I welcome you to BASEBALL SEASON!

Here are my thoughts on the upcoming season and my picks…lots of photo finishes:

AL EAST

Red Sox  (99 wins)

NY Yankees

Toronto

Devil Rays

Orioles

Sorry Baltimore fans.  I think the upgraded high octane offense won’t be enough with zero pitching.  I will admit too that my hatred of the Yankees makes me pick the Sox nation over them. 

NL EAST 

Philadelphia (95 wins)

NY Mets

Atlanta

Nationals

Marlins

I could see the Phillies winning the division.  I could the Mets and the Marlins winning.  And of course the Braves are the leading candidate.  And I bet the Nationals are better than anyone else believes.  Playing in front of 3 million people at home will help them.  It’s a complete toss-up.  I’m taking the Phillies since they have a good team that has underproduced for the past 2 years.  This should be the most competitive division race of the year.

AL CENTRAL

Minnesota (91 wins)

Cleveland

Chicago White Sox

Detroit

Kansas City

The Twins behind Santana have the experience while the Indians are sharp youngsters with major talent and good depth.  A tough battle.  The White Sox are a wild card in this division, but injuries among the pitching staff are numerous… In a year, when most teams in MLB have gotten much better, Kansas remains the team that can’t get it together.  Perhaps 110 losses this year.

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs  (96 wins)

St. Louis

Cincinnati

Milwaukee

Pittsburgh

Houston

How hard is it to pick Houston to go dead last?  Pretty hard.  Age might just catch up to this team…The Cubs have a world of pitching talent when healthy.  The Cards have a world of hitting talent when healthy.  Pitching beats hitting this year…

AL WEST

Oakland  (89 wins)

Los Angeles Angels

Mariners

Texas

Another dog fight here.  The Angels will probably win but I can’t give the division title to a team called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Stupid Name!  Texas has a great infield and that might push them up a notch or two.  Oakland’s young pitching staff might fail them.  Seattle’s new free agent signings might really help. 

NL WEST

San Diego  (89 wins)

Los Angeles Dodgers

San Francisco

Arizona

Colorado

These predictions are all about Bonds.  At the time of this writing, Barry is out for a few months.  If he’s back sooner then things can change.  I like the Padres.  Could solid club with a pitching park.  The Dodgers surprised me last year.  I thought they were cellar dwellers last year but they weren’t and now they’ve improved.  But no one in this division may win even 90 games. 

WILD CARD PREDICTION:  Impossible not to take the Yankees in the AL.  In the NL, I’m going with my heart and say the Mets.