only reasonable thing you noted was about the Reds chances. But after Harang and Arroyo, it's more crap than a pig farm. They'll need every drop of offense.

P.S. It's best not to start off comments with phrases like "you moron", it gives you zero credibility. Instead, if you want to insult then end your comments with one, you brainless crapweasel.

Yankees? LOL They have wheelchairs down in their bullpen! NY sports writers dream on. Still no respect for the best team in baseball. Pitching, Power, Bench, Manager etc. etc. That team just across the bridge from Windsor Ontario will go all the way! Sorry for having to set you all straight.

Come on, why does everybody hate on Pittsburgh. One player, Freddy Sanchez, he's an amazing underrated player. He was the NL batting champ last year, batting 344 with 85 RBI's. Jason Bay, although he doesnt hit for average very good, is still a great power hitter. Zach Duke is a good young ace who the rotation will build on. I can see the Pirates upsetting the baseball world and going to the playoffs on a wild card ballot.

Look here, first of all your predictions about the Phillies beating the mets in the division series is impossible because teams in the same division don't play each other in the division series cool guy.

And all of you also need to stop looking at the mets rotation like it is so horrible this year and last year it was much better. Ill tell you Id rather have their current rotation (save hernadez perhaps) over last years. Pedro Martinez didn't win them the division last year, they will be fine without him.

Plus, the Phillies may be good, but there is no way they made enough change to warrant an immediate push to winning the world series.

The Yanks even if their pitching is healthy are no better a team then they were last year. For 10 years not they've been predicted number one and for the last 6 its been all BS. You need to change your team to win, they haven't.

Two teams who are going to surprise, the Pirates and the Brewers. Two young teams with great talent and awesome managers.

Look here, first of all your predictions about the Phillies beating the mets in the division series is impossible because teams in the same division don't play each other in the division series cool guy.

JL, WTF are you talking about? I have the Phillies over the Astros. Learn to read, cool guy.

And I repeat, after Glavine, who do they Mets have that they can depend on every 5th day. Maine? Pelfrey? Perez (Mr. One-Game Playoff Wonder)? Good luck with that. You'll need a good—no, a great—bullpen to overcome that rotation.

steelcity:

Brewers, yes. Pirates, no. (Sorry. And I have Bay on my fantasy team, too. Just not enough pitching, I'm afraid. Though they did get off to a nice start yesterday.)

how do you count the braves out of the underperforming east? mets fans how long do you think you can ride our old wore out pitcher (glavine). i like our chances alot better than theres. i would rather be couting on john smoltz than tom glavine (and i love glavine). phillies fans keep dreaming. it aint gonna happen. with the joneses and the rest of the offense there will be plenty of runs and with the new bullpen those 29 blown saves last year that kept them out of the playoffs (and kept smoltz from winning the cy young) will not happen. dont trash smoltz. he may be 40 but he is still john smoltz and will have another typical john smoltz year. as long as bobby cox is callin the shots dont turn your back on them because all of yall know they know how to win. braves take the nl east bank on it

how in teh wiorld can u have the phillies over the mets!!!!!!!mets ar going all the way. this si how its goin;
AL EAST:RED SOX
AL CENTRAL:TWINS
AL WEST:A's
NL EAST:METS
NL CENTRAL:CUBS
NL WEST:DODGERS
AL WILD CARD:YANKS
NL WILD CARD:REDS

this message is for JL, everyone is making good predictions, about the cubs. the yanks. dodgers, and, the mets, the season is really early, baseball is so amazing you never know who will win. BUT JL I HOPE YOUR READING THIS YOU ARE THE BIGGEST DUMBASS ON THIS PAGE, IN BASEBALL AND IN EVERYTHING IN LIFE, IF YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING IN LIFE YOU NEED DESIRE, YOU IGNORANT FUCK. IF ANYTHING YOU DONT EVEN LIKE BASEBALL BECAUSE YOU DIDNT EVEN WROTE DOWN WHO YOU THINK WILL WIN. JL YOU ARE A POSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EVERYONE PLAESE READ WHAT JL WROTE BETWEEN BILL AND WEBBY, AND THIS GUY IS A FUCKING POSER BECAUSE HE MAKES THESE POINTS AND STILL LACKS THE ABILITY TO PICK WHO HE THINKS WHOS GONNA WIN. DESIRE DOESNT WIN GAMES, WHAT A DUMB FUCK.

Reds have a soild offense, a good defence, and a tough
starting rotation with Aaron Harang
Bronson Arroyo
Kyle Lohse
Matt Belisle Good closers in DavidWeathers and Todd Coffey

Have you seen Ryan Freel?!! nothing is going to get by him.
Dunn will lead the leauge in HR's this year.
DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE RED SIDE OF
THE FORCE!!!!!!!!

GO REDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GO REDS

Rodney,

What are you, 12?

WHAT HAPPEN TO BERNIE WILLIAMS, THAT GUY HAD A COUPLE YEARS LEFT AS A DH. WHERES THE RESPECT?

How did i forget Alex Gordon, he's one of the few reasons i still am a Royals fan. A few days ago, I heard an analyst on the radio say the Royals will lose 100 games for the 3rd straight year. It goes to show how idiotic Sports Announcers can be. I think that, even how young he is, that Gordon might be one of the best pure hitters in Baseball. By far the present and future of the Royals.

First of all Peter F, i wasn't even talking to you, I was talking to Tyler you self centered prick.
And mr 12 year old I dont know how to press the caps lock key i will tell you know I like to win cause its not obvious enough i guess.
Im a mets fan and i like their chances in the east. I aint gonna pick the playoffs cause thats not about how they do in the regular season at all.
Heres my picks for you mr. Caps Lock
NL East - Mets - (the "pitching problems" are overrated and if youve watched at all, they havvve out hit their opponents and have the best RS/RA ratio in the league)
NL Central - Cubs (though I think its more about their division problems then their own strength)
NL West- Dodges (with that pitching, they will definitely make some noise here)
Nl wild card- Braves-(They still have a good offense and they patched up their shaky pitching)

AL East - Yankees (Not because they are the best team overall but because of their ability to beat up bad teams like the orioles and the devil rays with that power hitting offense. They will suck when it comes down to playing good teams in the playoffs)
AL Central - Indians (they have more overall then their divison rivals
AL West - Angels - (again, overall they have enough to beat their division opponents)
AL Wild Card - Red Sox - ( I think this team is better overall then the yankees and it will show in the playoffs if they make it but for the regular season, the yankees will win in the long run)

I hope your happy now. BTW, dont say that if you think the Bo Sox are better why wouldnt they win the division cause you all know the best team in the regular season rarely wins it all.
And btw, how about you say why what i said is retarded instead of using immaure comebacks.

First of all Peter F, i wasn't even talking to you, I was talking to Tyler you self centered prick.

You weren't? Well gollygee, it might fucking help if you actually learned to address your posts to the PERSON YOU ARE ADDRESSING, you worthless pile monkey crap.

Sorry sir, may i make it up to you sir,would you like a cookie sir.

It also might help if you learn something called not being an asshole as a first comeback. It usually makes your argument look more reasonable.

I notice that JL is the one with the most comments, does he even have a job? No matter what anyone rights he becomes a little bitch, he offends people with wack ass insults like Mr.Caplocks, how old is he 10? Last time I checked the Braves are over the mets in the division. GO BRAVES!!!!!!!
he's a mets fan what a loser.