It has been said that there are only two seasons…winter….and baseball. For some of us, winter is almost over, or we can dream anyway as another cold front moves into the Pacific. As a kid, it was at this time of year that I couldn’t wait to turn the radio on and hear Gray Park and Lindsey Nelson call the Giants spring games from the Cactus League in Arizona. It meant warmer weather was on the way and it meant for a few months I could dream that my Giants had a chance.
While Nelson and Park are long gone from the dial, the Giants and 14 other teams are in Arizona, matching those that spend six weeks in Florida. Radio is replaced these days by all games on TV, or even over the net. I still find myself with the sound up as I work around the house or yard, only occasionally glancing to see a play or highlight.
This year baseball continues to have a ton of questions to answer. The steroids scandal seems to have shrunk with the media coverage and increased testing. Big market teams still seem to have all the money and quietly some people in the game want to find a way for the NFL’s parity to slide on over to the MLB. Especially when you consider some benches in big markets are better than the starting nine in cities with a smaller market share and less TV revenue.
The Twins open a new park this year, without a roof and a baggie-like fence. From the first video I’ve seen as they finished the spring training season, Target Field looks like a fantastic addition to the Twin Cities. Hopefully baseball’s brass can figure out a way to get October back to October. I shutter to think how cold it could get for a Minnesota World Series in November….new Target Field or not.
Games also seem to be inching longer as each year comes and goes. Fans also have gotten less patient and MLB needs to figure out how to speed the game up, without taking away from what makes baseball so great. Heck, if they were to limit trips to the mound or pitching changes in an inning, that could lead to even longer innings and more offense. We know with the shrinking steroids issue offense has dropped a bit, which means teams this off season spent more time and money on pitching and defense, doesn’t that always win i the end anyway?
So who do you like to win the penant this year? What so great about spring is that everyone has a chance, everyone dreams of the postseason. As generations of Cubs fans have yearned for that elusive title, there’s always the chance anyone can become the ‘Amazin Mets’ of 69. Heck in 2004 I covered and watched as the ‘Ruthian Jinx’ flew right out of old Busch Stadium. Just a year later the “Pale Hose’ accomplished the same feat. Yep, even the Giants could win one. Have I said that before?
So this year I have a few predictions. First let’s start with the National League, where think the West will be the best division from top to bottom. The Dodgers are going to be tough, especially if Manny turns it up a notch in what could be his last year in Dodger Blue. The Rockies are young, full of talent and Jim Tracy has them playing well. The Padres finished strong, but since they are young and have some talent still to prove, they could be in selling mode by midseason. The Giants have great pitching, but enough hitting and D? The D-Backs are still rebuilding and have an important arm to heal.
In the NL Central St. Louis, the Brewers and the Cubs are all going to be good. The Reds might be able to throw everyone a curve in this division, with the Pirates bringing up the back half yet again…as I quietly root for Buc resurgence. I think the Cards are going to be very tough to beat, but since no one is picking the Cubs like they have so many times….I am picking the Cubs to win. Somehow. Not sure how.
The East goes through Philly. Atlanta has a hot prospect, Florida has Hanley, New York if healthy could be a contender….and that’s a HUGE IF. Of course the big question in the NL East is when will Stephen Strasburg arrive? Most believe the fireballer will be there by June first.
So in my heart the National League Championship Series will feature the Giants vs. the Cubs. In my mind the NLCS will have the Cards and Phillies. What do you think? What are your predictions. My AL predictions come later today.