The Major League Baseball Season is Here
Well, it is almost here. Right? So, what the heck is going to happen? The baseball season runs 162 games—the longest season in the professional sports. It is an unforgiving seven-month marathon that demands innumerable roster moves, amazing stamina and individual team play that can make or break an entire season in one game, swing or pitch. What can we expect? Here are ten things that I do believe will happen. Some are for sure and others may appear to be farfetched. Then again, futures are one of the toughest things to get right in sports.
1) The following teams will simply not be good enough—Detroit, Baltimore, Seattle, Atlanta, San Diego and Pittsburgh—to even compete. Yes there are others that fall into this category. These are the most obvious ones.
2) The Yankees will find their team disintegrating around the All-Star break. Alex Rodriguez, Jose Posada, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter will all end up on the DL and some of these guys will be there numerous times. Hideki Matsui will not finish the season. The team won’t be in the playoffs.
3) The Texas Rangers will give the Los Angeles Angels a run for their money. And although the Angels are loaded, age is against Los Angeles and the youth on Texas could make a difference. Will L.A. break down part way through the season? And what about the loss of K-Rod and other key elements? The Rangers were the best in offensive output last season but they had no pitching and couldn’t field. There’s a lot of talent on the Texas farm. The AL West could be the spoiler division.
4) Manny Ramirez will start dogging it in Los Angeles but the fans won’t be too peeved. They’ll like him despite his continued malingering, silent whining and lack of hustle. Manny will do just fine, putting up good numbers. But he’ll be out at least two times due to a hammy or some other problem. He’ll miss two to three weeks of the season.
5) Ichiro will continue to outperform every other MLB player. He is the ultimate hitter and fielder and a one-of-a-kind baseball player. Of course, he cannot make the Seattle club a contender but he can give them hope. For a while, at least. Until the wheels fall of the pitching bus. With the Mariners’ staff that will take less than two months.
6) The New York Mets will be the Wild Card in the NL and the Phillies will take the East and the pennant again. New York’s latest edition will play well but K-Rod is not the definitive answer. The Mets’ pitching staff with Santana is certainly scary. The club needs some glue. Who is the guy who can make this club pay as a team?
7) Curt Schilling will pitch in the majors once again despite announcing his retirement. Schilling will keep himself in solid shape and be ready to go after some work in the minors. Look for him to ramp up for the Florida Marlins or the Chicago Cubs or maybe another contender down the stretch in August. He’s a competitor and won’t pass up the chance to play despite his retirement.
8 ) The Kansas City Royals will not take the AL Central this season but they will be one of the most improved clubs in either league. The Royals have two solid starters offering great potential—Gil Meche and Zack Greinke. The rest of the rotation looks sound and closer Joakim Soria shuts teams down consistently. There’s good hitting as some steady batters occupy the roster. Look for the team to post winning numbers with the Central Division winner being either the Twins or Indians.
9) The Boston Red Sox will manage to get into the post season and will win their third championship of the new millennium. Why? They have pitching, fielding and hitting. You’re going to say, sure but so too do the Yankees, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, Twins and Indians. And in some cases, you’re right. But the guys from Beantown possess more down-and-dirty players than any other club in baseball. Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Bay, Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek, Jonathan Papelbon and Tim Wakefield eat dirt for breakfast and play the game all-out every day. That will get this club past the others.
10) Sunday, April 5 marks Opening Night as Atlanta visits Philadelphia and Monday, April 6 is Opening Day. It’s a time of hope. Every one of the 30 MLB teams are equal until the first pitch is thrown. By the end of the day, Seattle, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and San Diego will have a chance to be in first-place and the Yanks, Dodgers, Twins and Red Sox could all occupy the cellar. It’ll all be backwards. That’s what’s great about Opening Day—there are still 161 games to go and hope for every MLB fan. It’s been a long winter. Let’s play ball!
Related posts:
- The American League After the All Star Break Each year
- Around the American League of MLB Here we at
- Previewing the American League As I was b
Tags: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers
