It's that time of year, Spring is in the air and spring training is coming to a close. Opening day is practically upon us so here goes nuthin'. I’m more of an NL guy, so I'll hit the senior circuit now and get back to y'all after more thought on the AL.
The East:
1. Phillies
2. Mets (Wild Card)
3. Braves
4. Marlins
5. Nationals
That's right kids, my misery is over, after 14 years the hollow feeling that comes at the end of every regular season since '93 will be replaced by elation. I know the Mets have a solid line-up, but look, I've been worrying about the Braves for a decade and half, I'm not going to start worrying about the Mets now. I think the Phils have made enough positive moves to get over the hump and take the East by the horns. They had the bats in place last year, now they've got the arms as well, and here's an extra prediction - Ryan Howard repeats as MVP.
Central
1. Cardinals
2. Cubs
3. Astros
4. Reds
5. Brewers
6. Pirates
The Cubs sure didn't hesitate to shell out the green in the off-season, but I don't think it'll be enough. The Cards fans will be expecting a lot - Pujols is a freaking monster and Chris Carpenter is still one of the best arms in baseball. This division will be tight, maybe a few games separating the division winner all the way back to number four, but the Cards squeek in. This certainly isn't the best division in baseball, but it may be the most evenly matched.
West
1. Dodgers
2. Padres
3. Diamondbacks
4. Giants
5. Rockies
Pitching is the story in the West, so that determines how they'll finish. The Dodgers have the strength from number one through the pen to edge off the Padres who come in a close second - Lowe, Penny and Schmidt win the race for the West. The rest of the division is pretty meaningless in my opinion, the West is a race of two unless you're in the market for a spectacle(Bonds) instead of baseball.
Playoffs:
So who goes to the big dance - the Phillies! They don't bring home the World Series trophy in '07, but you can bet I'll be wearing that NL Champs shirt all too often until they win the World Series in '08. That's right I'm making my prediction for next year here too, Phil's in '08.
