Injury Woes and a Tribute to Bernie

Well, it’s Sunday and You all know what that means. Yep time for me to let all of you crazy Yankee fans out there know what I think about our beloved Yankees. This weeks topic The disabled List or basically what is quickly become most of the Yankee roster. Let’s see now Matsui is on the DL with a Strained hammy, Wang is on the DL as well with the same injury. Karastan is on the DL because his arm was hurting thank god it was not his elbow and MRI’s scans came back clean. All three of them should be back on the Yankee roster before the end of the month Wang maybe as soon as next weekend, because good Ole Carl (I stubbed my Toe and it hurts so much) Pavano is hurt again as well (And just placed on the DL Today). Apparently his arm was feeling stiff and it extended up to his elbow. That can’t be a good sign. Moose also pulled a hammy but the Yankees seemed to think he would only miss one start, but then they placed him on the DL today as well so who frigen knows. The Good news in all of this my fellow Yankee fans (And YES there is some Good news) is that it’s only April. Injuries happen threw out the year, and usually they happen in bunches like the Yankee are going threw right now. The thing is right now the season just began, and once everybody is healthy by the end of April which is likely to happen (with the possible exception of Pavano) This team is going to be tough to beat. More importantly with the injuries mostly out of the way early the Yankees should not encounter too many late season injuries. Remember last year we went threw a rash of early injuries as well but finished the season strong unlike Boston who had their injuries late in the season and crashed and burned to third place in the division. So I say let them have their fast starts, let them be healthy NOW. The Yankees will work out their kinks, get healthy and then do what they do every year which is leading the AL East buy the end of September.

Now with all the injuries as of late especially when Damon was hurt the first week of the season then Matsui went down a lot of people have started to talk about bringing Bernie back into the Yankee fold. Personally I think the Ghosts of Yankee Stadium are trying to tell Cashmen something, and he needs to get on the phone and call Bernie PRONTO, before Abrue gets hit by a stray foul ball and a piano drops out of nowhere on Melky. Why bring Bernie back?? Well aside form being the best PR thing the Yankees could do, Bernie has always been a quite leader on this team and would be a HUGE clubhouse positive and a good influence on the young players coming up to help fill in for the walking wounded. On top of that Bernie proved last year that he still has it in his Bat. Last of all many a critic CLAIMS Bernie is not hall of Fame material and I for one beg to differ. Another season just might help him sway a few more stubborn voters into believing Bernie is worthy. A Few months ago I wrote a Blog about why I believe Bernie should be in the Hall Of Fame, so to finish this week and in Honor of one of my Favorite Yankees I have Reposted this blog for all to read.

Bernie Williams or BERN BABY BERN!!

Bernie Williams to me has been one of the greatest Yankees to ever grace the field of Yankee stadium. Mind you I said ONE of the greatest as I am well aware that many others have come before him. The thing about Bernie Williams is he was the first piece of puzzle in what would become the Yankee Dynasty of the late 90’s. Before Derek Jeter, Mo Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and a few others there was Bernie Williams. In 1991 Bernie Williams made his MLB Début as a Yankee and has never looked back, and in that time has put up some impressive numbers along the way. Currently Bernie ranks in the top 10 of most Yankee offensive categories most notably, games played (5th), Hits (4th), Doubles (2nd), HR (6th), Runs Scored (5th), and RBI’s (6th). But it’s not his Career regular season numbers that stand out. In the postseason Bernie Williams has been a force even in his declining years, take a look for your self

SEASON	TEAM	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
1991	NYY	85	320	43	76	19	4	3	34	48	57	10	5	.238	.336	.350	.686
1992	NYY	62	261	39	73	14	2	5	26	29	36	7	6	.280	.354	.406	.760
1993	NYY	139	567	67	152	31	4	12	68	53	106	9	9	.268	.333	.400	.733
1994	NYY	108	408	80	118	29	1	12	57	61	54	16	9	.289	.384	.453	.837
1995	NYY	144	563	93	173	29	9	18	82	75	98	8	6	.307	.392	.487	.879
1996	NYY	143	551	108	168	26	7	29	102	82	72	17	4	.305	.391	.535	.926
1997	NYY	129	509	107	167	35	6	21	100	73	80	15	8	.328	.408	.544	.952
1998	NYY	128	499	101	169	30	5	26	97	74	81	15	9	.339	.422	.575	.997
1999	NYY	158	591	116	202	28	6	25	115	100	95	9	10	.342	.435	.536	.971
2000	NYY	141	537	108	165	37	6	30	121	71	84	13	5	.307	.391	.566	.957
2001	NYY	146	540	102	166	38	0	26	94	78	67	11	5	.307	.395	.522	.917
2002	NYY	154	612	102	204	37	2	19	102	83	97	8	4	.333	.415	.493	.908
2003	NYY	119	445	77	117	19	1	15	64	71	61	5	0	.263	.367	.411	.778
2004	NYY	148	561	105	147	29	1	22	70	85	96	1	5	.262	.360	.435	.795
2005	NYY	141	485	53	121	19	1	12	64	53	75	1	2	.249	.321	.367	.688
2006	NYY	112	368	54	104	26	0	11	55	30	47	2	0	.283	.333	.443	.776
Total	--	2057	7817	1355	2322	446	55	286	1251	1066	1206	147	87	.297	.381	.478	.859

My biggest argument with people when they tell me Bernie is not Hall of Fame Material is that he leads most MLB Players in post-season offensive stats. First in Games played with 125, First in runs scored with 83, Second only to Derek Jeter in hits with 128, First in total bases with 223, First in Doubles with 29, First in HR with 22, first in RBI’s with 80, First in walks with 72, second only to Derek Jeter in base hits with 77, first in Extra Base Hits with 51, and has been on base more times then any major league ball player in the post season with 202. If Bernie Williams was has been a great player over all in the post season he has been an EXCEPTIONAL player in the Postseason where it matters most.

When Bernie retires which is most likely this year, he will be remembered by many Yankee fans as a living legend of our times. The baseball writers thou will likely not be so kind, as they come up with excuse after excuse. He does not have 300 HR, his last few seasons have not been that great, and the one that aggravates me the most is that his numbers are good in the postseason ONLY because he plays for the Yankees. Their argument is that Bernie would not have played so many Postseason games if he were on another team. This argument will always piss me off because what they’re basically saying is because Bernie is a Yankee we are going to penalize him for being an exceptional postseason player. You think they would say the same thing about David Ortiz even thou he does not even RANK in any of these categories for the postseason?? The argument is a stupid one. Bernie Williams was one of the few things to cheer about during the lean years of the mid 90’s, and was a big part of the reason the Yankees even made the play offs, much less got to the World Series in 1996. It’s not like the man was riding the coattails of everybody else on the team then suddenly hit well for a few games in October.

He has ALWAYS hit well in October and if I am not mistaken it’s not like the pitching he was facing was poor. Those teams pitching to him got to the postseason ON THEIR PITCHING, which means when facing the best pitching in baseball Bernie Williams was better. You can’t ignore the fact that he will be in the top 5 of these Postseason stats for years to come. In most of those categories the player behind him trails by 10 or more points. He is ahead of Legends such as, Babe Ruth, Lou, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Pet Rose, Steve Garvey, and Yogi Berra. There should be no Doubt that Bernie Williams maybe not on the first but eventually should be gracing the hollowed Halls of the hall of fame. Unfortunately the Writers of our day and age can’t even recognize players like Don Mattingly, Goose Gosage, and others as Hall of Fame members so Bernie will likely be left out in the cold when it comes to the Hall of fame while Chemically enhanced Steroid Abused players like Mark McGuire, and Barry Bonds are allowed in with their tainted records and questionable past.

Till next Week

The Yankees Fan

Opening Week

Ahh it’s opening week and baseball is FINALLY back. Home Runs are flying pitchers are throwing the heat and the Yankees are doing what they do best laying the ground work for yet another AL East Championship. So this week I figured I’d touch on a few thoughts about the games this week.

Opening Week Games

It was great to see Cory Lidle’s Wife and Son kick off the season and throw the first pitch. Very classy thing of the Yankees do considering how much they have lost and are currently going threw. Pavano was not terrible although he was not that great either. He got into some trouble early but to be fair the fielding was sloppy behind him as well. Pitchers need to work threw those kinds of things if they are going to be successful, but to be fair it helps when they can trust the gloves playing behind them too. The bats definitely were there to pick this game up. A-Rod with the RBI singles to drive in the first Yankee run of the season. Thought that was rather fitting, and his 2 run HR was icing on the cake and put the game out of reach for the Rays. The BP was pretty solid as well.

Andy Pettitte's return to the Bronx was not a pretty sight. Andy and Posada just never seem to be able to get on the same page. The bitter cold did not help Andy either. Kind of, hard to grip a baseball, when you can’t feel your hands because it’s freezing out side. Jetter committed 2 errors, and Posada and the pitching staff decided that home plate should be back by the fans because many pitches seemed to go bouncing back there. Basically a really ugly game for the Yankees that included sloppy plays and not the best pitching. Mostly I think the weather played a major factor. It’s just too damn cold up there. Makes me glad I live down here in Florida when I see games like that.

Moose def did not bring his A game but again the cold weather will effect how he can grip the ball, and that will result in the kind of pitching performance he gave us. Sean Hen came in to relieve him and was impressive I got a good feeling about him this year. He might just be this year Scot Proctor, and exactly what is it with these young Yankee Pitchers and their names?? Proctor, Hen, Wang?? Anyway the bats keep the game interesting but we fell short lucky for us the Sucks lost as well and funny thing is the D-Rays were leading the division by the end of the day. We all know that won’t last but still kind of funny to see that in the standings.

Iggy pitched Saturday, not exactly impressive in his first outing but honestly I don’t think he did all that bad a job. Had a few pitches that probably should have been called strikes that would have changed the outcome a bit, and there’s just not much you can do about bloop singles that fall in between the fielders. The pitcher’s worst nightmare because you did the job of jamming the batter and getting the week pop up but where it falls you have no control over. I think he will be fine if he can work on the little things like his control which was not great but not as bad as he was in spring training. My guess is he will struggle a bit but will show improvement along the way and should be quite solid for us come the end of the year. Of course I can’t talk about this game and not mention A-Rod’s walk off grand slam Home Run. It was amazing to listen to on the radio, and great to hear the crowd cheering for him like he deserves. He is seriously going to have a monster year and come the playoffs he is going to be unbelievable I think the man is on a mission.

Dice K

So he had his first start and as I predicted the Media is falling all over themselves calling him the chosen one, the next great Cy Young and Blahh Blahh Blahh. What I find funny is that he did pitch a great game I’ll give him that but it was the FRIGEN ROYALS that he did it too. This is a team that can’t field, hit or pitch their way out of a paper bag and the media is making a big deal about him beating them. Hell I could beat them with one hand tied behind my back and a broken leg. Also I found it funny that the one guy to hit a HR off him so far has a grand total of 25 for his whole career. Just wait for Dice k to face a real team like the Angels or the Rangers, or O Yea the YANKEES, teams with real offense that wear down pitchers and don’t waste base hits and opportunities to score are going to fair much differently. Next he will face the M’s so don’t be surprised when he throws a similar game but I’m willing to bet the M’s score a few more runs off him then the Royals did.

The Week Ahead

So We finish up the series with the O’s Rasner will be pitching for us today, then we head out to Minnesota to play in the Dome (Bet they can’t wait to get out of the Cold) then on to Oakland to play the A’s. So my predictions for the Week?? Rasner will pitch well enough to keep the Yankees in the game and we will take the series from the O’s. Then Pavano in his second start will pitch well but I’m betting the twins will get to him late and cost us the game. Andy will Rebound nicely and pitch a gem in his second outing giving us the series against the Twins and Moose will pitch a gem as well the next day giving us the series against the Twins. Iggy second start will go much better then his first but I think he may struggle with his control and the first game against the A’s will come down to the Bull Pens most likely. I figure we win that game as well though. So going into Next Saturday’s game the Yankees should be 6-3 for the season if I’m right. Anybody else want to make a prediction here? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.

Till Next Week

The Yankees Fan

2007 Predictions

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, the grass has been mowed, the foul lines have been drawn, the mound has been racked, and the Bases have been put in their places. Home plate is being adjusted as the hotdogs cook and the peanuts are roasting. Ladies and Gentlemen OPENING DAY IS HERE!! Yes sir as you read this the New York Mets (that other NY team) and the Defending World Champion St Louis Cardinals are preparing to take the field and kick off the 2007 season. Starting today the race begins and begins in earnest over the next few days. So with all the unknowns sent packing, the Rookies sent off to the minor leagues and the starry eyed rookies told they made the team I thought it was time to give you my 2007 regular season predictions. Unlike the experts I’m not going to give you a break down of who will win the MVP or the Cy Young because I have no clue. Baseball is a fickle sport and I’m no expert so I won’t tell you who will win the playoffs as well because for every great contender to start the season there is always a Detroit Tigers team just waiting to shock the world. So I give you these predictions with the full knowledge that I am no expert and that I power my crystal ball with two geriatric hamsters running on a rusty wheel. Or basically I do not pretend that these are accurate predictions just how I see things playing out. So with that said Lets begun the fun shall we??

AL EAST


1. New York Yankees:
Yea I know you’re shocked at this one right? Well I have to look at this Yankees team this year and you just can’t justify not making this call Yankee fan or not. Even with Wang on the DL for part of April the pitching staff looks stable Pettitte should have a strong year with the Yankees, Moose although another year older looked good last year and should be able to at least win 15 games. Iggy had a rough start in spring training but really showed improvement the last few weeks and I believe he is going to be a solid starter for us. Rasner should be able to fill in till Wang gets back and once Karastan is off the DL he should be ready to back up any starter that goes down with an injury. Behind him you have Olendorf, Hughs, Clipered and eventually Sanchez as well. The Yankees have not only Pitching depth but youth backing them up. More important is the fact that all these starters have to do is keep this team in the game. If the Rotation does not allow games to get away from them the Lineup should be able to do the rest. I’m not saying anybody but Wang or Pettite is going to be competing for the Cy Young (Moose has an outside shot of course but age is going to be a factor here as well) but we don’t need Cy young caliber pitching we need solid pitches that keeps ball games close. I believe we have that in are starters along with a rock solid bullpen and an offense that will be able to score runs with more then just the long ball.

2. Toronto Blue Jays
With a starting two of Roy Holiday and AJ Burnet and a strong bullpen that includes BJ Ryan as their closer you know this team is going to be competitive. But then you look at this line up with Vernon Wells and company in it and it just makes it that much harder to see them loosing more then they win. The problem will be once they get past the first two starters. Chaconne could have a bounce back year but after his DUI stunt it’s hard to see that happening, after that you have John Thompson and after that it’s a toss up over who will actually keep and hold the 5th starter spot. The thing is the Jays are a team of very few holes but holes none the less. They will be competitive but will fall short again this year -Likely missing the playoffs. They could win the Wildcard but my money is on the AL Central again this year.

3. Boston Sucks
Hey Boston fans can go on about Dice K all they want. The Japanese wonder boy is going to get a reality check because the talking is over and it’s time for him to take the mound and show us something. Truth is as much as I don’t’ think this kid will live up to all the hype; he is not going to crash and burn either. Truth is he will have a decent year and probably win close to 12 or 15 games if that. His era is likely to be around 4 although to be honest I’m being generous here as I truly believe it will be closer to 5. The key thing with Dice K will not be when to give him the Rookie Of The Year Award because he won’t win it, or if to give him the Cy Young because he won’t win that either. The key is how well the Sucks handle things when he struggles and the media vultures move in for the kill. Aside form Dice K, Shelling is almost 40 and although he is not going to have a crappy year he won’t be a Cy Young winner either. Truth is Shelling has as much gas left in him as Moose. He will be effective but he will have his bad days too. Then there’s Josh Becket the “Wonder Boy” from last year. Is it mean or do the Sucks have a Wonder Stud pitcher every year that the league ends up hammering or that ends up injured. Becket should improve on his performance from last year but don’t’ count on much improvement or the fast start he had last year. Likely he might win 12 games or so but with high pitch counts and the lack of control, he is unlikely to show significant improvement. Between Wakefield and who ever the Sucks pull in to start as the fifth starter their not going to be enough to really help them win. I say this mostly because they had the worst bullpen in the majors last year (minus Papulbum) and not much has changed about that. Their bullpen blew leads more then a porn star….. well blows. Papulbum although a great closer broke down last year due to over use and with all the hype and honest potential that is there he is ripe for another injury as well. Their lineup did not change much other then adding J D(L) Drew. He brings a good bat with some great pop, but he also brings that bright and shiny personality. Mix that in with Shelling wonderful disposition, Many antics, and a general clubhouse of all about me players and you are not adding a positive here. Then remember this is JD(L) Drew where talking about and injury is just a sneeze away. The Sucks will look good early and Dice K will not, by mid season they will start to slip and Dice K will improve some, come Mid August just like last year we will see the Sucks take a nose dive, and even an improving Dice K won’t help them.

4. Devil Rays
What?? Did I stutter?? Yea that’s right I said the D-rays will not finish in the basement this year. Well to be honest I think they will have a better year then the O’s who honestly did improve themselves this year but I think this is the year they will surprise the league and maybe win more games then they loose (Although not many more). Their Staff Ace Scott Kazmier is a pitching stud and if he can stay healthy is going to be tough to beat. Casey Fossum is not a bad pitcher himself and if he is health all year long could surprise the D-rays as a solid second starter. After that you have Tim Corcoran who could be worse but will likely fall out of favor by May. James Shield a rookie starter from last year is one of the guys on this team that strikes me as a possible Jason Verlander type. A kid who showed promise last year and may just suddenly give the D-Rays a potential Cy Young season. I don’t’ know why I say this about him but he just really impressed me last year. Jae Seo who the D-rays got from the Mets last year is actually not a bad number 5 starter. He was roughed up a lot last year, but I think he will rebound this year and put in a solid season. The thing is as young as the Rays pitching staff is they are effective to the point of keeping them in the game. The Rays actually don’t get blown out as often as people think, normally it’s their BP that kills games for them and this year is no different. Unless they make a move to grab a legitimate closer or one of their young prospects suddenly steps up and can do the job. Their Offense last year was miserable, but you have to remember Cantu, Gomes, and Huff had off years and where injured for most of the season. Huff was traded in July (just as he was starting to get hot) The Rays this year added a Japanese import Iwmura to play third and he brings a solid defensive glove and pretty decent bat. He has had a tough spring but I would not discount his hitting ability based on this. He is going to be an exceptional hitter, in the AL just give him time. Gomes and Cantu should have bounce back years, Carl Crawford is always a threat at the plate, and BJ Upton is always a threat to have a break out year. Truth is if everything clicks for the Rays 4th place and an above 500 record is not out of the question.

5. Orioles
O’s fans will hate me for this but my reason for placing the O’s in the basement of the AL East is two parted. 1) They really did not improve the Team much other then the bullpen. 2) With Chris Benson out for the season, their Rotation takes a major hit. Bedard is likely to show some regression from last year, Cabrera is likely to do the same, and if you’re a Yankee fan you know a team is desperate if they’re counting on Jared Wright to do more then pitch 6 innings of ball and not blow out your BP. The Truth is the O’s are not a bad team and may not finish in the basement but other then vastly improving there Bullpen the only offensive addition they made was adding Aubrey Huff who may have a great season with them but is just not going to be enough. This team really will simply regress this year because that’s what young teams tend to do. The thing is they could finish in 4th and beat out the Rays and if everything clicks, maybe better then that. The problem is when you dealing with as many young players as the O’s and you have had successes the year before regression is just a natural part of the game. They will stumble this year and run out of gas late leaving the door open for the D-rays to slip past them into 4th.

AL Central

1. Indians
The Indians in my opinion are sporting one of the best SOLID rotations in baseball right now. Yes I said that but just to be clear I did not say the BEST rotation I said the best SOLID rotation. What I mean is they have 5 guys that can go out and keep them in every ball game they play. If this happens the Indians will be one hit a way from wining most of their ball games and with there offensive potential that could amount to quite a few wins. Truth is if Liriano is not injured and the White Sox don’t trade Garcia this winter the Indians are looking at another year before they make the playoffs. But the pitching is thin in the central and the Indians are really the only starting rotation with 5 solid starts top to bottom, and the offense to back them up every day

2.Twins
With Liriano on the DL for what is likely the season or at the least most of it the Twins have Santana and then… Err… Well…. Yea see my point. The thing is the Twins always seem to find a way to win and they have a very strong and DEEP bullpen, making them hard to ignore in the central. If Liriano was not injured they would be the easy pick for the central but Santana can’t win every game for them. Truthfully the rest of the Rotation is not that bad but it’s also not that good either. They can win games with these guys and offensively they can hang with the big boppers of the league, but in the end their rotation will hurt them in the division. Lucky for them the White Sox are in far worse trouble and the Royals are well… The Royals.

3. White Sox
The White Sox honestly are not a bad team and would get higher marks from me if their pitching showed me more last year. The truth is Jose Contreras as good as he has been for the Chi Sox is not getting any younger and his decline is proof of that. He may very well face a few injuries this year. Buehrle although a great pitcher just never seems to be able to get over the hump for a full season. He should be good but not much more then that. Garland frustrates me because here is a guy that honestly should be a Cy Young candidate each year. Instead he is mediocre at best, and never seems to be able to get over the top like he should. Vazquez is a solid starter for the Chi Sox and could win 15 games for them. Problem is he could just as easily loose 15 games as well. The BP although solid can be shaky at times and the health of Bobby Jenks is seriously in question these days, so late innings could be a nightmare. The offense is solid on paper but truth is after career years from Konerko, Thome, and Dye and a break out year for Crede they’re all likely to see a decline in numbers. The thing is here just how much of a decline. Thome is injury prone as is Konerko and the ability to be dangerous in this lineup is reliant on those two for Dye. Crede would have a decent enough year but a decline in his batting average and a rise in strikeouts is very likely and that hurts the Chi sox offensively. Again they’re not a bad team but they’re a team that will see underachieving pitching and a bullpen, that will be only as good as the time of day, and offensively score fewer runs then they did last year. All this adds up to a solid third place finish this year. Next year however with the right roster moves this will be a team to contend with.

4. Tigers
Tiger fans are going to hate me for putting them 4th in the division but the truth is they could just as easily finish a solid 3rd as well. Right now as things stand Kenny Rogers is on the DL and this does not bowed well for the Tigers. Although Verlander and Bonderman had a breakout season last year the truth is the odds of them both repeating last years numbers are very much against them. One of them will regress slightly but still have a solid season and the other will crash and burn like the Hindenburg. I’m not slighting either of these guys’ abilities it’s just with young ball players they normally struggle after a strong season. Their BP could be their down fall or their biggest strength that could keep them in the race for the Division. Tod Jones could have another strong season as the teams’ closer but the truth is he is due to show signs of his age and slip. The good news is that Zumaya is right there to take over when this happens and the Tigers should still be tough to beat in the late innings. Just remember thou there are bunch of young relievers and are likely to do well enough this year or crash and burn. The Tigers will be competitive but like the Chi Sox it just won’t be there year. Next year though that will be a different story.

5. Royals
Not much, to really say here other than they’re the Royals-That sums them up. Worst pitching staff in the Majors last year. Worst bullpen, and worse team offensively as well. Not much will change in 07 except Gil Meche will be loosing for a different team and Octavio Dotel will be blowing saves for a different team this year. Offensively they’re not much different other than Grudzielanek will be playing second this year and at some point Alex Gordon will be called up to try to salvage a depressing season for the fans. The Royals are a long way form competing in the AL Central or any league for that matter. The Term “Wait till next year” for this team started in Spring training and the fans saying it were referring to Next Year

AL West

1. A’s
Pitching wise the A’s have two guys that could both win 20 games this year in Harden and Haren, if they can both stay healthy. Loaiza surprised everyone last year and turned in a solid season for the A’s and honestly I would not be surprised to see it happen again. Blanton and Kennedy should round out the rotation and their not overly impressive but should be adequate enough to push the A’s past the Angels in the west. The reason is because the A’s bullpen is very solid with Huston Street closing the games out and a strong group of arms behind him. Offensively the A’s upgraded their DH position with Piazza who should be just as productive as Frank Thomas last year, but is unlikely to spend as much time on the DL as Frank Thomes did as the DH last year. Bobby Crosby one of these seasons is going to prove why he won the Rookie Of The Year Award a few years ago. Could it be this year, don’t hold your breath. Regardless he is a solid defensive shortstop and even with his shortcomings swings a decent bat at times. The only thing the A’s have working against them in their division right now is Kotsay who will start the season on the DL and they’re heavy right handed in the pitching department. This is nothing Billy bean can’t resolve with a trade.

2. Angels
Last years division winners are going to struggle this year in the beginning and that is likely to cost them the playoffs. With Chone Figgins heading to the DL to start the first half of the season and with Weaver joining him, the Angels will have big problems. Add to this the likely decline in Gary Matthews Jr, and the likely hood that Colon and Lacky will see the DL at some point this season. It’s hard to see the Angels keeping up with the A’s, if everybody comes back healthy, and their replacements click the Angels may take the A’s but I don’t see it happening. The Angels are just in a division where your start is just as important as how you finish, and their going to have a really rough start I think.

3. Rangers
What’s interesting about the Rangers is they find a way to be part of the playoffs race every year then just disappear by the end of August. Unfortunately for fans in Texas this year will not be much different. Vincent Padilla was a nice surprise for the Rangers last year and Kevin Millwood should rebound, so the Rangers are in good shape to start. After that things could get dicey as the rest of the rotation leaves much to be desired, and this is what could cost them in the end. Their bullpen is actually not that bad although signing Gagne who will now start the season on the DL was a pretty stupid move if you ask me. Gagne to be honest is done as a closer at least for now and needs to settle into a setup roll for a few years, and rebuild his confidence. With Gagne on the DL the Rangers still have an effective closer in Otsuka who should never have had the job taken away from him in the first place. Last year he was almost as dominating as Papulbum and Rivara, and could potentially be better than he was last year. Offensively the Rangers could be tough with guys like Teixeira, Young, and Blalock in the lineup and add Sammy Sosa to that on paper you have a very scary offense. Problem is Kenny Loffton is at the top of this lineup and to be honest I have never been overly impressed with him after he was a Yankee. He seems like a lazy player to me in the outfield and at his age could very well be an injury risk as well. Figure Sammy Sosa as impressive as the name is honestly was not all that and a wet bag of chips the last time he played Pro ball. Other then De Toxing I doubt much has changed with Sammy other than his bats are with out cork these days as well. He will be given a chance to play every day and if he falls flat, I would not be surprised to see happen, Catalanotto step in and take over. Again in this division you can’t afford to fall behind.

4. Mariners
It’s hard to say a team with Ichiro Suzuki and young Pitching Phenom Felix Hernandez is going to finish last but the truth is this division is just to damn tough for any one team to just get by and win it all. The M’s are not a bad team but compared to their competition they’re not in the same league. Jarrod Washburn should have a decent season, but after him and Hernandez the starting staff is really nothing to write home about. The M’s are facing a lot of early game blowouts and even when the team manages to keep the game close their BP will likely loose a lot of late games for them. JJ Putz is an excellent closer but you have to get the ball to him in the 9th for him to save a game. He will be joining Papulbum on the bench as they watch potential saves get flushed down the toilet in the 7th and 8th for there respected teams. Offensively they’re not bad but not great either. Suzuki does not bring a lot of power to the plate but he makes up for it in speed and the ability to hit anything for a base hit. After that this team is just old and injury prone. They also just love to swing at everything. If your Ichiro and can put the ball in play every time it’s one thing but it’s another thing when your giving the fans a nice breeze over 100 times in the season. This team has the potential to score runs but they also have the potential to barely make contact with the ball. What’s really sad is the best hitter in the game today is also on the worst hitting team in the league. If the M’s can improve on their contact game and start moving runners on the base they might stand a chance. That’s about as likely to happen as Jeff Weaver wining the Cy young. So last place it is.

Ok That’s the AL. This thing is getting really long. I’m just going to Breeze over the NL because 1) I don’t want to make this any longer then I have to, and 2) If I have to go into detail why the cubs are going to stink this year. This thing will be 20 pages long just for that. So a Quick Recap on the NL starting with….

NL EAST

1. Braves

2. Mets

3. Nationals

4. Phillies

5. Marlins

Why?? Because the Mets have no Pitching with Peedrool on the DL probably till August if not longer, Glaven and El Duke are not getting younger, and although a good young pitcher Oliver Perez is just not ready to be a top starter. Maybe in a year or two. Pelfry may be a nice surprise this year as he is the real deal but alone he can’t do it all. The Braves have a solid 1 and 2 with Smoltz and Hudson and they both should give the braves a solid year. Redman is not going to give anybody anything to get excited about but all he has to do is keep games close and adding Hampton in mid season will be like adding a major trade. Their improved bullpen from last year gives Wickmen a chance to save a full season of games for them, and a young lineup that will score runs by the dozens should help give them the NL East. The Nats , I picked them third because they have the most intriguing rotation in baseball to me. They’re all a bunch of guys that nobody will say they’re impressed with but in the same thought will never tell you they can’t win games. Their rotation this year could shake the baseball world and I think they just might do that, the offense is pretty solid with Zimerman leading the charge and Austen Kearns ready to produce big time for a full season. After that I believe the Phillies actually had a chance until Garcia went on the DL which will hurt them. Flash Gorden as their closer -could backfire HUGE. If he finally shows his age, I’m betting this will happen sooner then later, and the Marlins with out the leadership of Manager of the year Joe Guradie will sink to the bottom of the division. Don’t get me wrong they’re a good young team but these kids played their heart out last year for Joe and were rewarded by seeing him get fired for it. Why on earth will they play hard for the next guy?? What’s the point? The fish sink this year but don’t let that be a representation of the talent on this team just the lack of good ownership. Next year maybe things will improve with the talent on this team it’s hard not to see it happen.

NL Central

1. Brewers
2. Cardinals
3. Cubs
4. Reds
5. Astros

Why?? Well for starters the Brewers have a top notching rotation of Suppan, Sheets, Capuano, and Bush. The first three could easily win 18 to 20 games this year. With closer Cordero just itching to have a bounce back year and a strong bullpen behind him the Brew Crew are not likely to loose games in the late innings. They take a hit with Carlos Lee gone but they played half the season without him last year and still looked good. Brady Clark is likely to have a bounce back year Prince Fielder will have a second good season and this team will score runs which in the NL Central is a rarity. The Cards will struggle mostly because of their starting pitching. Carpenter and the potential of Adam Wainwright are really the only reason this team might finish second. If Carpenter has an off year or Wainright falters they may finish much lower. The Cubs spent plenty of dough over the winter to bad it was not on finding a way to keep Wood and Prior healthy for a season. If Wood can ever get off the DL he could be a good reliever and might even replace Dempster as the closer. Ted Lilly is likely to have a good season as a Cub after that Zambrano, and then it just gets ugly. Offensively a lot depends on Derek Lee and Soriano. If these two can get off to a good strong start the cubs will score runs by the bunches, if not it’s going to be a long summer in Wrigley The Reds have two strong starters in Harang and Arroy but to be honest for both of them to repeat their performances from last year is highly unlikly. After that Milton is a HR machine and being a pitcher that’s not a good thing. Lohse is not bad but not good either and Ramirez could be better but just isn’t. Offensively the Reds should pack a mighty punch of speed and power but they always seem to fall short mostly because this team loves to strike out. Although not as bad as the M’s are many a rally goes down quietly by the call of strike three in Cinncy and right now that’s probably not going to change. The Stros are likely the worst team in this division now with Pettitte having gone home to the Yankees and the Rocket not sure where he will play this year. If Rogers comes back to the Stros expect them to finish better then last but to be honest that may not even be enough. Their offensive is bad and even Carlos Lee can’t help them unless Ensberg turns things around from last year disaster season and Burke and Berkman don’t get hurt. Truth is some of these guys will regress this year, and that hurts a team that has trouble scoring runs to start with. This division more or less wide open from 2-5 but the Brewers will get off to a fast start and never look back although a late season decline would not surprise me but by then It won’t matter if they have built a big enough lead.

NL WEST

1. Rockies

2. Dodgers

3. Padres

4. Diamondbacks

5. Giants

Why?? Well to be honest this division being the weakest in the League is wide open. Any of the top 4 teams could be contenders, but in the end I have to pick the Rockies only because their pitching could be the deciding factor in the end. Between Jef Francis, and Aron Cook they have a strong 1 and 2 pitchers after that Hirsh and Fogg should be able to take the mound and at least throw 6 or 7 innings of competitive baseball. The fifth starter is really their weakest point but with the young talent the Rockies have on the farm any one of them could start and be adequate for the season. Offensively even with out the Colorado air they’re going to score tons of runs. Between Atkins, Holliday, and Helton you have 300 RBI’s and potentially 130 HR, Hawpe should be able to contribute as well and Rookies Iannetta and Tulowitzki should have good first season. Their Bullpen is a weakness but playing in Colorado its more about runs than late inning relievers so if that happens and Fuentes can hold down the late inning rallies the Rockies could be standing at the top of the heap. The Dodgers have the pitching with Schmidt, Lowe Wolf and Penny, and a strong Bullpen but offensively their top hitters are all injury prone and this will hurt them as the season grinds on. The Padres again have a solid staff with Maddux, Young, and Peavy but like the Dodgers injuries are inevitable and it’s going to hurt them. Offensively the Padres have trouble scoring runs, and not much changed in the off season so it’s likely not to change this year. The D-Backs have a great young team that will score plenty of runs, but with Randy Johnson trying to prove he is not a 5 something ERA pitcher and other than Braden Web the Rotation and bullpen need a lot of work. The Giants are just too damn old and too damn slow to go anywhere in this division. Zito will help but in the end they’re just not going to stand a chance.

Well that’s it folks my Pre-season predictions hope you enjoyed them, and feel free to leave a comment and tell me who you think will finish where this year.

Till Next week

THE YANKEES FAN