Baseball?

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Dilly dogs, kale, sunflower seeds, and Rocky Mountain oysters (cattle testicles) are some of the newest additions to ballpark menus this season. If you think that is strange, how about the new stat – MV?  That stands for “mound visits”.  A team is allowed six this year.  Every one after that necessitates a pitching change.  In the minors, extra innings will start with a runner on second base.  So with all the shenanigans going on, there is still baseball and, therefore, the need (after all, I have to fill my blog) with prognostications.  Here is how I see the teams finishing in their divisions:

American League

 West

1. Houston – They run the risk of not coming back from their World Series victory, but they have the same great lineup and play in the same weak division. They will be back.
2. LA Angels – The most interesting new player is Japan’s Shohel Ohtani. He pitches AND he bats when he isn’t pitching. Mike Trout stays in this lineup. At the very least, this team will be fun to watch and could surprise.
3. Oakland – Matt Olson had a terrific rookie season and their pitching rotation should improve as the year goes on.
4. Seattle – Team’s everyday lineup is aging so productivity is suspect as is the starting pitching.
5. Texas Rangers – Best pitcher (Darvish) gone and a weak lineup that strikes out too much puts them in the cellar in the West.

Central

1. Cleveland – Won 102 games last year and in this division they should come close to that again. Plus, they are very, very talented in all aspects of the game.
2. Minnesota – They won 85 games and were a Wild Card last season, but are they better than last year? I don’t think so.
3. Kansas City – They lost two key players in Cain and Hosmer, but the nucleus of this team is pretty good. They certainly will compete.
4. Chicago White Sox – This team has potential and could surprise. I’m not willing to move them higher. We’ll see.
5. Detroit – This team is not good and getting too old.

East

1. New York Yankees – Stanton AND Judge? Are you kidding? Some of you remember Maris AND Mantle. Only a rookie manager could screw this team up, but Aaron Boone should be just fine.
2. Boston – They won the division last year and their manager still got fired. This is a talented team led by an energetic manager and they would love nothing more than to upset the Evil Empire (that’s the Yankees, by the way). This rivalry will still be fun to watch, especially with the expectations surrounding the Yankees.
3. Toronto – There is a good pitching rotation here, but there’s a strange chemistry between players and staff. Could be better; could be worse (how’s that for going out on a limb?)
4. Tampa Bay – They’re rebuilding again (No Longoria, etc.). They have little money to change their future.
5. Baltimore – After relying the prior years on just hitting home runs to win, they did not score nearly enough last year. Their payroll does not match the teams that win, so they don’t.

   The Yankees will win the American League pennant.

National League

West

1. LA Dodgers – They had a great regular season in ’17 and took the Astros to the seventh game of the World Series, only to lose. With Clayton Kershaw for at least one more season, they are certainly in great shape to repeat that success again.
2. Colorado – They garnered a Wild Card berth last year and bring back a strong lineup and a very strong bullpen. If it wasn’t for the Dodgers in their Division, they would be the favorite.
3. Arizona – They had a good year in ’17 winning 93 games, but they did little to improve their chances to move up in the Division. Losing J. D. Martinez to the Red Sox has to hurt them.
4. San Francisco – They were not good last year (98 losses), but they picked up Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen. Pitching staff needs to stay healthy to compete. The Giants will be better, but how much better?
5. San Diego – They lost 91 games last year and did not get any better. No one comes to see them. They define the word “hapless”.

Central

1. Chicago Cubs – Joe Madden! Joe Madden! Yu Darvish! Yu Darvish! And they were good before the trade. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is picking the Cubs – why should I be different?
2. St. Louis – This is a very solid baseball team with no major weaknesses. It’s time for them to get back into the playoffs and I think they will.
3. Milwaukee – Started off very well in ’17 and scared the Cubs much of the season, but pitcher Jimmy Nelson is out for the first few months, so that will hurt their chances of a similar start to this year. This team, however, has a bright future.
4. Cincinnati – It still looks very bleak for this franchise. Joey Votta cannot make this team a winner without a great deal of help and it’s just not there.
5. Pittsburgh – There is no way to go but down after their offseason trades. The major rebuilding starts this season.

East

1. Washington – New manager Dave Martinez is a Joe Madden protégé and takes over one of the best teams in baseball. Winning the Division should be easy; getting past the first-round of playoffs has been the problem. This team has everything and should be in the World Series hunt.
2. NY Mets – I don’t know – Don’t the Mets have high expectations every year, only to falter? I see that possibly happening again, but this year might be different – I don’t know (am I repeating myself?).
3. Philadelphia – Early indications are that new manager Gabe Kapler is in over his head with this young talented team. This team NEEDS a wise leader at the helm to improve as the year progresses. Let’s hope that improvement includes the manager and happens quicker than later. Analytics will be tested; so might the Phillies’ fans.
4. Atlanta – This team is in turmoil and expectations are exceptionally low. The only bright spot for them is that the Marlins are worse.
5. Miami – Derek Jeter has cleaned out the garage and will start “The Process” (isn’t that the new catchphrase for “expect a lot of losses”?) to make the Marlins better. They haven’t been in the playoffs since 2003, so this will be their 15^th straight year of being idle in the postseason.

   The Cubs will win the N L pennant.  Yankees win it all (Although I hope the Cubs win).

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Allentown Central Catholic’s Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman finished his career at Michigan last Monday night in the National Championship game. He finished with 23 points leading the Wolverines in scoring. He scored 1313 career points, played in 144 games and started 116 of them. He had a great career and my guess is he will continue to play more basketball at the professional level somewhere. Ironically, his high school career ended when he scored 30 points, but lost to another Philadelphia team.
2. Let’s see, the Eagles win the Super Bowl; Villanova wins the NCAA National Championship and now the Flyers and the ‘76ers are in the NHL and NBA playoffs. Could the Karma continue? And the Phillies? Who knows?
3. My wife cannot understand how I can spend five hours in front of the TV watching golf, but even she got caught up in the final round of the Masters. The suspense lasted right up to the very last shot of the tournament when Patrick Reed dropped a putt to win it all by one stroke. There was great drama for all five hours. Ask my wife.
4. In my MLB preview, I mentioned Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese sensation, who is now part of the LA Angels roster as both a pitcher and hitter. On Sunday, he retired the first 19 batters he faced, struck out 12, and gave up just one hit in seven innings. He won his second game in two starts. Oh, and, by the way, in the four games he has played in the batting lineup, he is hitting .389 (best on the team), has three home runs, and seven RBIs. To say he is “as advertised” is a huge understatement so far.
5. Next week’s blog will be guest-written by our wrestling guru, Scott Barr. I guarantee he will have some very interesting things to say about the state of high school wrestling. I will be on a well-deserved (according to me) vacation.