Division a Day VI: NL West
Manny is back in Hollywood so let's see how his act plays with the Dodgers and Joe Torre for a full year. This is a great lineup that should carry LA back to the postseason but will it be enough come October to overcome the Mets, Phillies and Cubs? Young players like Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier will benefit from seeing Ramirez's legendary pregame work ethic (seriously) every day.
Of course, that's provided MannyBeingManny doesn't quit on his team like he did in Boston. And you have to love C Russell Martin. See if they make a deal for a starting pitcher at the deadline to boost the rotation.
The Dodges-Giants rivalry will get ramped up more this year because I'm looking for the Giants to be improved. Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum leads a great rotation that needs a little more help from its offense. And, no, that help isn't coming via a return from ace perjurer No. 25.
The Diamondbacks roared from the gate last year and then flamed out. Brandon Webb and Dan Haren are a great 1-2 atop the rotation but the young bats still need to mature. Pity the poor Padres, whose team was shredded by the payroll-damaing divorce of owner John Moores and will probably play out the season waiting to see where Jake Peavy goes at the deadline.
So my pics are: 1-Dodgers; 2-Giants; 3-Diamondbacks; 4-Padres.
Choose your NL West winner below.
---Mike Harrington
Ah, Opening Day. Pennants fluttering in the breeze in Philadelphia and Tampa Bay (er, hanging indoors?), and a World Series Flag for the Phillies fans (didn't the Phillies establish the losingest franchise record in pro sports history?).
I'm also a horse racing fan, and the statistics, racing form, and development of a race is very much like the long 162 game baseball season. The early-to-the-front speedsters, the grinders, the late comers, all juiced with the internet's loads of statistics to ponder liesurely, day by day. Each game a notch in the belt of developments. The pressures and fallouts, the injuries and the abuses. The dead arms and the promotions from the minors. The Great Expectations from Toronto Blue Jay front offices to the Chicago Cubs playoff despondencies. Cleveland chose Columbus over Buffalo?
Detroit needs more than a Final Four and Michigan State and Red Wings. (How does that city manage to have such fine franchises and nearby schools?) Time to sharpen the pencils and interpret the stats. Game by game, day by day. The Boys of Summer.
Posted by: David,Amherst | April 04, 2009 at 03:14 PM