We have officially entered the dog-days of summer and we here at Bullpen Catcher couldn’t be more bummed out. Let’s face it; if you’re not a golf, NASCAR, or tennis fan, it’s not the most exciting time of the year. While we admire grown men that aren’t afraid to putt from the rough, the determination it must take to resist the urge to turn right, and the wonderfully long legs of Maria Sharapova, right now baseball is the only sport that tickles our fancy.
In order to spice things up a bit, Rich and I have decided to make things competitive around here and make some predictions. Whether it be handball (yes, Rich has actually bet on this) or just a good old game of poker, we definitely look for any excuse to place a friendly wager. So now that I’ve labeled us as degenerate gamblers, let me get to the point. Rich and I are going to be writing competing columns to predict the outcome of whichever sport is relevant at that point in time. What is at stake you ask? Pride my friend, pride.
Our first head-to-head match up will be predicting the 2nd half and playoffs of the 2007 Major League Baseball season. Rich has already posted his predictions so let’s see how The Champ’s picks stack up to his. (Note: During the NFL season, we will be posting our picks with the spread included. We’ll keep a running tally to see who the bigger idiot is. My money is on me!). Since I can be a little long-winded, I will be breaking up this column into separate posts by division. Teams are in order of finish with a brief summary.
AL East
Boston Red Sox
Ladies and Gentlemen: Your 2007 AL East Division Champions. The most dominant and probably most likeable team of 2007. Their lineup is scary, their bullpen is solid and even though their rotation is one of the best in baseball, they’re considering adding an extra arm. My money is on Mark Buerhle joining the Sox, which would make this rotation the best in baseball if it isn’t already. At press time they have a league-leading six All-Stars and a team full of grinders and hustlers. As usual the AL is stacked and the Red Sox are the cream of the crop.
New York Yankees
It’s almost unfathomable to think $200M buys you a sub-.500 team that’s currently 11 games out of first. But that’s what George Steinbrenner has purchased this year. They’re old, their pitching sucks, and they no longer have that aura of the Bronx Bombers. They’ll create a little noise in the second half with a schedule that starts at Tampa, versus Toronto and Tampa, at KC and Baltimore, versus the White Sox and KC and they’ll undoubtedly pick up a few games in the win column and tons of fair-weather faithful. But the nail in the coffin will be a stretch of 17 of 20 games against Cleveland, Detroit, Anaheim, and Boston. This year the players, in an act of kindness and gratitude for their overpaid salaries, have decided to repay management by giving them the entire month of October off. And just to pile on, Yankee fans, I’d like for you to meet your 2008 manager – Don Mattingly. Enjoy!
Toronto Blue Jays
I’m shocked this team is only one game under .500 with the injuries they’ve suffered. What I’m not shocked about is the fact that they have all these injuries in the first place. This is what you get when you invest a combined $24M/year in A.J. Burnett and Troy Glaus. ESPN.com even reports management has started ripping Burnett for his lack of durability and reliability. Hmm…isn’t this the same guy that started more than 20 games only three times during his seven years in Florida? Sure didn’t see this one coming. This team just reeks of mediocrity.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
17 games under .500…19 games out of first place…just another typical year for the Devil Rays. While the Devils Rays continue to struggle year in and year out, they have the pieces in place to be competitive real soon. No seriously, they are going to be really good…in 2009. To quote Jonah Keri of ESPN.com, “By 2009, the Rays could sport a rotation of Scott Kazmir, David Price, James Shields, Jacob McGee and Jeff Niemann.” You probably haven’t heard of these kids besides Kazmir, but they could be really, really good. And if their hitters continue to develop and the words “domestic dispute” and “hostage situation” aren’t added to Delmon Young’s bio, this team will be in playoff contention by ‘09. As for 2007, avoiding their sixth last place finish in seven years has to be considered a moral victory.
Baltimore Orioles
Manager Sam Perlozzo has been fired. Free agent manager Joe Girardi turned down an offer to coach the team. They’ve lost 12 games in a row. Leo Mazzone apparently retired two years ago but didn’t tell anyone. With Miguel Tejada on the disabled list their lineup is a Who’s Who of….WHO?? Since we’re on the subject of the B-12 Bomber how come nobody talks about Tejada when we talk about steroids? Is it coincidence that his power numbers have plummeted and his body has broken down since being accused of juicing? This team feels just about right here in last place.
My Pick: Division Winner – Boston , Wild Card - N/A
Rich’s Pick: Division Winner – Boston, Wild Card – N/A
Next up…AL Central…
The People’s Champ
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4 comments:
What!? I haven't even made it to the picks yet and you've already lost your damn mind.
Golf: Tiger's playing. That rarely happens, and he's fighting to get back into contention, which is also rare.
Tennis: Umm ... anyone ever heard of Wimbledon? Venus Williams wins the ladies singles title from a 23rd ranking? Lowest seed ever to win the title and #1 Federer and #2 Nadal are playing for the men's title tomorrow.
NASCAR: The summer version of the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway! The leaders (and teammates) wreck each other in the first 20 laps. Kyle Busch trying to become the first driver to win two races at Daytona in the same day (he won the Busch race earlier Saturday which was rained out from Friday night). He loses by two one-thousandths of a second ... a fender!
You guys should work on expanding your horizons beyond baseball, basketball and football.
Alright, let's see about these picks ... and you better not have picked the f'in Red Sox.
Ugh ... you picked the Sox. :( And yes, I just used an emoticon.
A couple of things ... the Sux have 6 All-Stars, all of whom are watching from the bench, with maybe the exception of Big Papi (who's the only Red Sox player I would consider the possibility of being worthy to play for the Yanks).
The Sux staff is second in team ERA to Oakland, and that's just in the AL. San Deigo is blowing them away in the NL. From an individual ERA perspective you have to drop all the way to 10th before finding a Red Sux (Josh Beckett), and again that's just in the AL. Oakland has three starters in the top six spots (Haren, Gaudin and Blanton). So the best rotation in baseball might go to the A's (or even the Padres) over the Sux, but call me crazy ... they're just stats.
Sux are sixth in team batting average (Yankees are fourth, Tigers first). Sux are eighth in runs (Yanks are third, Tigers first). Sux have one player in the top 13 for batting average (Youklis). Jeter, Posada and A-Rod are also in the top 13, so not sure the Sux lineup is the most stacked either.
Am I hating on the Red Sux too much yet? Alright, alright, alright ... at least Rich had the sense to pick my boys for the AL Wild Card.
Go Yankees!
I had this big, long retort all typed up and ready to post but what's the point? You know and I know the Yankees aren't catching the Sox. Wildcard? Outside shot at best. And you're wrong about Papi being the only guy worthy enough to play for the Yanks....Matt Clement is the prototypical Yankee.
And about golf, racing, and tennis or any other sport we don't cover, Bullpen Catcher has a columnist position open for anyone that wants to cover these sports. The pay sucks, the hours are long, and you have to deal with douchebags that leave comments saying, "What!? I haven't even made it to the picks yet and you've already lost your damn mind."
I'll leave you with this -- Arod sure will look good in Cubbie blue next year.
Yes ... you know, I know it, the American people know it, but what kind of Yankee fan would I be if I wasn't obnoxiously optimistic about our quest for world domination.
And good point, maybe we should trade Carla Pavano for Clement. You gotta be happy the Cubs aren't still stuck with him though.
I'd be more than happy to take that golf, racing, arena football, lacrosse and cricket gig. In the meantime, I'll look forward to the AL Central picks. Gonna be a close one between the Twins and Tigers. Oh, and I guess Buehrle won't be rocking and firing for the Red Sux after all ... got big cash from Kenny today.
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