Beisbol

The NBA is over. The NFL is still about 3 months away. The NHL is...who cares. The ONLY sport to talk about right now is baseball. How has baseball kept it's popularity over all these years? I contend that a major factor is that it has a monopoly over much of it's season. For the next 2 months, there is absolutely nothing else going on. Even then, preseason NFL is hardly an event. As a result, I'm forced to blog about the only thing we have to talk about. Baseball. Let's break down each of the division races. Please note, my predictions will change up to 794 times before the end of the season.

AL East: Probably the most talked about division in baseball b/c of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. Outside of those 2 teams, there is not much here. The Red Sox continue to lead the Yanks by a sizable margin (8.5 games as of tonight), however, the Yanks have finally started playing inspired ball. In about 3-4 weeks we'll see a stat showing how well they have played since Roger Clemens joined the team. Let the record show, the Yanks started playing well BEFORE the rocket joined the team. Obviously, he's helped solidify the rotation to keep that streak going.
Prediction: The Yankees nearly nudge out Boston before the end of the season, but Boston hangs on and wins the division by 2 games.
Dark horse: Neither Baltimore, Toronto, or Tampa have what it takes to catch the Sox.

AL Central: Cleveland currently leads the division at 40-28. The Tigers are 1 game behind. I say there is no possible way Cleveland makes the playoffs. They just aren't good enough. The Tigers are solid, and they are hungry to go the distance this time. But look out for the Twins! Only 5.5 back as of today. Last year, with a horrific start, they were completely written off....and look what happened. This year they are a game over .500, and they currently don't look like a threat...but look out!
Prediction: The Twins do it again! They overtake the Tigers in September to win the division.
Dark horse: Minnesota, again.

AL West: At 44-26, the Angels have the 2nd best record in MLB to the Red Sox currently. This team is absolutely solid. The offense has finally found how to score with Figgins and Willits getting on base and the rotation is among the best in all of MLB. Furthermore, Shields and K-Rod are among the best setup-closer combo in the game. However, Oakland historically is one of the best 2nd half teams in baseball...and they are lurking 6 games behind. Seattle, probably the least talked about halfway decent team in all of baseball, is only a game behind Oakland.
Prediction: The Angels win the division with approximately 100 wins. Oakland competes with the Yanks for the wild card spot in the AL but ultimately comes up short. Seattle fades like cheap paint in the desert sun.
Dark horse: Oakland. They don't score much, but their pitching led by Dan Haren and Rich Harden is outstanding.

NL East: The NY Mets are the prohibited favorite in the East, but at 37-29, they aren't exactly shattering any records. After a slow start and early calls for the first manager firing of the year, Philadelphia has picked up steam. Currently, they are only 2.5 back. Their offense has come to life, scoring the most runs in the entire NL. Atlanta is "hanging around."
Prediction: Even though the Mets are currently slumping, they will pick up the pace in the 2nd half aided by a possible trade for Mark Buehrle and win going away. Atlanta will continue to be mediocre and Philly will compete for the NL wild card.
Dark horse: Surprisingly, Philadelphia. How good are these guys?

NL Central: The absolute worst division in baseball. The Brewers started hot, but have cooled off significantly since April. Does anybody want to win this division? The Brewers currently lead the division by 6.5 games at a record of 38-31. The Cubs, Cards, and Astros hope for a 2nd half run to catch the mediocre Brewers.
Prediction: The Cardinals win the division with a slightly over .500 2nd half despite the highest ERA in the NL. 83 wins. Again.
Dark horse: I hope this isn't biased...but the Cubs. They too, are "hanging around." With A-Ram on the shelf and Derrek Lee facing suspension, their only hope is a late season run which "could" happen. The Astros also could fit the bill as they historically have a better 2nd half than 1st half of the season. Almost anything is possible in this horrible division of AAAA baseball.

NL West: Surprisingly, this is a pretty good division this year. We'll go ahead and say the most under-rated in baseball. The Padres, with their excellent pitching, currently have a 1 game lead on the D-Backs at 40-28. The Dodgers are 1.5 games behind also. This division looks to be the most competitive in baseball. The only team out of the race is San Francisco, but at least we have the Barry Bonds/Hank Aaron watch.
Prediction: The Padres/D-Backs/Dodgers division race will continue to be very competitive and the NL wild card will also come out of this division. I'll take the Padres/D-Backs exacta box because of both teams having exceptional pitching. Are Peavy and Webb the most under-rated picthers in all of baseball?
Dark horse: Colorado. This team is blossoming. Look out! The pitching may not be the best, and playing at Coors means anything can happen, but they clearly have the best offense in the division. Tab!, only 5.5 games back right now.

Variables: There could be some serious talent traded before the trade deadline this year. With teams like the White Sox, Orioles, and Giants likely to be sellers, this could be one of the most exciting off-field summers in recent history. Players like Mark Buehrle, Jermaine Dye, Miguel Tejada and even Barry Bonds could easily be headed to contenders. Reason #877 it is way too early to make predictions like I just did. Also, my predictions are currently under the influence of alcohol.

Recap AL: Division winners: Boston, Minnesota, LA Angels; wild card: Yanks
Team that will probably screw this up: Detroit
Recap NL: Division winners: NY Mets, St. Louis, San Diego; wild card: D-Backs
Team that will probably screw this up: LA Dodgers

Father's Day is way too early to pick World Series participants. Stay tuned!

Rich Kim