National League West
How is it that this once powerful division could have fallen so fast? The best of this division is mediocre. There are no very good teams here. Rather, there are three decent teams, one almost decent team and the worst team on the senior circuit. In a division such as this, one player can be the difference between first place and fourth.
Following is my predicted order of finish, and some reasons why:
San Diego Padres They won it last year with a worse record than the Mets. And although they didn't make many offseason moves, one stands out in my mind as a potential difference maker. Mike Piazza, old as he is in baseball years, is still a winner. He loves the game and he plays hard. Oh, and he can still hit a baseball. I believe he'll be rejuvenated away from New York and have one last hurrah of a season, and the Padres will eak out another division title.
Los Angeles Dodgers Two teams in baseball should be great every year: the Yankees and Dodgers. Love them or hate them, there is something missing in baseball when either or both of these teams fail to play up to their reputations. The Dodgers have done just that for a few years now, but I believe we are going to witness change, beginning in 2006. It will take some time, and I don't know if they are quite there yet, but the Dodgers will be a better team than last year. By 2007, they will be the Dodgers of old again.
San Francisco Giants They won a World Series in the Polo Grounds in 1954, then moved to the Bay and never one again. They won't win this year either. They have centered this team around one Barry Bonds. He is going to turn 42 this year and played very little last year. With drug testing as strict as it is now, I doubt he will be able to be Super Barry again. I also question whether he'll even complete the season. The Giants season will come down to Barry's passing Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. That's about it.
Arizona Diamondbacks They had gone from the world champions to the league's worst team in four years, and then they get rid of their best pitcher. Still, they were a better team last year and I think they have the potential to get a little stronger. At the end of the decade, this division will come down to a new rivalry between the Dodgers and D'Backs. But we're not there yet.
Colorado Rockies I've read how they want to move the Devil Rays or the Marlins out of Florida. The Marlins, who play in Miami, have won two championships and only have fan problems because they get dismantled by ownership immediately after winning. And the Devil Rays suffer from their own ownership issues, coupled with this notion (which is false, by the way) that no one will top the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East. The Rockies, however, are the one team that really do need to move. No one can win without pitching. And no one can pitch in Colorado. And the idea that opposing teams have the same disadvantage is actually not true -- they play the vast majority of games not in Coors Field. Those 81 games affect pitchers psyche. And no manager or pitching coach can change that. The Rockies will remain lost until they relocate. Let's Go Portland!!!
Following is my predicted order of finish, and some reasons why:
San Diego Padres They won it last year with a worse record than the Mets. And although they didn't make many offseason moves, one stands out in my mind as a potential difference maker. Mike Piazza, old as he is in baseball years, is still a winner. He loves the game and he plays hard. Oh, and he can still hit a baseball. I believe he'll be rejuvenated away from New York and have one last hurrah of a season, and the Padres will eak out another division title.
Los Angeles Dodgers Two teams in baseball should be great every year: the Yankees and Dodgers. Love them or hate them, there is something missing in baseball when either or both of these teams fail to play up to their reputations. The Dodgers have done just that for a few years now, but I believe we are going to witness change, beginning in 2006. It will take some time, and I don't know if they are quite there yet, but the Dodgers will be a better team than last year. By 2007, they will be the Dodgers of old again.
San Francisco Giants They won a World Series in the Polo Grounds in 1954, then moved to the Bay and never one again. They won't win this year either. They have centered this team around one Barry Bonds. He is going to turn 42 this year and played very little last year. With drug testing as strict as it is now, I doubt he will be able to be Super Barry again. I also question whether he'll even complete the season. The Giants season will come down to Barry's passing Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. That's about it.
Arizona Diamondbacks They had gone from the world champions to the league's worst team in four years, and then they get rid of their best pitcher. Still, they were a better team last year and I think they have the potential to get a little stronger. At the end of the decade, this division will come down to a new rivalry between the Dodgers and D'Backs. But we're not there yet.
Colorado Rockies I've read how they want to move the Devil Rays or the Marlins out of Florida. The Marlins, who play in Miami, have won two championships and only have fan problems because they get dismantled by ownership immediately after winning. And the Devil Rays suffer from their own ownership issues, coupled with this notion (which is false, by the way) that no one will top the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East. The Rockies, however, are the one team that really do need to move. No one can win without pitching. And no one can pitch in Colorado. And the idea that opposing teams have the same disadvantage is actually not true -- they play the vast majority of games not in Coors Field. Those 81 games affect pitchers psyche. And no manager or pitching coach can change that. The Rockies will remain lost until they relocate. Let's Go Portland!!!
posted by E-Luv at 8:25 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home