Girardi said it was all about throwing strikes, and it looks like they followed through on that.

Traber, we all expected.  Ohlendorf also didn’t give up a run in ST, and also walked only one: it makes sense that he beats out Rasner (7 walks in 8 innings) for long guy.  Bruney, whom we mostly expected to make it, had a decent spring and K’d 8 in 5.3 IP. 

Albaladejo got hit hard in ST, but also K’d 9 in 8.3, and only walked 3. 

Scott Patterson (who arguably had the best spring of any of the pitchers) and Chris Britton have to be thinking, “What do I have to do to get some respect?” but managers usually say ST is more about stuff than results.  I imagine Albaladejo goes down when Pettitte comes back.

I want to echo the voices from the the last thread: fantastic job on the analysis SG, and also on your THT article.  This blog got me through a lot of snow and darkness this winter.

In the last thread j asked if we could do a pre-season prediction contest type thing, so here’s your chance.

Nice, thanks! Should be fun to see who got what right at the end of the year.

Here’s a question for any out of market DirecTV subscribers out there. I subscribe to Extra Innings (have so for the last 2 years and also for this year) because I’m out of market.  I just upgraded to HD (bought a new TV and everything, etc) and in flipping through my channels, I noticed I’m getting YES HD (and YES, also.)

Mistake by DirecTV? Some sort of free preview?  As per DirecTV’s web site, YES is not the regional sports network available in my area.

Anyone else getting YES HD via DirecTV and not living in the NY/NJ/CT area?

Ohlendorf most certainly gave up at least one run, because someone, I don’t remember who, took him out of the park.  And in terms of throwing strikes, Patterson was not lacking in that area at all.  In any case, all the relievers will have a chance at some point.  I do feel bad for Patterson, though.  The guy is 28 and has spent years making no money and living in fringe cities.  I’m sure he felt his time had finally come.

ESPN lists Ohlendorf as giving up 2 runs and a HR, but no ERs.  I must have been looking at the ERA column.  I didn’t mean to imply that Patterson didn’t throw strikes: quite the opposite.  That’s why he’s entitled to be miffed.

AL East
1) Yankees
2) Red Sox
3) Devil Rays
4) Blue Jays
5) Orioles

AL Central
1) Tigers
2) Indians
3) Twins
4) White Sox (I almost swapped the Sox and Royals)
5) Royals

AL West
1) Angels
2) Mariners
3) A’s
4) Rangers

AL ROY: Joba Chamberlain (There’s so much hype that he has to really f* up not to get this. I could see some sleepers coming in from behind to get it though.)
AL Cy Young: Erik Bedard
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (he’ll power the Tigers to the division title)
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon (Even if he doesn’t deserve it, he’ll get some credit for the D-Rays)

NL East
1) Mets (Unfortunately)
2) Phillies
3) Braves
4) Nationals (I like Ryan Zimmerman a lot to break out this season, and I think that they are going to be a surprising success under Manny Acta, I think he’s an amazing manager)
5) Marlins (try and name half their roster. It won’t be easy if you can even do it)

NL Central (this race is going to be a tight one because of the plethora of mediocrity)
1) Cubs
2) Reds
3) Brewers
4) Astros
5) Cards
6) Pirates

NL West (this race is going to be a tight one for opposite reasons from the NL Central)
1) Rockies
2) Dodgers (Russ Martin & Chad Billingsley have huge seasons, and the rest of the team isn’t too shabby either… Unfortunately, Joe Torre doesn’t give the young players chances, and the team misses the title by just a few games)
3) Diamondbacks
4) Padres
5) Giants

NL ROY: Johnny Cueto (If Justin Upton was eligible, I would put him… Cueto is a major sleeper)
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy (Between him and Santana, I like Peavy because Peavy doesn’t have to adjust to new hitters and a new league)
NL MVP: David Wright (If he can carry the Mets to the title, which I can see him doing, he could very easily get this)
NL Manager of the Year: Clint Hurdle (though it should go to Manny Acta)

Do we have to make predictions for everything?  After all, I don’t pay much attention to the NL so making predictions about the Cubs, Diamondbacks and such would be a bit foolish.  In terms of the AL East, I can’t understand why the media loves Boston so much.  They have the same pitching issues as the Yanks (although they do have an “ace” in Josh Beckett) and an inferior, albeit still very good, starting lineup.  Also, it would be foolish to assume that Okajima is going to pitch as well in 2008 as he did last year.  After all, he was no great shakes in Japan.  For me, Toronto has the best rotation in the division and a fairly solid bullpen (I can’t believe Sabean traded Accardo for Shea Hillenbrand) but they are going to need a solid year offensively, which is rather doubtful.  In any case, here are my limited picks:

AL East
1)Yanks
2)Red Sox
3)Blue Jays
4)Rays
5)Orioles

AL Central
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

AL West
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

AL ROY: Evan Longoria (unless Joba or Buchholz are something like 12-1, neither will win).
AL Cy Young: AJ Burnett (he can opt out after this year and will respond accordingly)
AL MVP: David Ortiz (Grady Sizemore will deserve the award but Ortiz wins because the media is mesmerized by all his RBIs.
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon (the father of “good hardball” will take home some end of the season hardware).

I so suck at these….

AL East
1) Boston Red Sox
2) New York Yankees
3) Tampa Bay Rays
4) Toronto Blue Jays
5) Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1) Cleveland Indians
2) Detroit Tigers
3) Kansas City Royals
4) Minnesota Twins
5) Chicago White Sox

AL West
1) City That Is Actually In Another County And Several Miles South of Los Angeles Angels
2) Oakland A’s
3) Seattle Mariners
4) Texas Rangers
5) there is no fifth team in the AL West, silly…

AL ROY: Joba Chamberlain (why not?)
AL Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia
AL MVP: Orlando Cabrera, even though A-Rod will have a better year, but the BBWAA won’t give it to the same guy two years in a row
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon

NL East
1) New York Mets
2) Washington Nationals
3) Atlanta Braves
4) Philadelphia Phillies
5) Florida Marlins

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

NL West
1) Arizona Diamondbacks
2) Colorado Rockies
3) San Diego Padres
4) Los Angeles Dodgers
5) San Francisco Giants

NL ROY: Kosuke Fukudome
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL MVP: David Wright
NL Manager of the Year: Manny Acta

Some of these choices are a bit bizarre—like the Nats finishing that high, but I think they have some surprises in them, and I think that the Braves and Phillies have a lot that can go wrong, and I’m arbitrarily predicting that they will. I also think the Mets will win their division with fewer wins than they had while finishing in second last year.

The top four of the NL West are all but interchangeable, and I think they’ll be within 3-4 games of each other. I’m going with the Dodgers in fourth just because I’m half-expecting Torre to let Juan Pierre play every day, and Nomaaaaaahhhhh to get playing time at LaRoche’s expense. Also Jeff Kent will finally go over the cliff, but Torre will play him anyhow.

I think the AL West is going to be awful this year. The Angels will come out on top, but only because they won’t be challenged by the rebuilding A’s, the awful Rangers, or the overrated Mariners.

I honestly think the Rays will vault to third, though it’ll be a distant third behind the NYY-BOS juggernaut, and that the Blue Jays and O’s will suck even more than we think.

I only think the Reds will be as high as third because the other three teams in the division are so bad. I also think the Cubs will win with 85 wins. In fact, I’ll be stunned if any team in the NL breaks 100 wins, and I’ll be equally stunned if fewer than three AL teams do.

I also think the only 100-loss team will be the Giants.

Wild card? Either the Yanks or Tigers in the AL, and the Rockies in the NL.

BTW, I’m up for liveblogging opening day. My cousin recently moved into my building, and she got regular cable, which includes YES. She’s also a baseball fan (albeit a Mets fan, but nobody’s perfect), so she will sometimes let me come down and watch a game. She’ll also be at work Monday, so I should be able to watch the game on her TV and in general liveblog with TV more than with WCBS.

Suck at these I also do.

AL East
1)Yanks
2)Toronto
3)Sox (out of spite)
4)Rays
5)O’s

AL Central
1)Tigers
2)Indians
3)Twins
4)W. Sox
5)Royals

AL West
1)Angels
2)M’s
3)A’s
4)Rangers

AL ROY: Mr. Rules
AL Cy Young: Verlander
AL MVP: Cabrera but the best position players will be A-Rod and A-Rios
AL Manager of the Year: Dude up in Toronto

NL East
1)Mets
2)Braves
3)Phils
4)Nationals
5)Marlins

NL Central
1)Who
2)the
3)hell
4)really
5)cares
6)?

NL West
1)D’backs
2)Dodgers
3)Rockies
4)Padres
5)Giants losing 105 games

NL ROY: Someone I’m barely aware of right now
NL Cy Young: Santana
NL MVP: Wright but Utley will be best position player
NL Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox

AL East
1) New York
2) Boston
3) Tampa Bay
4) Toronto
5) Baltimore

AL Central
1) Cleveland
2) Detroit*
3) Kansas City
4) Chicago
5) Minnesota

AL West
1) Texas [Find this division so uninspiring, so I go with a surprise!]
2) Anaheim
3) Seattle
4) Oakland

AL ROY: Ian Kennedy
AL Cy Young: Chien Ming Wang [wins, wins, wins, voters can’t say no to 23]
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez [Josh Hamilton will be runner up]
AL Manager of the Year: Ron Washington, Joe G. second

NL East
1) Atlanta
2) Philadelphia
3) New York [will not be rewarded for downright hideous roster construction]
4) Washington
5) Florida

NL Central
1) Milwaukee [hello late nineties Indians, nice to see you again]
2) Cincinnati
3) Chicago [I’m positive things will go wrong, not sure how exactly]
4) Houston [rec. close to .500]
5) Pittsburgh
6) St. Louis [abysmal]

NL West
1) Arizona
2) Colorado*
3) San Diego
4) Los Angeles [Media will finally disembowel Ned, Torre stays teflon]
5) San Francisco [Call me crazy, but I just don’t think they have the hitting this year]

NL ROY: Edinson Volquez
NL Cy Young: Danny Haren
NL MVP: Mark Teixera
NL Manager of the Year: The ole’ Dust ball, with Cox a close second

this is fun. i have a suspicion the yankees and sox will tie but we will beast them in the season series. but don’t hold that against me if i’m wrong.

AL East
1) Yankays
2) Sox
3) Jays
4) Rays
5) Os

AL Central
1) Tigers
2) Cleveland
3) White Sox
4) Twins
5) Royals

AL West
1) Seattle
2) Angels
3) Oakland
4) Texas

AL ROY: Ellsbury
AL Cy Young: Verlander
AL MVP: Robbie Cano
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon (will also endorse Lenscrafters)

NL East
1) Mets
2) Braves
3) Phillies
4) Nats
5) Marlins

NL Central
1) Cubs
2) Cardinals
3) Brewers
4) Astros
5) Reds
6) Pirates

NL West
1) Padres
2) Torres
3) Rox
4) Diamondbacks
5) Giants

NL ROY: Joey Votto
NL Cy Young: Santana
NL MVP: Utley
NL Manager of the Year: Bud Black

—-
i have a suspicion the yankees and sox will tie but we will beast them in the season series. don’t hold that against me if i’m wrong.

i think the blue jays pitching is pretty intimidating.

verlander will win mad games. cano will be all that he can be on both sides of the ball.

i also considered trey hillman for AL MOY, if somehow the royals improve in any significant way he may get some credit.

i think the braves will be pretty good. santana will do what he’s supposed to. love to see utley stay on the field for a whole season just to see what he can do. he will this year and both leagues’ MVPs will be 2Bman (for the first time in history?).

frog you could be right about wright at mvp. they’re dying to give it to him.

AL East
1)Yankees
2)Rays* (a season early?)
3)Red Sox (I’m thinking injuries with age, and Ellsbury over-hyped)
4)Blue Jays
5)Orioles

AL Central
1)Indians
2)Tigers
3)Royals
4)White Sox
5)Twins (Liriano is great = Santana, Gomez not = Hunter)

AL West
1)Mariners
2)Angels
3)Athletics (will contend early, before regretting trade of Haren, Swisher)
4)Rangers

AL ROY: Hughes, voters opt for low-3.00 ERA from starter, than sub-3.00 from half starter (Joba)  Bucholz is caught stealing jockstraps.
AL Cy Young: Liriano’s start in minors will sway voters to go with - King Felix Hernandez
AL MVP: Jeter - A-Rod’s prediction was correct - voters like Jeter’s near .400 average, as opposed to A-Rod’s near 70 home run total - A-Rod second, third place goes to Crawford
AL Manager of the Year: Girardi
AL Comeback: Tie between Liriano and Harden

NL East
1)Phillies
2)Braves* (Francouer is next big thing, again - 50 homers)
3)Mets (I just don’t like them - Santana will get injured)
4)Marlins
5)Nationals (hot start canceled out by suspensions to early MVP favorites Milledge and Dukes - suspended for starting fistfight after arguing over who was better)

NL Central
1)Cubs
2)Brewers
3)Reds (not ready yet)
4)Astros
5)Cardinals (only two good players, Carpenter, Pujols go down with injuries)
6)Pirates (if not here, then first place)

NL West
1)Dodgers (Joe IS a winner)
2)D-backs
3)Rockies (say hello to your 2005 Astros)
4)Padres
5)Giants (yeah right)

NL ROY: Fukudome to good to ignore, Kuroda a close second
NL Cy Young: Matt Cain, best player on worst team
NL MVP: Voters opt for Matt Kemp’s total package over Francouer’s power
NL Manager of the Year: Joe Torre
NL Comeback: Mike Hampton

Playoffs:
Yankees over Rays
Mariners over Indians
Braves over Phillies
Dodgers over Cubs

Yankees over Mariners (MVP: Rodriguez)
Dodgers over Braves (MVP: Scott Proctor)

Yankees over Dodgers (MVP: Jeter)

EElz… Marinated,Jamaican Jerk dusted pork chops on the Weber. Duvel in the pretty glasses.I Am Legend In the DVD player. See ya soon in da Bronx.

the prodigal geezer returns. good to see you’re not abstaining anymore. enjoy your saturday night and don’t forget to keep your Life Alert with you at all times.

P.S.  My “Cabrera” MVP pick is Miguel—not Orlando, or Melky, or Daniel,  or José Ramón Balaguer.

AL East
1)Yankees
2)Red Sox
3)Rays (on the order of more than 85 wins)
4)Jays
5)
6)Orioles (yes, they’re that bad)

AL Central
1) Tigers
2) Indians
3) Minnesota
4) Royals
5) White Sox

AL West
1) Seattle
2) LAA
3) Oakland
4) Texas

AL ROY: Joba, with Longoria and Price getting honorable mention (don’t the Rays also have this years 1st round pick? Jeesh)
AL Cy Young: Kei Ig…. no, seriously. Tough to pick Kazmir or Lackey with the both starting on the DL. I’m going to with the Wanger with some watered down competition.
AL MVP: ARod
AL Manager of the Year: It’ll go to Maddon with the massive improvements the Rays will make this year.

NL East
1) Braves
2) Mets
3) Phillies
4) Marlins
5) Nat’s

NL Central
1) Milwaukee
2) Cubbies
3) Houston
4) St. Louis
5) Pittsburgh
6) Cincinnati

NL West
1) Arizona
2) LAD
3) Colorado
4) Padres
5) SFG

NL ROY: Jay Bruce
NL Cy Young: Dan Haren
NL MVP: Chase Utley
NL Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox

Playoffs
AL WC: Boston
Yankees over Seattle
Detroit over Boston
Yankees over Detroit

NL WC: Mets
Braves over Brewers
Dbacks over Mets
Dbacks over Braves

Yankees over Dbacks

Hmm, seems like we’ve got a lot of enemies on those playoff lists.  Boston, Seattle, Detroit, the Mets, Braves, D-backs. Reminds me of when the Knicks were good and everyone played them tough, all of a sudden we had a bunch of new rivalries (Pacers, Heat, Raptors..) Let’s hope the Yankees long term fate is better than that of their basketball counterparts.

Frog.. Could you tell me uhh when the Knicks were good? EELZ labels me as a geezer but I gotta say I cant even remember when the Knicks were good.
Yo EELZ arm wrestle ya for a Samsung.

The Yankees used this lineup in spring training today, and I think I just creamed in my pants.

Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Matsui DH
Cabrera CF

Nate- Gotta find another outlet lad.Or input Geeze.
We saw that one several times last season.

Thurm, It was j who posted about the Knicks, not I.  But I’m a gamer, so, to answer your question . . .

I remember at the lottery in 1985.  I think that was the last time the Knicks were good.  Sure, there have been bright moments since: Starks dunking over 5 Bulls, Marcus Camby everywhere at once vs. the Pacers, Johnny Newman’s face . . .  But yeah.  1985, Dave DeBuschere pounding the table.

Frog.. Could you tell me uhh when the Knicks were good? EELZ labels me as a geezer but I gotta say I cant even remember when the Knicks were good.

My fondest Knicks memories:

- “The Dunk” - John Starks over Jordan, Horace Grant and maybe Bill Cartwright, left handed in the playoffs.

- Every mid 90’s playoff series with the Bulls. Chicago basically walked all over every team except the Knicks back then.

- Jeff Van Gundy ankle-biting Alonzo Mourning. We lost that Game 7 because of suspensions.

- Larry Johnson’s 4 point play in ‘99.. I believe it was against the Pacers.

- Going to the Finals as #8 seed, also in ‘99 I believe.  No one remembers but the only reason the Knicks were the 8 seed is because they were the 3 or 4 seed and played like shit for the last 2 weeks of the season.

- Starts almost making a 3 vs Houston in Game 6 of the 94(?) finals. That would have won it.

- I’m not old enough to remember Willis Reed, but I’ve seen the tapes and that series with LA looked like it was awesome.

When I was in my Knicks-watching prime, the team looked like this:

G John Starks
G Mark Jackson
C Patrick Ewing
F Charles Oakley
F Xavier McDaniel
+ Anthony Mason, Derek Harper..

Towards the late 90s, this team as almost just as fun to watch:

G Latrell Sprewell
G Allan Houston
C Patrick Ewing
F Kurt Thomas
F Larry Johnson
+ guys like Marcus Camby, and Charlie Ward (the best QB in NY at the time.)

Yes, the 90s was a good time to be a Knicks fan. Now, not so much.

J-Gao - Hughes doesn’t qualify, too many innings last year.

Wow 2 Duvels and I can’t tell who’s posting.
The Knicks were very fun in the 90’s. I loved Oak and X.
I’m a former 6er guy from the happy Doc,Moses,Mo Cheeks,Bobby Jones Andrew Toney days. I can’t even watch the NBA anymore.
I am Legend was not too good. If ya love the FX its above average.
Not finding Will Smith a good Sam Jackson sub.Not a thespian of great skill IMO.
Pork chops rocked.Spuds as well.

j, Not to quibble but Jackson and McDaniel were both long gone by the time Harper and Mason joined the Knicks.  In fact, Doc Rivers replaced Jackson and Charles Smith (sigh) replaced McDaniel.

Thurm, Spuds or Suds?

Also Thurm, when I was too young to follow basketball my Dad (who’s from Philly) hung a Dr. J poster in my room—because my Mom wouldn’t let him hang it anywhere else in the apartment.

I think this year is a bit harder to predict than last year…

AL East
1) Yankees
2) Red Sox * (wild card)
3) Rays
4) Blue Jays
5) O’s

AL Central
1) Indians
2) Tigers
3) White Sox
4) Twins
5) Royals

AL West
1) Angels
2) Mariners
3) A’s
4) Rangers

AL ROY: Daric Barton
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
AL MVP: Grady Sizemore
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon

NL East
1) Mets
2) Braves (wild card)
3) Phillies
4) Nationals
5) Marlins

NL Central
1) Cubs
2) Brewers
3) Reds
4) Astros
5) Cardinals
6) Pirates

NL West
1) Dodgers
2) D-backs
3) Padres
4) Rockies
5) Giants (by a mile)

NL ROY: Chin-Lung Hu! (homer pick here)
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL MVP: Russell Martin
NL Manager of the Year: Joe Torre

boy I guess it’s good for the game that these picks are getting a lot harder. in the East I think the Rays and Jays are both intriguing teams and the Red Sox /Yankees are pretty close. though I’m getting the feeling that the Jay’s simply carry way too much health risks and the Ray’s are still gonna end up with some black holes at places on their roster .

in the central the Tiger’s regression candidates are just too many. and their depth too horrible. but I suppose their true talent level is a notch higher than the Indians . just that when all’s considered it seems too risky. 3-4-5 could all switch places . the Pale Hose is like a worse version of the Tigers. their potential for another collapse is still there. KC has queitly started to put together the foundation of a real team again. though it’s probably too early for them to move up the ladder (though it woulnd’t shock me if they flirt with .500 and overtake a collapsing Pale Hose and/or Twins) the Twins are starting to fall back to the Royals’ level and i’m not confident in Liriano’s return to health. though with Mauer / Morneau / Young they are still probably better.

in the West. I don’t buy it. even without Escobar what people don’t realize is that the Angels have a front pack offense while the M’s have a back pack offensive . Silva / Washburn and espically Bautista have a big chance of bombing . Bedard’s health is questionable and there’s simply no upside on their offense . espically not when they keep make hacking at the ball a organzational philosaphy or something. the A’s have a chance to surprise and if anyone unseat the Angels it might actually be them. still though I don’t buy into Harden’s health and I think Beanes will continue to unload when the opportunity arise. the Rangers are probably the joke of the AL now. though they’re still a little better than the O’s and their competition isn’t as stiff.

in the NL…. the east is a really hard call. the front 3 all bring along the same thing. mega talent at some spots. but big time questionable health and depth issues. the Braves are actually the best depth wise. it wouldn’t really shock me to see any order of finish and or one of them put together a huge run or collapse. the Nats have some huge holes but intriguing talent. the Marlins are never gonig anywhere until Jeff Loria is hung for treason on baseball.

the Central is intersting. the Cubs looks the best on paper but still have some holes. the Brew Crew’s upside is the highest but have even more holes ( and apparently some of their player play the field without wearing gloves .. like Ryan Braun. who accomplished teh amazing feat of a fielding percentage under .900 last year…. the first guy wearing modern gloves to accomplish this amazing feat) the Reds have serious potential to surprise but with Dusty Baker.. eeehhh… Houston is going no where. and the Cardinals are probably taking the better rout by laying low this year. the Pirates might be starting to go somewhere but they need more time.

the NL West is by far the most complicated division. outside of the Giants (who might set some low scoring records this year) all 4 teams have a very legitimate shot. in terms of actual talent the Dodger should win. but their management have proven their incompetence time and time again over the last couple of years by screwing themself up. and I don’t see a huge change this year. still though. they have the best mix by far. with good establish vets AND great young players. that’s hard to beat… unless you have Ned Colletti as your GM. though seriously outside the Giants finishing last. any order of finish is quiet possible for the 4 other teams

AL East
1) Yankees
2) Red Sox
3) Rays
4) Blue Jays
5) Oriols

AL Central
1) Indians
2) Tigers
3) Twins
4) Royals
5) White Sox

AL West
1) Angels
2) Mariners
3) A’s
4) Rangers

AL ROY: Joba Chamberlain
AL Cy Young: C. C. Sabathia
AL MVP: Joe Maddon
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Girardi

NL East
1) Mets
2) Braves
3) Phillies
4) Nationals
5) Marlins

NL Central
1) Cubs
2) Brewers
3) Reds
4) Astros
5) Cardinals
6) Pirates

NL West
1) Diamond Backs
2) Colorado
3) Padres
4) Dodgers
5) Giants

NL ROY: Fukudome
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL MVP: David Wright
NL Manager of the Year: Bob Melvin

so your predicting that Joe Maddon come out of retirement and win the AL MVP ?;)

It feels good to be back after my extended 3 day trip to Fresno, so I suppose I’ll join in. The best part is as bad as I might do in this, it will not compare to the beating I had put on me by my Division I counterparts on Friday (although I did manage to beat some of them).

AL East
1) Yankees
2) Red Sox*
3) Rays
4) Toronto
5) Baltimore

AL Central
1) Cleveland
2) Detroit
3) Twins
4) White Sox
5) Royals

AL West
1) Angels
2) Seattle
3) A’s
4) Texas

I really want to chose the Mariners over the Angels due to all of the rotation injuries but just can’t bring myself to.

AL ROY: Evan Longoria - Joba has too much hype, as good as he is he probably won’t live up to it.
AL Cy Young: Verlander - I really want to pick Kazmir since the Rays being decent will bring him more coverage, but the DL stint hurts him.
AL MVP: ARod (Curtis Granderson if his injury doesn’t keep him out too long)
AL MOY: Joe Maddon

NL East
1) Mets
2) Phillies
3) Braves
4) Nationals - I really want to put them ahead of the Braves but rationally just don’t see it happening with their pitching
5) Marlins

NL Central
1) Cubs
2) Brewers
3) Reds
4) Cardinals
5) Astros
6) Pirates

Honestly the Pirates and Astros are both pretty terrible but at least the Astros have Roy Oswalt.

NL West
1) Dodgers
2) Rockies
3) Padres
4) Arizona
5) Giants

NL MVP: Wright
NL Cy Young: Santana
NL ROY: Fukudome - even though if any “real” rookie has a year anywhere close to him he won’t win it.
NL MOY: Joe Torre - why the hell not? He’ll “prove” himself by leading the very talented Dodgers to the NL West pennant and making the post season for the 14th straight season. Conveniently ignored will be his long delay in benching Nomar and Pierre, two moves that eventually cement LA’s win of the West.
3)

AL East
1) Yankees
2) Blue Jays
3) Red Sox
4) Rays
5) Orioles

AL Central
1) Tigers
2) Indians
3) Twins
4) Royals
5) White Sox

AL West
1) Mariners
2) Angels
3) Athletics
4) Rangers

AL ROY: Kennedy - He’s going to win like 18 games this year with the Yankees offense and improved bullpen.  Using a metric like RSAA Joba (and others) will be more valuable, but the wins will get the attention.
AL Cy Young: Bedard
AL MVP: M. Cabrerra
AL Manager of the Year: Girardi

NL East
1) Mets
2) Phillies
3) Braves
4) Nationals
5) Marlins

NL Central
1) Brewers
2) Cubs
3) Astros
4) Cards
5) Reds
6) Pirates

NL West
1) Padres
2) Dodgers
3) D-Backs
4) Rockies
5) Giants

NL ROY:
NL Cy Young: Peavy
NL MVP: D. Wright
NL Manager of the Year: Padres manager whose name escapes me

AL East
1) Yankees
2) Red Sox
3) Blue Jays
4) Devil Rays
5) Orioles (could lose 110+ games in this division - Jeremy Guthrie’s their opening day starter, although Pavano was the Yanks last year, nevermind.)

AL Central
1) Tigers
2) Indians - WC
3) Royals
4) Twins
5) White Sox

AL West
1) Angels
2) Mariners
3) A’s
4) Rangers

AL ROY: Chamberlain
AL Cy Young: Kazmir
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Madden (Maddon?)

NL East
1) Mets
2) Phillies
3) Braves
4) Nationals
5) Marlins

NL Central
1) Cubs
2) Brewers
3) Reds
4) Cardinals
5) Astros
6) Pirates

NL West
1) Diamondbacks
2) Dodgers - WC
3) Rockies
4) Padres
5) Giants

NL ROY: Joey Votto
NL Cy Young: Dan Haren
NL MVP: David Wright
NL Manager: Torre

oldthurmanfan - You should start watching NBA games again (and no, not Knicks games).  The NBA this year is as entertaining as it’s ever been for me in my admittedly short life.

AL ROY: Hughes, voters opt for low-3.00 ERA from starter, than sub-3.00 from half starter (Joba) Bucholz is caught stealing jockstraps.

J-Gao, Hughes won’t be eligible for the ROY if you want to change that.

AL East
1)Yankees
2)Red Sox - WC
3)Devil Rays
4)Blue Jays
5)orioles

AL Central
1)Indians
2)Tigers
3)Royals
4)Twins
5)White Sox

AL West
1)Angels
2)Athletics
3)Mariners
4)Rangers

AL ROY: Evan Longoria
AL Cy Young: Erik Bedard
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon

NL East
1)Mets
2)Braves - WC
3)Phillies
4)Marlins
5)Nationals

NL Central
1)Cubs
2)Reds
3)Brewers
4)Cardinals
5)Astros
6)Pirates

NL West
1)D-Backs
2)Dodgers
3)Padres
4)Rockies
5)Giants

NL ROY: Johnny Cueto
NL Cy Young: Santana
NL MVP: David Wright
NL Manager of the Year: Bob Melvin

j, Not to quibble but Jackson and McDaniel were both long gone by the time Harper and Mason joined the Knicks.  In fact, Doc Rivers replaced Jackson and Charles Smith (sigh) replaced McDaniel.

Yeah, I sort of broadstroked the early 90s and late 90s. That wasn’t meant to be any sort of specific year .. just guys I remember from that general period of time.

Suck at these I also do.

AL East
1)Yanks
2)Toronto
3)Sox (out of spite)
4)Rays
5)O’s

I think it definitely could happen, Mr. Frog. The Rays and the Jays will be right in the mix this season, no doubt about it. The Yankees lineup will keep them in the top two, but the Sox could finish anywhere from 1 through 4 depending on how well their pitching stacks up. Beckett will likely regress from his outstanding 2007 results. Wakefield may be awful without Mirabelli, although Epstein must have something up his sleeve.

AL East
1) Yankees
2) Red Sox - WC
3) Blue Jays
4) “devil” Rays
5) Orioles

AL Central
1) Indians
2) Tigers
3) White Sox
4) Twins
5) Royals

AL West
1) Mariners
2) Angels
3) Oakland
4) Texas

AL ROY: JOBA!
AL Cy Young: Erik Bedard
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
AL Manager of the Year: Eric Wedge

NL East
1) Braves
2) Mets - WC
3) Phillies
4) Marlins
5) Nationals

NL Central
1) Cubs
2) Brewers
3) Astros
4) Pirates
5) Reds
6) Cardinals

NL West
1) Padres
2) D Backs
3) Rockies
4) Dodgers
5) Giants

NL ROY: Fukudome
NL Cy Young: Zambrano
NL MVP: David Wright
NL Manager of the Year: LOU!

World Series:
Yankees over Cubs in 6

AL East
1) Yankees
2) Red Sox (WC)
3) Blue Jays
4) Rays
5) Orioles

AL Central
1) Indians
2) Tigers
3) White Sox
4) Royals
5) Twins

AL West
1) Angels
2) Mariners
3) Athletics
4) Rangers

AL ROY: Evan Longoria
AL Cy Young: Josh Beckett
AL MVP: David Ortiz
AL Manager of the Year: Eric Wedge

NL East
1) Mets
2) Braves (WC)
3) Phillies
4) Nationals
5) Marlins

NL Central
1) Brewers
2) Cubs
3) Reds
4) Cardinals
5) Astros
6) Pirates

NL West
1) Rockies
2) Dodgers
3) Diamondbacks
4) Padres
5) Giants

NL ROY: Geovany Soto
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL MVP: Chase Utley
NL Manager of the Year: Ned Yost

AL East
1) Yankees
2) Rays
3) Red Sox
4) Blue Jays
5) Orioles

AL Central
1) Indians
2) Tigers (wc)
3) Royals
4) Twins
5) White Sox

AL West
1) Angels
2) Mariners
3) Rangers
4) Athletics

AL ROY: Evan Longoria
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
AL Manager of the Year:Mike Scoscia

NL East
1) Braves
2) Mets
3) Phillies
4) Nats
5) Marlins

NL Central
1) Cubs
2) Brewers (wc)
3) Reds
4) Pirates
5) Cards
6) Astros

NL West
1) Diamondbacks
2) Rockies
3) Dodgers
4) Padres
5) Gianst

NL ROY: Johnny Cueto
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb
NL MVP: Chipper Jones
NL Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox

Wow, I was going back and forth between Maddon and Girardi for manager of the year. I meant to put in Maddon, figuring that they won’t give it to Girardi again if the Rays play over 500 and edge out Toronto for 3rd. I didn’t realize I picked him for the MVP! I guess I’ll pick A-Rod to win the MVP, albeit they’ll give it to someone else if it’s close, and Maddon to win the manager of the year.

On further review I think the Royals pass the White Sox.

AL East
1) Yanks
2) Sox (WC)
3) Rays
4) Jays
5) O’s
AL Central
1) Indians
2) Tigers
3) Twins
4) Sox
5) Royals
AL West
1) Mariners
2) Angels
3) A’s
4) Rangers
5)
AL ROY: Longoria
AL Cy Young: Bedard
AL MVP: Sizemore
AL Manager of the Year: Maddon
NL East
1) Braves
2) Mets
3) Phils
4) Nats
5) Marlins
NL Central
1) Cubs
2) Brewers
3) Reds
4) Cards
5) Astros
6) Pirates
NL West
1) Rockies
2) D-Backs (WC)
3) Padres
4) Dodgers
5) Giants
NL ROY: Fuk U do me
NL Cy Young: Webb
NL MVP: Teixeria
NL Manager of the Year: Cox

AL
east
ny
bos
tb
tor
bal

central
det
cle
min
chi
kc

west
la
oak
sea
tex

roy: joba chamberlain
c y: john lackey
mvp: alex rodriguez
moy: joe maddon

NL
east
ny
atl
phi
was
fla

central
chi
mil
cin
stl
hou
pit

west
la
ari
sd
col
sf

roy: kosuke fukudome
c y: johan santana
mvp: david wright
moy: lou piniella