Please rearrange me when I'm sane...

My 2007 Predictions
or
You Will Mock Me!

American League East:
1. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
2. Boston Red Sox
3. New York Yankees
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

American League Central:
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Kansas City Royals

American League West:
1. Oakland A's
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

National League East:
1. Washington Nationals
2. New York Mets
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Florida Marlins
5. Atlanta Braves

National League Central:
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Houston Astros
5. Milwaukee Brewers
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

National League West:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Diego Padres
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Colorado Rockies

AL Wild Card:
Detroit Tigers

NL Wild Card:
San Diego Padres

All Star Game:
National League over American League

ALDS:
Cleveland over A's, 5 games
Tampa Bay over Detroit, 3 games

NLDS:
LA over Cardinals, 5 games
Nationals over Padres, 3 games

FINAL FOUR

ALCS:
Cleveland (Ohio St.) over Tampa Bay (Florida), 6 games

NLCS:
Nationals (Georgetown) over Dodgers (UCLA), 4 games

World Series
Cleveland over Nationals, 6 games

(By the way, baseball doesn't start until after the NCAA Final Four, in case you haven't guessed by my picks ;)

Prognostications

It's time guys. Let's have it out...beginning today and through Sunday, let's post our season predictions.

Things to include:

Division winners.
Wild Card winners
All Star Game winner (to determine WS home field advantage)
Division Series matchups and winners
League Championship Series matchups and winners
World Series matchups and winner, including number of games it will take to win.

Then we shall mock each other's picks mercilessly.

Fantasy Baseball

It is that time of year.

The smell of the freshly cut grass. The aroma of the grilled hot dogs laden with sauerkraut and onions. The sound of the vendors yelling "Peanuts! Popcorn!" The crack of the bat. The roar of the crowd.

The mouse clicks at your desk at the office, early in the morning, adjusting your lineup, your starting rotation, and looking to see if anyone else noticed that the hot shot rookie prospect from AAA had been picked up by any of the other teams in your league yet.

Folks, you are invited to play Yahoo Fantasy Baseball. Shoot me an email to pagenandy at gmail dot com and I will give you the password and league ID. I know Donny's in....what about the rest of you?

The Opening Theme

I can hear that familiar chorus, sung by thousands of men this day every year. You know the song...

"HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!"

Pitchers and Catchers Report today.

Baseball is here!

Fitting Quote for this Time of Year

"People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." --Rogers Hornsby

Since we are in the middle of winter, I thought this quote speaks well for all of us. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel because Pitchers and Catchers report NEXT WEEK!!!

Smoke on the Water...

With the evidence presented today, I'd say that all of this talk about Barry Bonds has FINALLY gained some credibility. Though I have backed Bonds all of this time, I never once claimed that he was innocent - just that there was no proof of his guilt. I am a strong believer in the idea of being innocent until proven guilty. If you've ever been wrongly accused of a crime, you'd be a strong believer as well. With this latest news, however, that Bonds did indeed fail a drug test, there is now some credible evidence that Bonds has taken illegal drugs in the past. Bonds doesn't deny the test, why should I?

This certainly suggests now that there is smoke near Bonds, and smoke usually leads to fire. However, the drug in question was not a steroid and Bonds not only did not dispute the outcome of the test, but also agreed to voluntarily take 6 more random drug tests to prove the idea that this was a one time only abberation. Whether Bonds is innocent or guilty, this is the sort of behavior I'd expect from him considering the other circumstances.

While this admission clouds the future of this once great player, it also clarifies some of the Giants off-season moves - the acquisition of Ryan Klesko, for instance. Some may renew calls for Bonds to be removed from Baseball, but before we all go that far lets remember two things. One, Bonds has not failed any other drug test. And two, Bonds was not the only player to fail this drug test - in fact, he was only one of HUNDREDS of baseball players who failed this particular test. Amphetamine use in baseball is a true problem, not one fabricated by the government and media.

Clearly, Baseball needs to clean up its act once again. I'm guessing this would all be much easier if there was a strong commissioner in power. It seems as if the players are once again suffering from the lack of a strong, impartial, commissioner. But that's enough negativity for one day... its only about 60 days until pitchers and catchers report. That's really what its all about.

Changes!

Well, yours truly wound up switching over to Blogger beta which had an adverse effect on the old template...which is why I changed it to this one. Marcel, Randall and James...when you guys switch over to the beta (or receive the invite from Google to do so), you'll be automatically added back as contributors to this blog.

Feel free to make any template changes to add back in the Email Subscription feed (thanks Donny!) or anything else that you think could spruce up this blog...

And be sure to use the "Labels" so we can start categorizing our posts!

The Missing Man

It's a sad day for Giants fans...fan favorite and long time shortstop Jose Uribe was killed in a car accident in the Dominican today.

He was part of the infield that had Will Clark at 1B, Robby Thompson at 2B, Matt Williams at 3B (Williams replaced the stiff Chris Brown), and Uribe at SS. He became a Giant when Jack Clark was traded to St. Louis in exchange for pitcher Dave LaPoint, 1B David Green, and a young kid named Jose Gonzales - who briefly changed his name to Uribe Gonzales, then Jose Uribe.

Thanks for the reminder earlier, Will...

U........RIBE!

U........RIBE!

U........RIBE!

JASON YOU KNOW WHO

It's sort of like how Yankee fans felt immediately after Johnny Damon turned in his Sox for pinstripes and a haircut. It was hard to swallow. Acceptance of a stranger from the wrong side of the street joining the family would take some time. You need to get over your resentment and swallow your pride before you get to know the guy.

And so it is with the new member of our family who just signed his lease agreement to move in. His name is Jason Schmidt. I'm not about to welcome him with open arms just yet. We're gonna keep an eye on him, make sure he's not going to be a slob, eat all our food, drink all our beer and hit on our girlfriends and wives.

So Mr. Schmidt, I hope you like your new home. Weather is nice and warm, sky is always BLUE. We have a nice organ in the living room. But before you get comfy and start walking all over our lawn, remember that $47 million for three years means we expect great things from you, like the good work you did in 2003 and 2004 for those people we don't like very much. Oh, and take out the trash on your way out. And light a match after flushing, will ya?!

New Foreign Pitching Prospect

All the hype of the new pitching prospects from Japan is far from over. Move over Matsuzaka and make way for Chewbacca!

This impressive left hander hails from the snowy mountains of Kashyyyk and is shown here putting on a clinic for the MLB scouts yesterday. Accompanied by his agent Princess Leia (yes, she really is a princess), Chewbacca wooed the scouts by pitching fastballs in the 124 mph range! However, his most impressive pitch is the never before seen, furflip ball that moves like a butterfly on crack and is deemed impossible to hit by the likes of A-Rod and Barry Bonds. This pitch just comes natural to Chewbacca because it utilizes his raw arm speed and hairiness to accomplish the strange ball flight.

Rumors abound throughout the league over who will jump to sign the big fellow that stands 7'11" tall and weighs nearly 700 pounds. Sox GM Theo Epstein was quoted as saying, "Holy Crap! I wish I wouldn't have squandered all my money on that gyroball joker!". George Steinbrenner was all smiles and hoped to see Chewbacca in pinstripes come April.

Since Chewy (as he prefers to be called) is not from any country, at least on earth, he can be purchased for whoever the highest bidder may be. It pretty obvious that the leading candidates are the Yankees and also the San Francisco Giants that are planning to dispose of Mr. Bonds in order to free up the cash need for the acquisition.

Baseball expert Donny Prater was quoted as saying, "This puts a whole new paint job on the face of baseball. Finally, there can be a merger between man and alien man-beast! This is what the people want." Mr. Prater went on to say that he wouldn't be surprised if the likes of Sasquatch (aka Bigfoot), the Abominable Snowman, and the Chupacabra don't come knocking on the MLB door.

So a new and exciting chapter in the saga we know as baseball is opened. May the force be with us all!!!

Manny in the West?

The hot rumor going into the winter meetings is that it's a 3 way horse race between San Diego, Los Angeles (Da Bums), and San Francisco to come up with the best deal to obtain LF Manny Ramirez from the Boston Red Sox. It's interesting that all 3 are working the phones because:

1) Each team wants Manny partly to prevent him from going to their opponent in the NL West.

2) Theo Epstein, Boston's GM, used to work for Kevin Towers, San Diego's GM - and they've traded between each other previously.

3) Ned Colletti, LA's GM, used to work for Brian Sabean, San Francisco's GM - and they are clearly trying to outdo each other this offseason.

Will Manny wind up in the NL West? It's questionable at best, because Manny's a 10 and 5 guy, so he has the right to approve or veto any deal. He's never played outside the AL, aside from Interleague games, so he might not be inclined to switch leagues. Of course, Omar Vizquel made the switch a couple of years ago to come to SF, at an older age - so perhaps Manny would consider it.

The question is - who will come up with the best deal? Will he come West?

I will say this: Manny's one of the few players today worthy of the salary he's getting (by comparison to recent contract signings). Gary Mathews Jr and Juan Pierre are NOT worth the $50 million and $40 million each are getting (and I'm glad the LA teams are the suckers in that bet).

So...whaddya think?

CY Young Pride in Ashland, KY

As a tribute to our hometown hero Brandon Webb and his winning of the Cy Young award, my family declared today as Brandon Webb Day. Actually, every November 15th will be celebrated as such from here on out!!

This holiday will consist of Will wearing his jersey to school. But now that the D-Backs have changed there color scheme, I guess this is now a Throw-Back Jersey. Cool huh!

Yesterday, Andy sent me the message that Brandon had won the award and I jumped out of my seat when I found out. I started calling everybody I knew and telling them. Exciting stuff for a kid from Ashland, Kentucky to accomplish and it's exciting for me because I have batted against him (He was 7 years old and it was a wiffle ball), but it still counts!

The news last night told how Brandon was out shooting yesterday when he got the call from his agent about the good news. He said he was stunned and actually thought the agent was pulling his leg! He's a humble guy and all of us in Ashland are very proud of him.

Happy Belated Halloween

Another season has passed and as I sit here reflecting upon yet another disappointing effort by the men in pinstripes, I look ahead to next year. Although the highest paid team in all of baseball choked again, there's always next year. However, this blog has been much fun and I've enjoyed getting to know you guys. Have a great offseason!

PS- Congrats Randal!!!

Year End Wrap Up (or Why The Giants Will Win It All In 2007)

Well, from a Giants fan's perspective, the rather boring 2006 season is over. It was a season in which no major records were broken or challenged, when a nearly .500 team won the World Series, when the playoffs were mediocre at best, when the All Star Game was completely forgetable, and when no major scandals or heroics marked the season whatsoever. If the highlight of the season was Albert Pujols assault on the Home Run record that was derailed in late April/early May, then the lowlight of the season was the not quite startling revelation of a Diamondback's pitcher who named names and then disappeared into obscurity. The Giants had their ups and downs, but mostly they just plodded from April to September as if it was a 9 to 5 job. Boring.

However, a sea change is definitely taking place as happens in baseball every decade or so. The stars of the previous period are giving/have given way to a new crowd. Brandon Webb, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Howard are replacing Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr, and Barry Bonds as crowd pleasers. And we are all keeping our eyes open to see what new talent will emerge and what new team will become dominant.

Which is why in 2007, the Giants will win it all. Getting out from under the bloated contract of Barry Bonds, the Giants will acquire some new young talent and will propel themselves to the top once more - only this time, they will win it all. Matt Cain will pitch the first Giants No-No since the 70's. Bonds, in a back up roll that he will not relish, will break Aaron's record and then retire, and young players will take this team to the promised land.

Of course, some of you may have different opinions. Don't worry, for I will be magnanamous in victory and not gloat too much when the Giants are having their victory parade down Market Street. Now, let's get those hot stove rumors started. 06 is done. 07 has begun!

Scuffing?

So, has Rogers been cheating in all his postseason starts?

We are talking about a guy who, until this season, was a choker in big games.

Mets or Cards? Game 7

Okay, let's throw it down...

Mets vs. Cards in game 7? Who takes it to get run off by the Tigers in 5 games?

Yankees and Presidents

Torsten Pedersen in Locus Standi has an excellent article on the striking coincidences that connect the Yankees failure to win in the post-season when the President is a Republican. Donnie, you better hope for a democrat at the next election, buddy.

Read the post here.

Thanks for the excellent stats, Torsten!

A Tribute from the Land of the Bandwagon Jumpers

When I talked to Andy Friday I made him the following promise: If the Tigers beat the Yankees out, I would buy a Detroit hat, take my picture, and post it here. Since this sad fact did indeed come to pass, and I am a man of my word, I went to the mall a few minutes ago to make the purchase. Here's the problem, I went to every sports store in the mall and there were no Tigers anything to be found. Looks like there has been a run on all of the Detroit crap. Oh well, I do live in the land of the bandwagon jumpers as is evident every year just before the World Series and especially when a man like Rick Pitino goes to the team you despise the most.

Anyway, couldn't come through on the hat bro, so I made this sign instead. Go Tigers! yawn...... Just kidding, I'm actually for the Tigers to win it all. I always go with the team that knocks out the Yankees because it takes the best to beat the best!

Playoff Predictions: Let's Here 'Em!

Yankees over Tigers
A's over Twins

Yankees AL Champs


Mets over Dodgers (sorry Marcel)
Cards over the Pad's

Mets AL Champs



Yankees take the Subway Series in 6!

NL Haters Have A Show (Spoilers ahead)

Last week, on the season premiere of Jericho, I couldn't figure out why the two towns hit by nuclear weapons were Denver and Atlanta. I figured there might be a sports connection, but I knew of no fierce Denver-Atlanta rivalry or Kansas-Denver-Atlanta rivalry. But this week, in the second show, you begin to discover a little more of what's going on and the scope of the attack. In addition to Denver and Atlanta, we see that Chicago (Wrigleyville), Philadelphia, and San Diego were hit and the implication is a great many more... Perhaps the rest of that list includes, San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincinatti, Houston, Miami, New York (Flushing Meadow), and Washington D.C.. Leaving Oakland, Anaheim, Arlington, Seattle, Minneapolis, Detroit, Chicago (West Side), Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Toronto, New York (Bronx), Boston, Baltimore, and Cleveland to survive and repopulate the United States with a new civilization based on the notion that all men must do their part to help out... except one person who is designated to only come in once in a while and lend a hand before going to sit back on the bench.