Hope Springs Eternal or Another Cubs Season is Upon Us

It is that time of year again and I couldn't be more pleased.  Baseball opens tonight with a Yankees-Red Sox match up and expands to the remainder of the NL and AL tomorrow.  Scott over at Environmental Republican has given his pre-season predictions.  His predictions are bold (Brewers 2nd in the NL Central?) but I admire his willingness to pick his hometown Phillies all the way - the sign of a man detached from reality, but I like it.

Not to be outdone I suppose I'll make some predictions of my own.  Here goes:

• Carlos Beltran will be a good pickup for the Mets but not worth the contract generated by his NL playoff performance last year.  8 days of excellence will not equate to an entire season.
• The Braves will not win the NL East.  Pitching will hold but they need a successful return to the rotation from Smoltz.  Oh, and Jones, Jordan and Mondesi in the outfield?
• Pedro's arm, currently attached to shoulder with Duct Tape and silly string, will not hold and he will spend time on the DL.
• Sammy Sosa will be fondly remembered in Chicago but not missed.  His grasp of the English language will not improve in Baltimore
• Barry Bonds, the selfish bastard he is, will return to the Giants before mid-season but not soon enough to help the team get into the playoffs
• Albert Pujols will tear up the  league proving he is the best baseball player since Mantle
• The Red Sox will not win the AL East, hitting's fine, Pitching will be thinner than last year
• The Cubs will be better than in '04 but still have to battle the offensive machine in St. Louis for the division title.  Chicago will make a move for another quality outfielder before the July 31 deadline to help the push.

Here is how the divisional races will be won:

AL East:

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

AL Central:

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

AL West:

1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Oakland A's
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle

NL East:

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

NL Central:

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

NL West:

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

AL Playoffs:

• New York Yankees vs. Minnesota - Minnesota Wins
• LA Angels vs. Boston Red Sox (Wild Card) - LA Wins
• LA Angels vs. Minnesota - LA Wins American League Pennant

NL Playoffs:

• Florida Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals - St. Louis Wins
• Chicago Cubs (Wild Card) vs. LA Dodgers - Cubs Win
• Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals - Cubs win the pennant!  Cubs Win the Pennant!

World Series: Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Angels - Chicago wins.

A guy can hope right?  Enjoy the season.

Comments

[Scott]

Hey Bro,

If a guy can't dream about winning the pennant on the first day of the season, when can he? If I'm detached from reality, what do you call picking the Cubbies to win it all? I agree that Sosa will not be ahuge loss and your pitching staff is excellent, but winning it all?

Ah, the dreams of Spring soon to turn to the realities of Summer and Fall.

Enjoy the season, and keep watching the Bulls, they are on a serious tear right now.

BTW, I like the Illini on Monday.