Bold Predictions
It’s funny. I get up in the morning with something in my head that I want to write about, and while perusing the sports section of The Globe, I find that one or 2 of the scribes over there have written some things similar to what I was thinking. A lot of times the game the day before dictates it so it’s not really much of a coincidence, but sometimes I have other ideas in my head and find that I wasn’t the only one. So, if you notice any similarities between what’s written here and what you read in The Globe today, I assure you, it’s purely coincidental.
Our team is on a roll. They are on the kind of streak that I don’t recall seeing very often from any team that didn’t have an NY on their caps. They’re not only winning games during that streak, they’re kicking the holy crap out of the competition. Everything is going right for them, starting pitching, bullpen, defense, hitting. When you see a team on a stretch like this, you start to think, how the hell did they ever lose and how could they possibly lose again? Well, I do anyway.
Obviously they’re not going to win every game they have left, but I am confident in saying that there is one thing they will win, the AL East. At this point, I don’t see how they can’t.
The Orioles are fading, in their defense, they are banged up pretty good right now and missing their best pitcher, Bedard, and one of the best offensive catchers in the game, Lopez, but all that really did was made them fade a little quicker than they would have.
The Yankees, like I said before, I don’t know what the heck is going on over there, but I do know that it’s not good and not likely to get better. They’re old and players that they expected to be at least good, are no better than mediocre (if you were reading any of my stuff at the beginning of the season you’ll know that I’m not surprised by any of this).
Meanwhile, here in the Fens, we have everything going right for us. We have 3 guys, Manny, Papi, and the Captain, starting the All-Star game, and at least 2 more, Damon and Clement, heading to Pittsburgh. Arguments can be made for Timlin and Nixon and since Francona’s got the final call, they could both be there if they don’t get voted in by the players.
We’re going to get a pitcher back at the All-Star break that is one of the best in the game, no other team in the league can make a trade and come up with a better move than that, and we don’t even have to do anything to get him.
Due to the crazy scheduling this year, we play a lot more games at home during the second half then we do on the road, and we all know about how much this team likes to play at Fenway.
And finally, I honestly believe that this team is actually even better than the one that won it all last year.
I won’t go quite as far as Gordon Edes did today and say that the division race will be a runaway, but I will say that it should be pretty much over by mid September and we should take it pretty handily.
We should have the best record in the AL and gain home field advantage for the first 2 rounds. I realize the White Sox are currently holding that position, but I don’t see it staying that way. They’re another team that is playing a little over their heads and should come back down to earth soon.
Since World Series home field advantage alternates between AL and NL and we had it last year; that means the NL team will have it this year. That’s okay though, it just means we will get to clinch it in Fenway this year in game four.
Obviously anything can happen in baseball, especially in the playoffs, but as I look around the Major Leagues I just don’t see a team that can beat us.
The White Sox are pretty good, but they just don’t have the pitching or experience to get past us.
The Angels should win the West, but I don’t think their pitching matches up with ours, plus they are probably no better this year than they were last year, and we know what happened to them last year against us, and that was with them getting to play the first 2 games in Anaheim.
The Twins should win the Wild Card, although Batlimore could sneak in there, but again, it all comes down to pitching. Baltimore doesn’t have it, and although Minnesota does, it just doesn’t match up to ours, Johan Santana or not (and so far he’s not the same pitcher he was last year). And although the Yankees can not be written off and could also get in there, they just don't have the mystique or karma going for them anymore.
In the NL it’s the Cardinals again. They’re just too good, and they're right back on that same pace they were on last year with the exception of the 4 game lapse in October.
The Nationals, probably the biggest surprise in baseball, don’t have what it takes to beat them, assuming they even have what it takes to hold onto the lead and get into the playoffs. And any other team that gets in there probably doesn’t either.
Sure the Cards could get taken out by a pitching match up, particularly in a short first round series, if the Mets or Braves get in there, but I don’t see it happening.
Any of this could be changed depending on what kind of moves are made at the trading deadline, but I don’t see anyone making a trade that will improve their team significantly enough to make a big difference. And again, I certainly don’t see a team being able to make a move bigger than the one we will be making at the All-Star break (Clemens would be about it, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere).
So from the perch of this observer, all things are pointing to a 2004 World Series rematch. I was kidding when I mentioned another sweep earlier. Anyone who knows anything about baseball would be insane to predict a sweep of a World Series, or any series for that matter. But after what I witnessed last year, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to convince me that the end result will be different this year.
So it looks to me as though the 2005 World Series Championship trophy will be handed out to the same ownership team as last year, and possibly in the same clubhouse as last year.
There will be another day in late October where I will be running around the city of Boston screaming my head off like a nutball with 3 million other members of Red Sox Nation. Let’s hope we get a better day for it this time.
Our team is on a roll. They are on the kind of streak that I don’t recall seeing very often from any team that didn’t have an NY on their caps. They’re not only winning games during that streak, they’re kicking the holy crap out of the competition. Everything is going right for them, starting pitching, bullpen, defense, hitting. When you see a team on a stretch like this, you start to think, how the hell did they ever lose and how could they possibly lose again? Well, I do anyway.
Obviously they’re not going to win every game they have left, but I am confident in saying that there is one thing they will win, the AL East. At this point, I don’t see how they can’t.
The Orioles are fading, in their defense, they are banged up pretty good right now and missing their best pitcher, Bedard, and one of the best offensive catchers in the game, Lopez, but all that really did was made them fade a little quicker than they would have.
The Yankees, like I said before, I don’t know what the heck is going on over there, but I do know that it’s not good and not likely to get better. They’re old and players that they expected to be at least good, are no better than mediocre (if you were reading any of my stuff at the beginning of the season you’ll know that I’m not surprised by any of this).
Meanwhile, here in the Fens, we have everything going right for us. We have 3 guys, Manny, Papi, and the Captain, starting the All-Star game, and at least 2 more, Damon and Clement, heading to Pittsburgh. Arguments can be made for Timlin and Nixon and since Francona’s got the final call, they could both be there if they don’t get voted in by the players.
We’re going to get a pitcher back at the All-Star break that is one of the best in the game, no other team in the league can make a trade and come up with a better move than that, and we don’t even have to do anything to get him.
Due to the crazy scheduling this year, we play a lot more games at home during the second half then we do on the road, and we all know about how much this team likes to play at Fenway.
And finally, I honestly believe that this team is actually even better than the one that won it all last year.
I won’t go quite as far as Gordon Edes did today and say that the division race will be a runaway, but I will say that it should be pretty much over by mid September and we should take it pretty handily.
We should have the best record in the AL and gain home field advantage for the first 2 rounds. I realize the White Sox are currently holding that position, but I don’t see it staying that way. They’re another team that is playing a little over their heads and should come back down to earth soon.
Since World Series home field advantage alternates between AL and NL and we had it last year; that means the NL team will have it this year. That’s okay though, it just means we will get to clinch it in Fenway this year in game four.
Obviously anything can happen in baseball, especially in the playoffs, but as I look around the Major Leagues I just don’t see a team that can beat us.
The White Sox are pretty good, but they just don’t have the pitching or experience to get past us.
The Angels should win the West, but I don’t think their pitching matches up with ours, plus they are probably no better this year than they were last year, and we know what happened to them last year against us, and that was with them getting to play the first 2 games in Anaheim.
The Twins should win the Wild Card, although Batlimore could sneak in there, but again, it all comes down to pitching. Baltimore doesn’t have it, and although Minnesota does, it just doesn’t match up to ours, Johan Santana or not (and so far he’s not the same pitcher he was last year). And although the Yankees can not be written off and could also get in there, they just don't have the mystique or karma going for them anymore.
In the NL it’s the Cardinals again. They’re just too good, and they're right back on that same pace they were on last year with the exception of the 4 game lapse in October.
The Nationals, probably the biggest surprise in baseball, don’t have what it takes to beat them, assuming they even have what it takes to hold onto the lead and get into the playoffs. And any other team that gets in there probably doesn’t either.
Sure the Cards could get taken out by a pitching match up, particularly in a short first round series, if the Mets or Braves get in there, but I don’t see it happening.
Any of this could be changed depending on what kind of moves are made at the trading deadline, but I don’t see anyone making a trade that will improve their team significantly enough to make a big difference. And again, I certainly don’t see a team being able to make a move bigger than the one we will be making at the All-Star break (Clemens would be about it, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere).
So from the perch of this observer, all things are pointing to a 2004 World Series rematch. I was kidding when I mentioned another sweep earlier. Anyone who knows anything about baseball would be insane to predict a sweep of a World Series, or any series for that matter. But after what I witnessed last year, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to convince me that the end result will be different this year.
So it looks to me as though the 2005 World Series Championship trophy will be handed out to the same ownership team as last year, and possibly in the same clubhouse as last year.
There will be another day in late October where I will be running around the city of Boston screaming my head off like a nutball with 3 million other members of Red Sox Nation. Let’s hope we get a better day for it this time.
posted by Bob at 6/26/2005 10:47:00 AM
1 Comments:
Apparently I had a brain cramp when I mentioned that World Series home field advantage is alternated each year, forgetting that they changed it 2 years ago to the winner of the All-Star game. How could I possibly forget that, as I thought at the time and still do, that it is one of the most ridiculous ideas that Bud Selig has ever come up with.
That's okay though, it means we now have a chance for home field advantage again, and with 4 All-Star starters we will be playing a big part in determining it.
Last year both Manny and Papi hit homeruns to help the cause, and this year we have Damon and Varitek to help out as well.
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