2009 Yankees: Are They The 2008 Mets??

Be it a groan, cheer, or a clever series of words strung together, everybody in and around baseball had an extreme reaction to the New York Yankees' offseason spending.

Through 10 games, it's not fair to judge the performances of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, or Mark Teixeira so far.

Fans and critics alike must give them ample time to settle in before making the decision to laugh at the Yankees' reckless spending or write a nasty letter to their own team's front office for not shelling out the green to land the big names.

After 10 games, however, it is fair to judge one aspect of Brian Cashman's latest Death Star, which may have been overlooked when being constructed this offseason—the bullpen.

Before going on, let me take you back to last September. Call me masochistic, but for some reason, I can't help but listen to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman broadcasts on the radio.

As nauseating as it is, it's also like watching Bill O'Reilly or Pat Robertson—you just can't predict what they're going to say next.

Driving in my car, Sterling and Waldman were previewing the 2009 roster when Sterling blurted out something which really made me scratch my head.

He said something along the lines of the Yankees having the most feared bullpen in baseball with the combination of Phil Coke, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera.

OK, as much as it pains me, I will admit Rivera is a great reliever.

Chamberlain, too, but as we all know now (and most of us knew then, or so I thought), isn't in the bullpen. He's a starter until he undoubtedly gets hurt again.

Now join me, everyone outside of Yankee Nation, when I say "Phil Coke? Who the hell is Phil Coke?"

I follow the Yankees enough to know who he is, but what baffled me was how anyone, even John Sterling, could crown someone with a dozen career appearances as one who should be "feared."

Maybe Coke was in the game, or had just left the game, so he was on Sterling's mind while he was sucking up to Yankee brass.

Really though, Phil Coke?

Coke had a great little run in 2008, only allowing one earned run in 14.1 innings pitched, but come on—feared? He's not even established!

Fast forward to present day, my suspicions may have had some legitimacy to them. Coke, in five appearances, has allowed seven runs, four earned, to the tune of a 9.00 earned run average.

He has yet to work a perfect full inning.

Coke isn't the only problem within the 'pen. Damaso Marte, acquired last July in the Xavier Nady deal, has appeared three times this season. In the lefty-specialist's first two outings, he faced four batters, retiring three of them.

Thursday was a different story. The offense he was facing wasn't that of the Royals or Orioles; it was the Indians.

Marte squeezed three innings worth of batters—the entire Indians lineup—into one inning. He allowed the runner he inherited from Jose Veras to score, then six more who were his own responsibility.

Veras has allowed a run in three of his five outings, including three against the Indians.

Edwar Ramirez has only allowed a single run to score in his two outings (3.1 innings of work), but has an alarming 2.40 WHIP, albeit early in the season.

Jonathan Albaladejo was effective against the Orioles, but the Rays got the best of him in two of his three innings of work in Tampa.

Newcomer David Robertson, who was just called up to take the injured Xavier Nady's roster spot, gave the Yankees a promising two scoreless innings of work, but wasn't exactly lights out in his 25 appearances last season (5.34 ERA in 30-plus innings pitched).

The Yankees are forced to make a decision, but the injury to Nady makes it a little harder. With only four outfielders on the roster, it's near impossible to permanently move Nick Swisher to the setup role, and they apparently need his bat much more than anyone could have anticipated.

To sum up, it's early in the season, but the Yankees' two left-handed specialists can't be trusted to get outs, nor can the righties leading up to Mariano Rivera, and the most impressive reliever so far other than their closer is their right fielder.

They've lost in situations where they were winning late, lost where they were called upon to hold a tie, and have let marginal deficits become huge deficits.

But hey, at least the new ballpark looks great!

Preview/Prediction: N.L. East

Oops.

That's all I've got to say about that.

I picked the Mets to win 98 games and the division last year...I couldn't do it again, could I?

Obviously.

1) New York Mets (96-66)
The only thing stopping me from giving the Mets 98 wins is the perpetual question mark in the back of the rotation...and by back of the rotation, I mean everything beyond Johan Santana.

Mike Pelfrey is listed as the No. 2, but pitched well-beyond his career-high in innings last season. There is pessimism from critics as to how he will rebound this season from his breakout performance last year.

Oliver Perez at No. 3 has the talent to be a No. 1, but has yet to harness his potential and turn it into stellar results on a consistent basis. Inability to control his emotions and concentrate on the task at hand will be a thorn in his side throughout the rest of his career. Anything in the 12-15 win range with a 4.00ish earned run average is perfectly acceptable for Ollie.

John Maine just needs to stay healthy. When he does, he's a solid No. 2 option. The pressure of being in the No. 4 slot will hopefully help him take things easy this season.

As for the No. 5 slot, I see it as being a platoon all year. If the Mets get 10 wins out of that slot, chalk it up in the win column.

The offense will be productive as usual, with Reyes, Wright, and Beltran all poised to lead the attack. Carlos Delgado is an X-factor, and his production will have a major impact on the team's success. Anything out of the catcher or second base position are an added bonus.

If Ryan Church is healthy and Daniel Murphy continues to look as sharp as he was at the plate last year, the Mets will be in very good shape.

Finally, the most important changes for the Mets came in the bullpen. The signing of Francisco Rodriguez and trade for J.J. Putz will have an immediate and lasting impact. Bullpen woes were the difference in winning the division and pulling another "C" word last year and the year before. With a new-look 'pen, the Mets can make some serious noise in October.

2) Philadelphia Phillies (89-73)
Though many experts consider the Marlins and Braves as legitimate contenders, it's still just a two-team race, as it should be.

The Phils' only major change comes in right field, where they brough in Raul Ibanez to replace the departed Pat Burrell. The core of Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley is still intact, which will provide fans with some high-scoring affairs, but does Philadelphia have the pitching to back up the offense?

Yes and no.

Cole Hamels is a bona fide ace. He's legit, but had trouble with several teams last year. Behind him are Brett Myers (devastating when healthy, but otherwise unpredictable), Jamie Moyer (46), Joe Blanton (overachieved in Philly last year, leading to unrealistic expectations this year), and Chan Ho Park (don't waste your time laughing - he'll be out of the rotation very quick).

The Phillies have great role players and a great bench, but won't achieve success unless it's handed to them on a silver platter for a third year in a row. They should be able to snag the Wild Card, however.

3) Florida Marlins (84-78)
The Marlins are young and hungry, but again, won't be able to patch it together for a full season. Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, and Andrew Miller all have a lot of hype, but questions arise challenging how far they can go into games. The Marlins have a very weak bullpen which may be an Achilles' heel.

Jorge Cantu had a career-year last year, and it's tough to expect him to have a repeat performance this time around. Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez anchor the offense, but without solid production from the other power positions, may not be able to provide enough offense to give pitchers consistent run support.

They'll be contenders into late-summer, but will fade towards the end.

4) Atlanta Braves (82-80)
Another Florida-like team, the Braves are still trying to rebuild back to the team which owned the division for over a dozen years. They have one of the best managers in the game, but without the right personnel, it's tough to convert what you have into wins.

Atlanta is holding itself back by re-signing Tom Glavine, who is done. He no longer has the stuff or the health to even win 10 games. Derek Lowe was a great signing, but not as an ace pitcher. Against the other top aces in the league, he's going to be in serious trouble.

Larry Wayne Jones, Jr. and Brian McCann are still two of the best players in the division, and have a nice variety of talent around them to piece together a .500 ball club, but like the Marlins, a weak bullpen will doom them in the end.

5) Washington Nationals (68-94)
Give it up to the Nats - they at least showed some effort this offseason, spending money on Adam Dunn, and trying to bring Mark Teixeira aboard. Jesus Flores is one of the great young catchers in the game, and if Nick Johnson and Ryan Zimmerman can stay on the field, Washington will catch some teams by surprise.

Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes, and Josh Willingham are also some big bats capable of hurting opponents.

The problem in Washington won't be the offense as much as it is the pitching. Unless these young guys they've brough in have flown under everyone's radar, it will be another long year in the nation's capital.

Go Expos!


Recap:

N.L. East - Mets
N.L. Central - Cubs
N.L. West - Dodgers
N.L. Wild Card - Phils

A.L. East - BoSox
A.L. Central - Twins
A.L. West - Halos
A.L. Wild Card - Yanks

Preview/Prediction: A.L. East

The Rays took everyone, including me, for a ride last year. Though I correctly predicted them being out of the cellar, I had them in fourth place, not first.

I nailed Boston's record on the head, and was only a game off of the Yankees' final tally, though I had each team's positioning wrong. Big surprise, the Orioles finished in last. Chalk that one up in the win column for me, but we're not exactly throwing me a parade.


1) Boston Red Sox (96-66)
This being the most difficult division to rank the top three teams, I'm taking what I see as the least favorite and least talented of the three teams to finish in first. The Red Sox are a year older where it hurts (Ortiz, Lowell, Varitek), but have a great wave of youth helping out (Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lowrie), as well as a core of veterans who are still in their prime (Bay, Youkilis, Drew).

Jason Bay is going to have a huge year in his first full campaign in Beantown. I expect him to be an All-Star as well as put up better than his average numbers (.282/31/103).

The Red Sox made a few small moves, acquiring Brad Penny and John Smoltz, so the experience and depth in their rotation and bullpen can very well get them to the promised land.

2) New York Yankees (92-70)
I know, I hate myself too. I can always relish in the fact that I correctly predicted the Yanks to miss the playoffs last year, but don't I do that every year?? By this estimation, they'll win the Wild Card.

The high-profile pickups of C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett are so beaten to death, I'm kicking myself for even mentioning it here.

The Yankees are young and talented, but does Joe Girardi know how to effectively use the talent he has while keeping everyone in the clubhouse happy?

Buckle up, ladies and gents, this is going to be a wild ride in the Bronx this season. Haters should get a good laugh or two.

C.C. won't earn his paycheck, but he'll be solid, maybe winning 16 games with an earned run average of about 3.40. If Yankee fans say that's worth the money he's getting, that's their delusion, and I'll have no part of it. The only reason I say Johan Santana earned his money last year is because he would have had 22 wins if not for the bullpen, and a 2.50 ERA was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

With Jeter in the leadoff hole, it will be much easier for the Yankees to create runs, because he at least gets on base consistently, as opposed to any other option outside of a healthy Johnny Damon.

I won't be surprised if the Yanks win the division, but I'm banking on clubhouse chemistry winning it for the BoSox and losing it for the Yanks.


3) Tampa Bay Rays (90-72)
The odd man out. Sorry, guys. It was a great run last year, the franchise is truly on the map, and here to stay, but this season won't be their year. The young pitching will still be spectacular, but A) they won't be blindsiding anyone this year, B) there's no chance they get away with a full season of injury-less starting pitching, and C) the front office isn't ready to play ugly like the Red Sox and Yankees are willing to do.

Starting David Price in the minors will pay dividends for the Rays down the stretch, but I don't think they'll be able to keep up.

The signing of Pat Burrell could be nice, but they already have Carlos Pena to put up great power numbers with a crappy batting average. They need people to get on base unless they want to live on solo home runs.

Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton...mmmm, nice! But there are still significant holes in the lineup, wheras the Yanks and Sox don't have any automatic outs.

4) Toronto Blue Jays (76-86)
Roy, Roy, Roy. You need to get out of Toronto, buddy. Another 20-win season for Halladay, another bottom-feeding finish for the Jays.

Burnett bounced, and Alex Rios and Vernon Wells continue to be the only intimidating names in the lineup. The Jays are going to need solid production out of unusual places to make any noise this time around.

5) Baltimore Orioles (70-92)
Jeremy Guthrie isn't really the Orioles' opening day starter, is he? Oh dear. Nick Markakis continues to fly under the radar, Brian Roberts continues to silently put up amazing numbers, and Adam Jones is only getting better, but without pitching, these guys are sellers at the trading deadline.

They have some great youth coming in, namely Matt Wieters, one of the top catching prospects in the minors. He's down on the farm to start the season, likely an Evan Longoria-type move from last year, to delay arbitration by a year, but again, it isn't enough yet.

I'd love to keep feeling bad for them, but they'd finish at the bottom in most divisions. It's just the Blue Jays of last year I felt bad for.


Coming sooner than later: N.L. East

Preview/Prediction: N.L. West

The N.L. West last year started as a blowout, as Arizona, with the help of two of the best starting pitchers in the National League, came out of Spring Training hotter than Biba Golic.

As Brandon Webb and Dan Haren faded into mediocrity, so did the D'Backs. Nobody emerged as a good team in the division until the trade deadline, when the Dodgers made the deal of the year, acquiring Manny Ramirez in a three-team trade.

The Dodgers went on to win the division, beating the Cubs in the first round of the playoffs, losing to some crappy team in the NLCS.

I goose-egged the West last year, putting the D'Backs in first (2), Padres in second (5, I always overestimate their ability), Dodgers in third, Rockies in fourth (3), and Giants in last (4).

Let's see if I can do slightly better this year.



1) Los Angeles Dodgers (86-76)

This was a tougher decision than you might imagine. Nobody in the West has offense. Several teams in the West have pitching, but the same was the case last year.

The Dodgers are without Derek Lowe, and for better or worse, without Brad Penny, Greg Maddux, Nomar Garciaparra, and Jeff Kent. The team will look a lot different this season, but I still think the Dodgers have enough pitching to get into the playoffs.

Chad Billingsley is young and underrated. He won't fly under anyone's radar this season as the top gun in the rotation. Anything the Dodgers get out of Jason Schmidt is a nice surprise, but as it should be, they aren't expecting anything.

The offense shouldn't be a problem, considering the perfect mix of youth (James Loney, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier), and veterans (Manny, Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin).

The acquisition of Orlando Hudson will give them solid defense up the middle and plenty of depth, considering Blake DeWitt will start the season coming off the bench.

Juan Pierre, Mart Loretta, and Brad Ausmus on the bench gives L.A. proven starters to fall back on in case of injury.

The biggest question mark is the bullpen, which suffered a hit when Takashi Saito signed with Boston, and an even bigger hit when the Dodgers, for some reason, signed Guillermo Mota.

2) Arizona Diamondbacks (82-80)

If Webb and Haren win all of their starts, the D'Backs might be able to make some noise. Two great starting pitchers works well for you when you've got a good enough offense, and maybe a couple of mediocre-to-decent pitchers to back them up.

Arizona only has two great starting pitchers. No good enough offense, no mediocre-to-decent pitchers to back them up.

The D'Backs' season relies completely on these two. The young offense still won't be able to gel, because there are no veterans to lean on when things get murky. This year's Diamondbacks team will be like the Marlins of the past few years. The energy of the young players will make noise and scare some teams for about 120 or 130 games, but not for a full season.

3) San Francisco Giants (77-85)

If any team in the division is a sleeper, it's the Giants. They may have the best set of five pitchers in the West, but that's only if Barry Zito decides to win a couple games this time around.

Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Randy Johnson provide a solid punch day-in and day-out. The Big Unit will be primed for this season because he's five wins away from 300. He won't throw in the towel after he gets it as long as the team is competitive.

The Giants still lack the big bat in the middle of their lineup necessary to rip opponents apart, so the bullpen will be crucial to the Giants' success.

San Fran picked up Jeremy Affeldt and Bob Howry in free agency, with Brian Wilson set to close out games...for now. Affeldt and Howry have both been closers before.

If starters go deep and the offense provides a little extra now and again, the Giants will be alright.

4) San Diego Padres (68-94)

Now that I'm picking them to finish fourth, they'll finally have a good year. It couldn't come too soon for the Padres, either.

Jake Peavy, somehow, is still in SoCal, as is Chris Young. Trevor Hoffman isn't.

Adrian Gonzalez anchors the offense, but doesn't have much around him, like usual. Brian Giles is a year older, and Cliff Floyd, if healthy, will be available to pinch hit in late innings for the Fathers.

Mark Prior has a chance to win a spot in the rotation, but the odds of him not being injured are probably about even with the chances of the Padres winning the World Series (somewhere around 100/1).

5) Colorado Rockies (60-102)

I'd love to feel bad for the Rockies, but I just don't. After trading Matt Holliday to Oakland, they're left with next to nothing.

Aaron Cook may have a decent year like he did last year (16 wins), and Garrett Atkins will look to have a .300, 30 home run, 120 RBI year, but that's a lot to ask of him without Holliday in the lineup.

Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, and Atkins will all be severely affected by Holliday's absence.

Brian Fuentes left in free agency, leaving a hole in the Rockies' bullpen as well. It will be interesting to see how Huston Street and Jason Marquis react to the climate change.

Preview/Prediction: A.L. West

Much to the surprise of nobody, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won the American League West division crown last year.

No other team finished above .500 in the division, as the Mariners were as big of a bust as the Detroit Tigers. Seattle finished 61-101, largely due to an overhyped starting rotation that ended up being beaten down with injuries.

The Angels had injuries of their own, losing John Lackey for a good portion of time and Kelvim Escobar for the full season, if not forever. Other starters picked up the slack and stepped up in a big way, proving their worth to the team.

The A's made some big moves in the offseason, but I still like the Angels.

1) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (93-69)

Brian Fuentes will replace K-Rod as the closer, Bobby Abreu will replace Garret Anderson in left field, and Kendry Morales will replace Mark Teixeira at first base.

How are the Angels still going to win the division? Pitching.

Jon Garland is no longer the Angels' problem, John Lackey is healthy (knock on wood), and Ervin Santana, Jered Weaver, and Joe Saunders all have less pressure on them this season.

Vlad is a year older and has less help around him, but the Angels have the best manager in the American League sitting on their bench. Mike Scioscia knows how to make puzzle pieces fit.

2) Oakland Athletics (84-78)

The A's exchanged Frank Thomas for Jason Giambi, don't have any starting pitchers you would recognize, and as a matter of fact, don't have anybody in the bullpen you would know, either.

The pickup of Matt Holliday was huge, as was the signing of Orlando Cabrera. They went out and grabbed Nomar Garciaparra, which makes me wonder what the hell Billy Beane is thinking. It's the complete opposite of what he normally does, unless he plans on folding this year with plans of trading whoever has a decent first half to make the team younger again.

The A's usually tend to make it work. They'll have great chemistry and will have fun playing the game. Some of the starters may surprise us. Or they'll just have a terrible, terrible year, finishing in last place.

3) Texas Rangers (75-87)

Arlington natives should get ready for another year of bashing the hell out of the ball but not being able to keep your opponents from doing the same thing.

Nobody scored more runs than the Rangers last year (901), but nobody gave up more, either (967). Not much has changed this time around.

The lineup is still as scary as ever, featuring Michael Young, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Chris Davis, Ian Kinsler, David Murphy, and Josh Hamilton, but it's tough to say whether any of these guys will have repeat performances after very successful 2008 campaigns.

The most interesting thing to look for will be to see how Young fares at third base while youngster Elvis Andrus hits the bigs.

The Rangers have a couple of starting pitchers who can hit double-digit wins, but their bullpen is really going to be interesting. Frank Francisco is the closer, with three ex-closers settting him up: Derrick Turnbow, C.J. Wilson, and Eddie Guardado.

The bullpen might actually be a huge strength for the Rangers. Look for them to retain big leads and maybe even pull off a few come-from-behind victories.

4) Seattle Mariners (71-91)

Something's gotta give soon for the Mariners. They can't stay healthy, and can't get solid returns on their investments.

Raul Ibanez hit the road, and Ken Griffey, Jr. came back into the lives of the Mariner-faithful. Which senior citizen will have a bigger year, Griffey or Giambi? I honestly think Giambi, though I'd love for the answer to be Griffey. He only deserves the best.

King Felix and Erik Bedard, when healthy, provide a solid 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Everything else is a question mark when it comes to pitching, especially with J.J. Putz in the eastern time zone.



Next on tap: N.L. West

Manny is in, A-Rod and T.O. are out!

Relieving, unfortunate, LAME!


Manny Ramirez Signs With Dodgers

We've been waiting on this one for awhile now. Baseball season would not be allowed to begin without us knowing where Manny would be playing.

It's a little later than I'd like, but now all the players capable of making a huge splash have landed.

A.L. West preview coming later today.


Alex Rodriguez Out Until May

Rodriguez had an MRI on his hip which found a cyst. Surgery is required and preliminary reports have him out for about 10 weeks, though that may change.

This is a huge blow for the Yankees, who needed a quick start from him. They still have the firepower to stay afloat until he comes back, but they lost a lot of their offense from last year, which was already lacking, and Mark Teixeira never gets off to a quick start. He normally does his damage in the summer months and after the All-Star break.

The difference for the Yankees this year is their pitching, but without solid offensive production, they could find themselves in an early hole. A-Rod was solely responsible for a good chunk of the Yankees wins early last season.

It's too bad for A-Rod, because now people will question whether the injury is steroid-related, and whether he'll be injury-riddled now that he's clean. More questions which won't be answered. He won't be able to just shake this off.

A.L. East preview should come early next week.


Terrell Owens Cut By Cowboys

This comes at such a terrible time, mainly because we really won't know if this was a good move or a bad move until the NFL is significantly into the season. Soooo....eight or nine months? Awesome.

I think it's a bad move because T.O. is responsible for half of the 'Boys passing offense. They've got Roy Williams as their big playmaking receiver now, but he has yet to prove himself since jumping to the pros.

Most of the blame can be put on the Lions for being such a bad team, but now the Cowboys have nobody to blame when they miss the playoffs for a second straight year. Heads will roll.

NFC East preview coming in August. Maybe. Eh, probably not.

Preview/Prediction: N.L. Central

Looks like Manny is going back to the Dodgers, but I'm going to be safe and stick with the least likely of his landing spots.

The N.L. Central is a little easier to predict than the A.L. Central, where like the N.L. West, anything can happen.

Last year I got the bottom two right...the top four, not so much. I put too much faith in the Cardinals (4th place), picking them to finish first. I had the Cubs (1st) in second, the Brewers (2nd) in third, and the Astros (3rd) in fourth.

The Cubs retain the best all-around team, including the best starting rotation in the division, and probably the league. They didn't exactly get better, but as if they needed any extra help, the division got much, much worse.

For the Cubs not to win this division by 10 or more games, some young kids are going to need to step up somewhere and make a huge impact.

1) Chicago Cubs (99-63)

I won't give them triple-digits, but I'll give them a 14-game pad when things are said and done. The rest of the division has absolutely nothing. The biggest question for the Cubs is the bullpen, where Bob Howry and Kerry Wood both left town. Carlos Marmol is currently the closer, but with the acquisition of Kevin Gregg, things could change quick. Aaron Heilman would like to compete for a starting spot, but he's more likely to end up a closer, as is the case with fellow Notre Dame Alum Jeff Samardzija.

The Cubbies picked up Milton Bradley (eh.) and Aaron Miles (eh.), but more importantly, likely won't be starting Kosuke Fukudome. Now that I've trashed him, he'll have a great year. But now that I've said he'll have a great year, he'll suck. And now that...nevermind.

The rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster, and Ted Lilly will be fine, even if there are some minor injuries. They've got enough to put the division away early, and it won't even be competitive.

2) Houston Astros (85-77)

This is kind of a "by default" second place pick. Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee are each a year older, and Mark Loretta and Ty Wigginton each bounced in free agency. The best news for the Astros? They still have Roy Oswalt. The bad news? The offense can't produce enough to even guarantee him another 17-win season.

3) St. Louis Cardinals (83-79)

If Chris Carpenter were to ever become healthy, the Cardinals organization might feel a little more confident. Jason Isringhausen headed to the Rays, Aaron Miles to the Cubs, and Felipe Lopez to the D'Backs. Without any decent pitchers in the rotation or the bullpen, there will be a lot of pressure on the Pujols, Ludwick, Ankiel combination. The big three will get it done on offense, but it won't be enough due to lack of production from the surrounding cast.

4) Milwaukee Brewers (80-84)

Trevor Hoffman, Eric Gagne, Jorge Julio. What the hell are the Brewers doing? Braden Looper is apparently their big replacement for Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. Yovani Gallardo is their ace. The youthful sluggers, Cory Hart, Ryan Braun, and Prince Fielder, will win them some games, but not enough to make any significant noise in the division.

5) Cincinnati Reds (72-94)

The Reds picked up a plethora of free agents, none of whom will really make a huge impact. Willy Taveras will be roaming center in Cinci, and David Weathers was retained to "help out" in the pen. Teams will be ready for Edinson Volquez this year, and without a left-handed starter, it's going to be a long season for Reds fans. They'll be lucky not to finish in last.

6) Pittsburgh Pirates (70-92)

The Pirates didn't get much better, but maybe a little bit. They picked up Eric Hinske in free agency to come off the bench. The rotation is iffy, but they'll have Jeff Karstens from the starting line. 70 wins isn't too much to ask, is it?



Coming soon: Most likely the A.L. West...but no promises.

Preview/Prediction: A.L. Central

I'm about fed up with Manny Ramirez not signing, I need to talk baseball.

The safest bet would be to begin with the A.L. Central. If Manny ends up there, shame on everyone. We should all just go home now.

I was just about completely ass-backwards last year with the Central. I picked the Tigers to win, the Royals to finish last, and the Indians, Twins, and ChiSox to finished 2-through-4, respectively.

I goose-egged all the way around. Eek.

1) Minnesota Twins (92-70)

The Twins picked up Luis Ayala in the bullpen and Joe Crede at third. They retained Nick Punto at shortstop, and lost Adam Everett and Eddie Guardado. A relatively quiet offseason for Minnesota's finest. This is a young team with a solid foundation in Mauer and Morneau, a great bullpen anchored by Joe Nathan, and a young and capable pitching staff. I like them to win a few extra games than last year and take the division title.

2) Cleveland Indians (88-74)

The Indians are taking the risks with Carl Pavano and Kerry Wood, with the upside much greater than the losses if things don't work out. Cliff Lee won't have anything close to the year he had in 2008. The big question mark for Cleveland is whether Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner finally stay healthy. I'll take a gamble and say yes. Expect great things from Grady Sizemore this season (duh?).

3) Detroit Tigers (87-75)

Detroit had a much more quiet offseason this time around, bringing in role players like Brandon Lyon, Juan Rincon, and Adam Everett. Todd Jones retired, which should be worth 8 or 10 wins right off the bat. A healthy Curtis Granderson will get the Tigers started off right. You won't be seeing an 0-16 mark from this Detroit team.

4) Chicago White Sox (80-82)

This team is getting older, though Alexei Ramirez is going to have a huge year. The starting pitching will be the downfall in ChiTown. Griffey, Crede, and Juan Uribe are all gone, and Orlando Cabrera is as good as gone, too.

5) Kansas City Royals (76-86)

The Royals' offense is making strides as the young guys (Billy Butler, Alex Gordon) grow up. The acquisition of Mike Jacobs will be nice, but they still don't have the pitching to make moves. Back to the basement for K.C. after a stunning fourth-place finish last season.


Coming soon: The second-least probable landing spot for Manny - the N.L. Central.
If he signs, I'll probably do up the A.L. West.

Featured On FoxSports

Watch me get killed with my half of the Duke/UNC preview featured on FoxSports. The comments are hopefully going to get juicy!

A-Rod Admits to Juicing

In an interview being conducted as we speak by Peter Gammons, Alex Rodriguez has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during the 2001-2003 seasons while with the Texas Rangers.

This is a huge step for baseball to have the best player in the game over the last dozen years to come out and admit to his mistakes. It took integrity, and though he had already lied in the past, it's not like he's the only player to deny taking steroids.

Andy Pettitte got a pass for admitting use. Jason Giambi apologized for...something...and was forgiven. A-Rod deserves the same. I'm electing to believe his admission to only using for three seasons, and I don't think it should permanently taint his career.

There was no punishment set in stone in the 2003 season when he tested positive, and the results were supposed to be anonymous. A lot of different people have answers to give, including the players' union.

Rodriguez will not be subject to punishment, but he'll receive plenty of it when he travels on road games, and who's to say Yankees fans won't give him hell either?

Again, steroids don't help you see the ball or even hit it. That takes skill. Alex Rodriguez is still the best player of this era, and he should not be excluded from the Hall of Fame for it.

I'm ready for baseball season

Word.

I'd love to get my previews going, but there are still some impact players left on the market.

Adam Dunn or Orlando Hudson I couldn't care less about. Whoever they sign with won't necessarily put the team over the hump - they aren't those type of impact players.

Ken Griffey, Jr. and Bobby Abreu can make a team better. But they aren't the ones I'm talking about.

Ben Sheets is probably having surgery and will miss most, if not all of this season, so his availability is a non-factor for now.

But there is the one guy whose presence can impact a team.

You know who I mean.

Derek Jeter.

Derek Jeter, Derek Jeter, Derek Jeter.

Since I've got that out of my system, let's be serious.

Manny Ramirez needs to sign somewhere. NOW. He's holding up my baseball season. Maybe he'll just defer until into the season when teams are underperforming and get so desperate, they really shell out the dough (Rawja Clemens?).

Of course I'd like him on the Mets now that we have our starting rotation figured out. His bat would really put a nice shine on the rings we win in October.

I don't think the Giants will shell out the money on him. I really don't think they're ready for another high-caliber slugger/media frenzy maker.

The Angels would be a nice fit for him, but they really need a left-handed bat, so Abreu or Griffey (and Ramirez?) could work for them.

The Rangers seem to have smartened up since the 10-year/$252 million deal they gave to A-Rod earlier this century, so don't expect them to swoop in with some ridiculous number in an attempt to get their team out of the gutter.

Let's not talk about if he puts on pinstripes. Bad things will happen.

Then we come to...the Dodgers.

Playing chicken with Scott Boras. Like he said, it's a dangerous game. Most likely, he'll win. Why? Because he has Manny Ramirez, and neither of them care who he ends up with, or when he ends up with them.

Los Angeles' front office needs to just realize this, give him his money and his years, and deal with whatever follows. The fans won't accept not signing him, he's right in front of their faces.

Three years, $54 mil might do the trick, but $60 mil isn't a bad deal either, considering they started by offering $22.5 mil per year then went up to $25 mil.

Step up, do the right thing.

As for the A-Rod testing positive for steroids thing - leave it alone. We taint every single sports star in the world. What? You're good at something? Let's ruin you!! We're even in the process of ruining America's darling, Michael Phelps, because he's a 23-year old taking a bong hit.

Nobody's perfect. Let it go.

Maybe it was Super!

That was one hell of a fourth quarter, no?

The first three quarters sucked for the most part, except for James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired in the first half.

My prediction (27-20) probably would have looked more credible had I NOT included a scoring-by-quarter breakdown in the comments section, because I had Pittsburgh up big, allowing Arizona to score a junk touchdown to put the total points over the 45.5 point line and break hearts of everyone who put money on it.

If I put slightly more thought into it, I would have given Arizona a few more points so they would cover the spread and make Vegas even more money (complying with my "everything is fixed" conspiracy theory). Alas, we get the 27-23 score and Vegas makes a TON of money because everyone had Pittsburgh to cover 6.5 and the under.

Commercials were decent, with Doritos and Bud Light as my winners, but Pepsi got screwed out of lots of positive attention. The MacGruber commercial was actually the second in a set of three which were debuted on NBC the night before. For more info on the snubbing and to see all three, check out this article.

Not So Super Bowl

This isn't exactly Giants-Pats, but it is football. It is the Super Bowl.

I'm still not sure I understand how the Cardinals are there. I guess I'm coming around to admitting they deserve to be there. Hell, they could even win this game (if Hines Ward is less than 75 percent).

Covering the pass is a lot tougher than covering the run, which gives the Cardinals' defense an advantage over the Steelers' D. Arizona is pass-heavy, and have a playmaker lined up wide on each side of Kurt Wanrer.

The Cardinals have options in the backfield behind Warner, but Tim Hightower has been spotty the past few games. Running the ball against the Steelers isn't going to be any easier than it was against the Eagles, so look for Edge to get the majority of the carries again.

Arizona can spread it out, as nine different players caught passes in the NFC Championship game (not including Warner's reception).

Pittsburgh is more of a traditional football squad, with a pair of big name receivers, but they do most of their damage on the ground, with Mr. Willie Parker.

Ben Roethlisberger is a little banged up, but he's a gamer, so I fully expect him to play every down on offense. The Cardinals also don't feature a smash-mouth defense (ranked 14th in team sacks, Pitt ranked No. 2), so Big Ben probably won't be pushed around too much when he drops back.

The weather favors the Cardinals, but I don't think it will be enough in the end.

The Cardinals will score early, probably have 10-13 points by the half, but Pitt's defense will take over in the second half.

27-20 Pittsburgh

Best Story I've Ever Read

You won't appreciate it if you've never seen "The Princess Bride," in which case I suggest you go watch it (you can borrow it from me), then read this article written by a member of Bleacher Report. It's a flawless, creative Super Bowl preview.

Who's Going To the Super Bowl?

I'm predicting an all-Manning Super Bowl. This way, people won't be so obsessed with the commercials due to a boring game.

Oh. Damn.

There are three "teams of destiny" playing, so one has to lose. The Steelers are the only team playing without destiny on its side. Sucks for them, apparently.

AFC Championship
Ravens @ Steelers
Pittsburgh won both regular season matchups, which if history indicates anything, means the Ravens will win today.

Wrong.

The Steelers' offense is as balanced and healthy now as it has been since the first two weeks of the season. Pitt's D is still Pitt's D. The Ravens lose this one, going away. I'm seriously talking double-digits. Nobody is expecting what's about to happen today.

NFC Championship
Eagles @ Cardinals
Why are either of these teams here? I hate the city of Philadelphia so much right now.

Pick: Philly and a knife in my toe, please.

Pray for 0-2 so the state of Pennsylvania gets no love.