Spectating Savant

A few years ago, the Boston Red Sox ended an 86 year World Series drought that every fan in the sports world was forced to hear about endlessly. Since Keith Foulke threw that baseball to Doug Mientkiewicz, the Red Sox fans have taken their place in the pantheon of the worst group of fans in the history of sports. Certainly fans of the Perfect Race Third Reich soccer team and the Jesus Haters cross racers club have one up on Red Sox Nation, but that moment in October of 2004 was the end of a historic streak and the beginning of something terrible.

By contrast, the Chicago White Sox finished an even longer, 88 year Series drought in 2005 and were never heard from again. I think they were devoured by the Cubs introducing a new Nomar Garciaparra line of pine tar.

In any case, the two, current longest WS droughts in baseball belong to the Cleveland Indians (59) and the Chicago Cubs (99). Both droughts are due to make the leap to a major milestone this year. In the case of the Cubs, 100 years is likely to be an achievement that no one will ever be able to catch. The most interesting thing about this situation is that both teams have the tools to end their streak this year, so look for that story to be played up as much as possible as the season progresses.

Without further ado, my 2008 MLB predictions...

AL East
Best Position Player:Alex Rodriguez
A-rod is the best player in the division until someone wants to challenge him. Check back in October for no changes.
Best Pitcher:Josh Beckett
Big game Beckett dominated everyone he faced in the post season last year. During the season, he may get complacent from time to time, but greatness will do that to you.
Best Manager: N/A
Again, payrolls over $150M disqualify you from being named the best manager in the division. Any manager that can finish ahead of both teams will qualify for this honor for the next 10 years. Does anyone remember the last time an AL East team made the playoffs that wasn't the Red Sox or Yankees? Was it the 1996 Orioles?
Projected Standings:
Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles

Ok, so there's one surprising thing here.....well......maybe two. An average year from A-Rod (which means 41HRs, 115 RBI), month long injuries to Giambi, Matsui, Damon, and Abreu will absolutely ruin the Yankees this year. When you have an old lineup, and no youngsters to back them up, don't expect to be in the playoff race every year. Don't worry Yankees fans, you'll have C.C. Sabathia and some other great free agent signing when $60M annual comes off the books next year.

Boston dominates the division again with a great mix of veterans and youngsters (all of whom are overpaid). Tampa Bay will finally see dividends paid on all the young guys they've collected and that killer pitching staff will keep the big bats in the division at bay. The Blue Jays will continue to be the bastards of the division, doing everything they can to win and not being able to get over the hump. Vernon Wells is the Jermaine O'Neal of baseball.

AL Central
Best Position Player:Grady Sizemore, Curtis Granderson
Best Pitcher:Justin Verlander
Best Manager:Eric Wedgee
Projected Standings:
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers*
Kansas City Royals
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins

Curtis Granderson and Grady Sizmore are in the division until 2012. For the foreseeable future, they will be the most exciting players in the American League to watch. Diving catches, deceptive power, stolen bases, these young players are the top-flight thoroughbreds of the game. And they play each other 19 times this year. Mark your calendars.

Justin Verlander might win 27 games this year. If he has a sub 3.5 ERA, pencil him in for the Cy Young. After him, there's no way of knowing if anyone toeing the rubber for the Tigers is going to get them a win. Sabathia, Carmona, Westbrook, Byrd, Lee has the potential to be the best pitching staff in baseball. There's not a guy there that can't win 15 games - everyone of them has done it before. The White Sox are a poor man's Yankees, so look for injuries to hurt them. The White Sox plus the fall of the Twins from grace means that the new old Royals are going to start their ascension in the division. Pencil them in at 3rd place where the two top spots are decided.

AL West
Best Position Player:Ichiro Suzuki
Best Pitcher:Erik Bedard
Best Manager:Mike Sciosia
Projected Standings:
Seattle Mariners
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland Athletics
Texas Rangers

A week ago, the Mariners were the last team out of the playoffs. Then we find out that Ervin Santana is going to be the day two starter for the Angels. Without Escobar and a viable bat to protect Vlad, the Angels just won't be able to keep pace with Ichiro and the Mariners.

Oakland has a decent pitching staff, and that'll keep them ahead of the Rangers, who still seem to be looking for a plan. Answer me this, John Hart turned the Indians around in the 90s and was the tutor for the GMs of the Indians, Diamondbacks, and Rockies - all final four teams from last year. So why, John Hart, can't you make the Rangers respectable? Maybe his three underlings quickly learned what Hart never seemed to be able to: Pitching wins in baseball.

AL Wild Card:Detroit Tigers

NL East
Best Position Player:Jimmy Rollins
Best Pitcher:Johan Santana, Cole Hamels
Best Manager:
Projected Standings:
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
New York Mets
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals

The Phillies are really the Tigers of the National League. The difference here is that no division rival even comes close to bringing to the table what the Indians do in the AL Central. Howard, Utley, Rollins, Burrell, and the gang will consistently outscore everyone in the division. The Braves will get by the Mets with pitching, and the Mets will flounder because of pitching depth.

The Nationals have Zimmerman and the Marlins have Hanley Ramirez. Not too many other reason to watch them.

NL Central
Best Position Player: Prince Fielder
Best Pitcher: Roy Oswalt
Best Manager: Lou Pinella
Projected Standings:
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers
Houston Astros
St. Louis Cardinals
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates

What is there to know about the NL Central? It's the worst division in baseball, and there are two sure things about it: 1.) The Cubs will finish first and 2.) the Pirates will finish last. Pretty much everything else is irrelevant.

3 or 4 times, depending on the breaks, Roy Oswalt and Aaron Harang will pitch against each other. That pretty much covers all of the information you'll need for the final exam. That, and whether or not Prince Fielder explodes because he feels he's not getting paid.

NL West
Best Position Player:Matt Holliday
Best Pitcher:Jake Peavy
Best Manager:Clint Hurdle
Projected Standings:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers
Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I have an ego as big as anyone, and I'm telling you I don't know. The Diamondbacks have the best pitching staff, the Rockies have the best position players, and the Dodgers are second in both. The Padres have an amazing 1-2 punch in Peavy and Young, but can they score enough runs to keep up with the other 3? I say no.

Giants fans, well, you're probably rooting for the worst team in baseball, but at least you have the Warriors.

NL Wildcard:Atlanta Braves

American League Playoffs
American League Divisional Series:Cleveland vs. Seattle
Sabathia, Hernandez, Carmona, and Bedard combine for the best pitched 4 games in Division series history. Bedard beats Sabathia in the first game while striking out 11 at the Jake. The Indians take the next three games as Carmona pulls on experience from 2007 to beat King Felix, Westbrook shows he's still the man and wins game 3 before Sabathia evens the score with Bedard in game 4.
Cleveland wins 3-1

American League Wild Card Series:Boston vs. Detroit
Josh Beckett sees something he's never seen before in a playoff series: a ridiculous offense on the top of its game. He loses both of his starts in game 1 and game 3 on short rest, as someone convinces Francona that it's better to go with Beckett than Schilling on 3 days rest. Dice-K wins his start, but Verlander dispatches would-be game 3 starter in Game 4, and the Tigers roll to an all AL Central ALCS.
Detroit wins 3-1

American League Championship Series
The Indians jump out to a 2-0 lead as Verlander recovers from Game 4 of the divisional series and Carmona and Westbrook stay in top form. Curtis Granderson gets crazy in game 3, going 5-5, hitting two homeruns, scoring 4 runs, and getting a bunt single in the 9th, stealing second, and scoring the winning run in front of the Comerica faithful. Adam Miller, having been brought up in July, wins his first ever playoff start in front of the loudest Tigers crowd in recent memory. Verlander beats Sabathia in game 5 and the series goes back to Cleveland with Detroit needing two. Grady Sizemore, so far quiet of in the series, puts an end to the Tiger dreams of a World Series by one-upping Granderson with a 5-6 day, scoring 3 runs and hitting in 5 RBI with an inside the park homerun and a pair of game changing web gems in center. Having no answer to who is the best center fielder in baseball, the Indians faithful go on to the World Series to try to end their drought of 59 years.
Cleveland Wins 4-2

National League Playoffs
National League Divisional Series: Philadelphia vs. Arizona
Hamels is dominating in his two starts, but is only able to manage a split with the equally dominating Brandon Webb. Dan Haren beats Myers in Game 2 and Doug Davis beats a homeless guy in Game 4. Despite a 12-18 series from Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies are never able to get their bats going. Howard goes 3-18 with 5 strikeouts and Chase Utley is only able to manage four hits. Pat Burrel hits a homerun in his first at bat, and is never heard from again.
Arizona wins 3-1

National League Wild Card Series: Chicago vs. Atlanta
Zambrano, Lilly and Hill each win their starts, beating a suddenly inept Braves lineup and pitching staff. Bobby Cox's head explodes in front of an Atlanta crowd that can't manage to sell out the NLWS games. The Braves are back to their old selves, getting into the playoffs and playing worthless baseball thereafter. Soriano and the Fukudome erupt for 2 homers a piece, and the East coast is left out of the two Championship Series.
Chicago wins 3-0

National League Championship Series:Chicago vs. Arizona
The Cubs offense goes nuts in the NLCS. Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, and Aramis Ramirez combine to go 35-57 with 30 RBI in the series. Brandon Webb, having pitched 255 innings in the regular season and 15 in the playoffs, gets shelled in one outing. Dan Haren pitches well, but Doug Davis and Micah Owings also get beat up in their starts. The Arizona pitching falls apart at the wrong time, and the Cubs look dominant.
Chicago wins 4-0

World Series:Cleveland vs. Chicago
If you didn't see this one coming, then you need to check your history books (or at least the first paragraph of this article).

Zambrano and Sabathia both come out flaming with 12 and 10 strikeouts respectively in Game 1. A Travis Hafner solo homerun in the first is the only run scored.

Game 2 is a very different story. Carmona and Lilly are both lit up to the tune of 6 and 8 runs respectively. The Indians bullpen is able to come in and put a stop to the madness while the Tribe puts up 4 more runs in the late innings. The Tribe goes to Chicago with a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is another pitchers duel as Pinella elects to go with Dempster against Westbrook. Both pitchers go 7 innings and give up 2 runs a piece. Grady Sizemore scores in the 8th on an Asdrubal Cabrera double and the Indians take a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th. Joe Borowski gives up a hit to Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee ends the game with a 2-run homer.

The momentum has totally shifted in Game 4, and Zambrano dominates Sabathia. The crooked cap gives up 4 runs and Zambrano doesn't allow a single run. A late rally by the Tribe is unable to change their fate, and the Cubs tie The Series up 2-2.

Ted Lilly does his best Zambrano impression and beats up on the Tribe hitting which has suddenly gone silent. Carmona is respectable in 6 innings, giving up 3 runs. Kerry Wood comes in for two innings of work to secure the game for the Cubs, and the series goes back to Cleveland with the Cubs leading 3-2.

Jake Westbrook is phenomenal again, but Ryan Dempster seems unchallenged by a very cold Tribe lineup. Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore finish up 0-10 experiences over the last 3 games. Aramis Ramirez provides the only offense with a three run homerun, and the Tribe is shutout for the second game in a row. Mark DeRosa fields a Victor Martinez ground out for the last play of the series.
Cubs win 4-2

AL Cy Young:Justin Verlander (24 wins, 3.85 ERA), Detroit
NL Cy Young:Jake Peavy (19 wins, 2.43 ERA), San Diego

AL MVP:Grady Sizemore (.295 BA, 32 HR, 45 SB, 108 RBI, 120 R), Cleveland Indians
NL MVP:Derrek Lee (.325 BA, 44 HR, 130 RBI), Chicago Cubs

AL ROYBen Francisco, Cleveland Indians
NL ROYKosuke Fukudome, Chicago Cubs

AL Manager of the Year:Eric Wedge, Cleveland Indians
NL Manager of the Year:Lou Pinella, Chicago Cubs

AL Executive of the YearMark Shapiro, Cleveland
NL Executive of the YearJosh Byrnes, Arizona