Pitchers and catchers report! Pitchers and catchers report!

[Crothian]

Whereas here it just has no meaning at all.

That's really not a bad thing.....

 

[fett527]

OK, baseball then. As intended.

Watch out for the Reds this year. Highest payroll in club history! A lot of "ifs", but if those "ifs" work out then the Cards, Cubs and Astros will have competition for more than half the year (Reds have held first place at the All-Star break for the past two years).

 

[ph34r]

Baseball is the one true sport, all others are pale imitations of the real thing.

It's spreading!

 

[The Shaman]

The Reds have made some good moves, but I would definitely call them the dark horse. I think the NL Central is the Cubs to lose again, and if history is our guide they probably will. The 'stros will have a healthy pitching staff again - we'll see if they get through May this year - but Biggio's legs and Bagwell's shoulders are another year older. The Cardinals still have pitching questions, and losing Renteria creates a huge whole for David "The Little Engine Who Could" Eckstein to fill, but you've got to love that Murderer's Row, and least in months not called October.

The San Francisco Geritols...I mean GIANTS!...look a lot like the Diamondbacks team that won the series in 2001 - "experienced" is a kind way to put it, but sometimes that's just the ticket. Of course the training staff will have a collective nervous breakdown by the end of August.

I haven't finished my pre-season picks yet, but as of right now I have the Mets in third place in the East at the All-Star Break. I mean, c'mon...they're still the freakin' Mets, no matter how much money they spend - a lot of folks drooling over the NL Playoffs Beltran haven't seen the hot-and-cold 162 game Beltran yet.

I think this is the year that Moneyball implodes. The Anaheim Los Angeles Angels win the AL West and the A's finish behind the Rangers and maybe even the Mariners while the NL West is a two-horse race between the G'nts and the Padres.

 

[ph34r]

Guess that sums up my pick!

 

[Old Fezziwig]

I'm wicked psyched about this season, but I'm a little apprehensive about the idea of having the Sox and Yanks play on Opening Day. Especially with the way the two teams have sniped at each other all off-season (I'm giving the first game about 3 innings before the first batter's hit and the dugouts empty). It just seems like it's too much too soon — I'm afraid half of Greater Boston will have a coronary if the Sox lose that day.

That said, completely for fun, here're my loose picks for division winners and what not...

AL East: Yankees — I'm not sure the Sox have enough to chase them down during the regular season, especially given the Sox's troubles with teams like Baltimore
AL Central: Indians
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Red Sox
AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero — he's just that good
AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling or Randy Johnson (flip a coin)
AL Rookie of the Year: Nick Swisher, Dallas MacPherson, or Scott Kazmir (he's still eligible)
Biggest Disappointment: Adrian Beltre
Biggest Steal: Wade Miller (if his shoulder holds)
Red Sox-Yanks, Season Series: Red Sox 10, Yanks 9

NL East: Atlanta
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Giants
NL MVP: Barry Bonds — steroids or not, he has more impact on a game than anyone this side of an umpire
NL Cy Young: Tim Hudson
NL Rookie of the Year: Gavin Floyd? I have no clue here...
Biggest Disappointment: The New York Mets (all of them) — who's protecting Beltran in that lineup? Piazza? Mientkiewicz? (I'm only half joking about this...)
Biggest Steal: Nomar Garciaparra (at the price of his contract — 1 yr/$8 mil, IIRC — this is a sick deal for the Cubbies...)

AL Playoffs: Red Sox over Angels, Yankees over Tribe; Red Sox/Yanks is a wash...I can't figure this at all...
NL Playoffs: Cubs over Giants, Dodgers over Braves; Cubs over Dodgers
World Series: Red Sox/Yanks over Dodgers in 6

 

[Old Fezziwig]

More on Beltre...I'm not sure that he's going to be able to lay off the junkballers in the AL. The NL's always seemed to be more of a fastball league, and the AL's got a slew of guys throwing sloppy stuff. I'd say he might lead the league in strikeouts, except Mark Bellhorn's still in the AL.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

The Reds have made some good moves, but I would definitely call them the dark horse. I think the NL Central is the Cubs to lose again, and if history is our guide they probably will. The 'stros will have a healthy pitching staff again - we'll see if they get through May this year - but Biggio's legs and Bagwell's shoulders are another year older. The Cardinals still have pitching questions, and losing Renteria creates a huge whole for David "The Little Engine Who Could" Eckstein to fill, but you've got to love that Murderer's Row, and least in months not called October.

The San Francisco Geritols...I mean GIANTS!...look a lot like the Diamondbacks team that won the series in 2001 - "experienced" is a kind way to put it, but sometimes that's just the ticket. Of course the training staff will have a collective nervous breakdown by the end of August.

I haven't finished my pre-season picks yet, but as of right now I have the Mets in third place in the East at the All-Star Break. I mean, c'mon...they're still the freakin' Mets, no matter how much money they spend - a lot of folks drooling over the NL Playoffs Beltran haven't seen the hot-and-cold 162 game Beltran yet.

I think this is the year that Moneyball implodes. The Anaheim Los Angeles Angels win the AL West and the A's finish behind the Rangers and maybe even the Mariners while the NL West is a two-horse race between the G'nts and the Padres.

I don't know if Moneyball's going to implode as much as reload. I think they're out of it this year, but they've managed to get some pretty good value in some of those trades.

 

[MrFilthyIke]

The title of this thread has an entirely different meaning in San Francisco. I have to admit, I was intrigued as to which of y'all were which ...

And here at South Beach (Miami)

 

[fett527]

Guess that sums up my pick!

Reds play the Bo Sox this year. First time in about 30 years!