When the buzz surrounding Super Bowl XL-whatever died down a couple weeks ago tens of millions of football fans let out a collective groan as the NFL season officially came to a close. They said goodbye to their beloved pigskins and started the countdown for April’s NFL draft.
Meanwhile baseball fans grew excited. For six months out of the year we are oppressed persecuted belittled and trash-talked by fans of the so-called “superior sport.”
But now is a time for celebration. The end of football season signifies the impending arrival of split-fingers leather gloves instant replay debates and Louisville Sluggers. Pretty soon baseball will be in full force and all will be right in the sports world.
With spring training kicking off next week (hallelujah!) the Major League Baseball divisional races look like they’ll be closer than they have been in recent years. There aren’t many teams that stand out as clear favorites especially in the American League.
Of course that could be premature. Opening Day isn’t until April 4. There’s plenty of time for injuries and steroid scandals. I can’t really wait that long though so here are my picks for the 2010 MLB regular season.
Let’s start with triple A— oops I mean the National League.
Note: I apologize in advance if I poke fun at or degrade your favorite team league or division. But just remember that if you are offended by any of my picks or statements it’s probably a personal problem and you should learn to be less sensitive.
Most of the teams in the NL East had a quiet offseason. The two biggest splashes were the Mets’ signing of outfielder Jason Bay and the Phillies’ acquisition of elite starting pitcher Roy Halladay.
Last season Philadelphia won the division by six games and their lead was never really contested during the final two months of the season. The Braves and Marlins both took a step back during the offseason and the Nationals are well the Nationals. The Mets are a loose canon and if their recent history of underachieving and choking is any indication we won’t be seeing them in the playoffs this year. Therefore despite the mistake of trading away Cliff Lee I’m picking the Phillies to win their fourth straight division title.
The most exciting news out of the NL Central isn’t all that exciting. The Cardinals re-signed outfielder Matt Holliday to a 19-year deal (or something like that) even though his market value wasn’t all that high because it was obvious from the start he would return to St. Louis. They also hired a new hitting coach— former steroid abuser Mark McGwire. The Cincinnati Reds made headlines for the first time since 1990 with their signing of Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman.
This is the Cardinals’ division to lose. Their 1-2 punches of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright in the rotation and Holliday and Albert Pujols in the lineup will be tough to overcome even with Cubs fans shouting “This is our year!” for the 103rd straight season.
Until last year the NL West had been a running joke in the baseball world. This all changed in 2009 when the Rockies and Giants emerged to make it one of the best divisions in baseball.
If you’re a Dodgers fan I have some bad news. Sorry to break it to you but the Dodgers aren’t going to win the NL West this year. If you’re looking for someone to blame start with the team’s ownership. Frank McCourt announced Monday that the Dodgers are going to freeze their payroll until 2018 (while simultaneously doubling ticket prices… go figure). This sends a negative message to both the players and the fans: essentially McCourt is saying he cares more about money than he does wins.
Los Angeles will remain near the top of the standings but the division champ will come from up north. The Giants are going to surprise some people this year. Their young pitching staff is only going to get better and if their offense can score some runs look out. The Rockies and Dodgers (and maybe just maybe the Diamondbacks) will battle for the Wild Card spot.
Well it looks like I’ve run out of space. Stay tuned for my American League picks. And Mariners fans don’t get your hopes up.
