AL East Preview

I am now beginning the previews of all the divisions and then an overall look at the Milwaukee Brewers pitchers/position players.  I will highlight their key acquisitions, a player I like, player I hate, and finally a prediction for the upcoming season.

1. New York Yankees- KEY ACQ: OF Curtis Granderson, DH Nick Johnson, SP Javier Vasquez  I LIKE: Granderson: Numbers were down last year, but now gets the benefits of playing at Yankee Stadium I HATE: A.J. Burnett: Ton of innings last year and the year before, are we all ready for the headline "Burnett Goes Down with an Elbow Injury."  PREDICTION: The Yanks will win the AL East by a small margin, but I think they will find themselves in the World Series for a second straight year. 

2. Boston Red Sox- KEY ACQ: SP John Lackey, OF Mike Cameron, 3B Adrian Beltre, SS Marco Scutero I LIKE: Victor Martinez:  He has been a consistent player for years, he will benefit being in-between Pedoria/Youk.  I HATE: Lackey:  Everything I am hearing about him doesn't sound good, risky arm, and poor stats in Fenway.  PREDICTION: The Sox will be the Wild Card and the second best team in American League. They will fall to the Yankees in a seven-game classic this coming October. 

3. Tampa Bay Rays- KEY ACQ: RP Rafael Soriano I LIKE: David Price- Now a main stay in the rotation, I think there is no stopping him from having a great season.  I HATE: Pat Burrell- Obvious choice, but seriously he doesn't belong in a lineup.  PREDICTION: They will push the Sox for that Wild Card and fall off just slightly. In my opinion, the three best teams in the American League reside in the AL East.  

4. Baltimore Orioles- KEY ACQ: 3B Miguel Tejada SP Kevin Millwood RP Mike Gonzalez  I LIKE: Matt Wieters- I think he will live up to the hype and have a great season, I bet he hits three or four by July  I HATE: Tejada- I like the fact he moved to third but let's face it, hasn't been the same since roids'.  PREDICTION: I think they could finish as high as third in another division and they have a ton of young talent who will grow.  This is a team I think will be tougher come August/September.  

5. Toronto Blue Jays- KEY ACQ: SP Brendan Morrow  I LIKE: Ricky Romero- Young guy who had a pretty strong rookie campaign, will get better.  I HATE: Vernon Wells- Might be in some trade rumors come July, but I think he will have a sub-par year.   PREDICTION: It will not be a pretty one for the Jays as A.H. (After Halladay) begins and they have somewhat of an offense, but I would expect a 10 to 15 win drop off at least.

-Charlie.

Boston's Answer to the Yanks

The Yankees brought in the likes of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeria last year winning them the World Series.  The Boston Red Sox twittled their thumbs watching the Yanks out-bid them for Tex and couldn't catch the Yanks all year.   Now they answer with John Lackey, which I admit is a great deal for the Red Sox. 

John Lackey is a guy who is underrated because he plays out on the west coast leading to not many people talking about his performances.  He was a consistent performer for the Los Angeles Angles in the last five years with not having an E.R.A. over four, also during that time had over 10 wins, and started over twenty games each year. 

Lackey was considered to be the top pitcher in the MLB Free Agency pool this winter and honestly, I didn't think much of him because of not knowing the stats Lackey had and now I am convinced he will be a difference maker for the Red Sox this season.   The only Yankee that owns Lackey is Teixeria, which some might consider a big deal but Alex Rodriguez plus newly acquired Curtis Granderson both hit under .200 against Lackey.  Trust me, you do not want to see Beckett-Lackey-Lester in a playoff series.  All have experience and they know how to win.  Much better than the Sabathia-Burnett-Joba

Also can we end the Angel dynasty on the way out?  I mean yeah they did get Hideki Matsui but they have lost Lackey, and Chone Figgins.  Not to mention, Francisco Rodriguez left last year. I do not the Angels will win the AL West because the team I talked about next post will win it.  

-Charlie.

Whose Ready for the Four-Hour Drama?!

In my opinion, I enjoyed the baseball playoffs a lot because it is very simple and clear cut plus there have been those years where every game has been an absolute classic. Who can forget 2003 with the Red Sox losing to Aaron effin' Boone and the Cubs losing thanks to Steve Bartman. Then in 2004, you have the Red Sox epic comeback along with the Brad Lidge game against Albert Pujols. Here are the picks for the first round of games.

NL
Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies- This is probably the least exciting series out of the four for sure and I really feel that this series could go either way. Colorado has struggled with left-handed pitchers this season, which isnt a good thing when they are facing Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels in the first two games. But here is the kicker, if the Rockies keep it close they get to face the arguably the worst bullpen in the playoffs right now. We all know how Colorado are the comeback kids. I am taking Philly because I have rolled with them all year might as well stick to it. Wont be easy though. PHI in 5

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers- Everyone is talking about the Cardinals going to the World Series and I have been saying that since early July. The pitching staff they have, add the offense, and they play pretty good defense too. I really cannot find a chink in their armor. It also tough to pick the Dodgers when they have struggled all second half but never count out Joe Torre/Manny Ramirez. STL in 4

AL
Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees- Honestly, the game tonight that the Twins won was epic. They were down a bunch of times and just battled back consistently. Now they play a Yankee team who has looked strong on the offensive end but you have to wonder about their starting pitching. Also CC Sabathia has been less than stellar in the playoffs. The Twins are the hottest team and the recent trends have signaled that leads to a big playoffs. The big spenders get it done though. NYY in 4

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels- Now this has been an absolute bashing whenever these two teams get together and the Sox have came out ahead every time. I feel like Mike Scioscia tends to choke when the playoffs are on the line in the past couple of years. The pitching staff of the Sox will be the difference in this one, they have the experience and they know how to handle this opponent. BOS in 4

-Charlie.

Rachel Phelps Owns the Indians

If you dont know where that reference is from that you havent watch enough Major League in your time therefore I am very disappointed in you. Anyways the reason I say that Phelps might own the real life Indians is they just like the Pittsburgh Pirates have traded away their cornerstones of the franchise in the past couple of days. First it was Cliff Lee and now its Victor Martinez who was dealt to the Red Sox.

For Cleveland, they did get pitching prospect Justin Masterston who should be pretty good for the Tribe. But this has to be the last deal made and try to rebuild the team back in Cleveland. That also means that General Manager Mark Sharpio and Manager Eric Wedge need to leave as well because to me they didnt nothing to help the situation. Remember that Cleveland was a game away from being in the World Series in 2007 and now they are one of the worst teams in baseball. That just doesnt happen overnight.

This was a huge deal for Boston because they have had no offense to save their soul in the past couple of weeks and it had appeared that the New York Yankees were ready to pull away with the division. As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend!" The Red Sox look poised to make another run at the American League East title and the American League Pennant. Martinez also brings a great clubhouse attitude to the team which I think is lacking with the BoSox who have the personality of brick wall. He is always smiling and gives every teammate a handshake after the game is over. To me that will help propel the Red Sox more than anything.

-Charlie.

Just Release the PED List.

Once again, the mysterious 2003 PED list has struck again. The New York Times have once again reported two more players with that big list of hunderd and three players. Those two were Los Angeles Dodgers' outfielder Manny Ramirez and Boston Red Sox's first baseman David Ortiz. If you forgot, Ortiz was the same guy who called for a one year ban if someone was doing steroids.... rut roh.

I dont really care about Manny because he already has been suspended this year for the PED issue. I mean he did say that this was his only time and he never did it any other times during the other years. But that not has proven to be false. Big Papi is another story for a couple reasons...

a. Like I said before, he was such a big proponent of steroids are a bad thing and they are completely wrong. Ortiz was adamant about getting PED's out of baseball and seemed like one of the good guys. That's why him saying he was shocked by all of this makes a little sense to me because when the list came out they were made aware.

b. He is Boston's sports hero for baseball right now more so than Manny when he was there and trust me when I was down in the Dominican Republic, he was so iconic there as well. Outsiders like me loved Ortiz for his clutch hitting in the playoffs and his happy-go-lucky attitude about the game.

c. Ortiz making claims that he will try to explain all of the details to his fans through the media is an admirable gesture but who knows what we will actually learn from Ortiz. If Big Papi says look I screwed up and took a doctor's advice to help (insert any injury) didnt realize one of the banned substances was in there.

I have said before a million times, it wasnt banned at the time of using therefore why should it really be that big of a deal? I mean I can only imagine what some of these players were thinking "Oh man, this guy is getting such advantage with steroids, I need to get my hands on those." You really dont think that thought went through a lot of guys heads during the fifteen to twenty years.

Just release the list and let all these guys in the Hall of Fame if they deserve it.

-Charlie.

BoSox Makes Less than Stellar Deals

If you havent seen the American East Standings which you probably have because well ESPN shows them about every five minutes (but they make 4 days for the Big Ben story, hmmm) the Red Sox have fallen out of first place. They got swept by the Texas Rangers now trailing the hated New York Yankees by two games. Therefore they wanted to make some deals so they got some guys who really wont help them that much.

They get Adam LaRoche who has hit twenty homers all year but he usually hits only .250 or so. I dont understand why the Red Sox feel that LaRoche is going to be a savior for Boston's offense. He will give them a couple more home runs than Mark Kotsay although he is going to give you the same production when he hits the ball. I think what it all comes down to is the Red Sox settled for LaRoche. Rumor had it according to Peter Gammons, Boston could of had Victor Martinez for only Clay Buchholz. Are you kidding me? Victor Martinez would be an awesome fit for the Red Sox and would have also made sure Jason Vartiek got quality rest plus they would get a solid first basemen. Instead, its Adam LaRoche, good luck with that one.

In addition, our friends from Pittsburgh once again made a deal for the third time this season and you can only wonder why Freddy Sanchez/Jack Wilson do not want to sign extensions with this team. Garrett Jones seems to be this unreal power hitter but why not wait til the end of the year to deal LaRoche to guarantee that this hot streak by Jones wont come to a crashing halt. I wouldnt be surprised if Pittsburgh decided to deal some more guys before the week is done.

Boston also got Chris Duncan from the St. Louis Cardinals for Julio Lugo which really is two teams trading away players that never lived up to their potential when they were brought in/up.

-Charlie.

Is the Dice-K Era Over?

Remember when all of America is raving over this Japanese talent called Daisuke Matsuzaka better known as Dice-K and his unreal Gyroball that everyone was raving about at the beginning of all this hype. Now I think that Dice-K is spending his second stint on the disabled list with no timetable for when he is going to come back and it is over. Stop the hype about Dice-K and here is a couple reasons why...

1. Teams have figured out how to hit his Gyroball- My dad and I have discussed at great lenghts most of the baseball season that teams are getting so good at scouting and putting together a book for pitchers/batters. I think that has happened to Dice-K because he has not put together one decent outing all year and I have to believe that has nothing to do with his injuries. I think the bigger thing is the fact of the matter that most batters have learned how to hit the Gyroball. He has to figure out another pitch. Tim Wakefield, another Red Sox pitcher has a great knuckler although he also has a solid curveball that can get it done too.

2. Great Success in Japan Doesnt Translate in America- I know I have been asking a lot questions in this post but can we stop throwing an insane amount of money to unknown non-American player? Right now the last two big names (Dice-K and Chicago Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome) out of Japan are failing to translate good success in the MLB and both of those players were supposed to be the next big thing out of the Far East. The only two guys that lived up to the hype was Hideki Matsui, outfielder for the New York Yankees and Ichiro Suzuki, outfielder for the Seattle Mariners. I really hope Yu Darvish doesnt get an insane amount of money either because we could be heading down the exact same road that Hideo Nomo, Hideki Irabu, and Chan Ho Park paved.

-Charlie.

The Sad Story of Big Papi

I think when the decade is over and people reminsce about baseball, I feel that David Ortiz will be one of the top five players that will always be remember for bringing the Boston Red Sox a world championship. Lets take it to today where it appears that Ortiz might not be in the starting lineup come two weeks if he doesnt produce. He is seeing an eye doctor to see if something is wrong but Big Papi needs to realize that its over big fella.

Now some people will say that he was juicing throughout the 2000s and I hate that accusation about any player during this era because even though many players did take steriods that doesnt mean that every player took a form of roids. I think Ortiz and Red Sox Nation need to realize that most larger players slow down much quicker than ones who stay in shape. I mean look Cecil Fielder, he was guy who was primarly a Designated Hitter throughout his career slowed down very quickly. Same goes for Frank Thomas who I would draw big time comparison in Ortiz because during their prime no player was more feared then the drop off was rather severe. Edgar Martinez was the only player of recent memory as a DH had a consistant career.

Also the Ortiz saga furthers my theory that Prince Fielder will be a Red Sox. I mean it is the perfect place for Fielder to continue his career if he has decided that he no longer wants to be a Brewer. If thats the case, I hope we trade him to get into the loaded farm system of Boston.

-Charlie.

Pujols and Pedrioa win MVP..... What?

Tom Hardicourt might have a point.

He voted Albert Pujols 7th in his MVP voting and is receiving a lot of shit for it although he has a point. Pujols played on the fourth best team in his division, granted they had a good year and werent expected to do much but still fourth-place MVP. Also some would argue he is the most valuable player to any NL team. It doesnt matter that Pujols after losing to Ryan Howard in 2006 cried about how a team who didnt make the playoffs should win MVP...... hmm.

I would have to give the MVP to Howard this year even though his strikeout totals and numbers against lefties are awful. But I think what it boils down to is that they're really wasnt a clear cut favorite for MVP in either league.

Dustin Pedroia who had a good year but really an MVP year? Then I look at all the other players who were voted for and none of them really seemed as if they would deserve an MVP honor. Although what can be said about Pedroia is he was Mr. Everything for the Red Sox and is becoming like Nomar in the late 90s as a fan favorite plus the guy looked to in the clutch.

Also minor trade in the MLB as the Red Sox give Coco Crisp to the Royals for a reliever, not that it really matters and I am sure Crisp is jacked about heading to K.C.

-Charlie.