America's Sport Returns

Spring is around the corner which means the 2008 baseball season is among us. Feelings of optimism surround each big league club & fan thinking this may be the year. For me, I guess I've picked on my team all offseason for moves they did or didn't make. The thing fans like me have to realize is that not every year is our year and there will be seasons in which our team surprises us (like when the Twins came from 10 games back @ the All Star break to win the AL Central over Detroit & Chicago - that was amazing) and times when our team let's us down.

With a 162 game schedule anything can happen during the season. One big injury or a player or two playing out of their mind for a solid stretch can mean swings either way but I'm making some predictions saying all things being equal for the season. Here they are:

AL East
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Baltimore Orioles

-The Red Sox are an amazing club and this is a tough division, one of the best in baseball. The Yankees have had tough starts for the past few years and are an older club with questions in their pitching rotation. I pick the BoSox to take the division and yield the best record in the AL.

AL Central
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals

-The Tigers are stacked & should compete heavily for the best record in baseball. Cleveland is an up & coming team & I pick them to take the AL Wild Card. Minnesota & Kansas City will challenge the White Sox for 3rd in the division which will be one of the better in baseball again this season.

AL West
LA Angels
Seattle Mariners
Oakland Athletics
Texas Rangers

-With an improved rotation, the Seattle Mariners will make a strong run @ a Wild Card spot as well as the AL West title but I pick the Angels to take the West because of their already strong lineup which only improved this offseason.

NL East
NY Mets
Atlanta Braves
Philadelphia Phillies
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals

-Newly acquired Johan Santana will help boost the Mets' roster after their collapse last season. The Mets have a decent rotation behind Santana & have a good lineup that will yield quite a few runs.

NL Central
Chicago Cubs
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates

-The Cubs will be strong this season. They have a great lineup and a decent rotation. Look for them & the strong-hitting Astros to make a mark in the NL Central. I pick the Cubs to be the best team in the NL this season.

NL West
LA Dodgers
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

-I think this will be the better division of the NL and will yield the Wild Card winner in Colorado who should have strong competition coming from the back. Joe Torre will have a strong team in LA which should be one of the league's best.

NL Playoffs
Chicago Cubs over Colorado Rockies
NY Mets over LA Dodgers
NY Mets over Chicago Cubs

AL Playoffs
Cleveland Indians over Boston Red Sox
Detroit Tigers over LA Angels
Detroit Tigers over Cleveland Indians

World Series
Detroit Tigers over NY Mets