Stan, you're right that baseball is all about hope. I'm sure the Washington Nationals won't make the playoffs, but I'd have to side with Andrew that the Boston Red Sox have the edge on the New York Yankees for the World Series.
The Yankees are the only team with enough media market revenue to sign CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira within months of each other. Can they make up for A-Rod's absence, Jeter's lack of range, and Rivera's slowing fastball?
Boston is loaded with pitching, hitting, and fielding and more depth in the minors. Matsuzaka is in full season form, as he proved in the World Baseball Classic. Lester is getting stronger if that was possible, and the rest of the rotation and the bullpen are strong too. This is the best hitting team in the Majors.
At least the Nationals will win more than 59 games this year. I'm waiting for the Justice Department to go after Orioles owner Peter Angelos for monopolizing the areas sports media network and extorting Major League Baseball for the lion's share of the National's media revenue. That could be a long wait, so my only hope is that our young players will outperform. That's baseball.
Bazeball ain't been berry berry good to us either
From the dept. of adage updates: Last in peace, last in war, last in the National League. Good luck on waiting for Justice to go after Angelos. I'm waiting for Justice to go after Dick Cheney, but it'll have to be for one or two, not the hapless Nats.
Baseball
Fortunately, it was last in the American League, although the National League East is plenty tough enough.
Re the Justice Department, I agree.
addages and priorities
'Twas: "First in war, first in peace, last in the American League".
And I'd rather see the Justice Department go after the NCAA first.
When baseball team owners go after each other it's one group of millioniares versus another.
When college basketball and football coaches collect millions of dollars in salary -- enough so they now are being bid out of the pros to coach school, er, NCAA teams -- earned from the labor of unpaid kids, many of whom are shucked aside by programs with 0% to 15% graduation rates ... that's just really not right.
Most perverse is how the NCAA manages to successfully portray itself as the "non-profit good guy". As per Barro:
"...most impressive is the NCAA's ability to maintain the moral high ground ... the athletic association has managed to convince most people that the evildoers are the schools that violate the rules by attempting to pay athletes, rather than the cartel enforcers who keep the student-athletes from getting paid..."
Why so few people are upset by this ... ?
I know this is a baseball thread, but I'm reading blogs at this moment rather than watch the NCAA college basketball championship game -- showpiece of the $6 billion TV contract of the "amateur" athletic association, that enables its members to fund coaching contracts like the $32 million one Kentucky just handed out ... while all the players go unpaid ... aw, !@#$%^.
Getting to the Series
I'd have to side with Andrew that the Boston Red Sox have the edge on the New York Yankees for the World Series.
I'd agree about the Sox having the best team and the best shot at first place during the season, as over 162 games the best should out.
But as to getting through the playoffs to the Series, luck has more effect than talent differential. (A lot of sports fans don't at all like the word "luck", so call it "chance" or "contingency".)
Two teams make the playoffs, one by winning 105 games and the other 95. That's a one win per 16 games difference between them, and they will play seven games against each other at most. (The best team would be expected to win less than half a game more out of seven). That's pretty much a coin flip with just a slightly imperfect coin.
So if you're a Yankee hater, hope they finish third.
Baseball starts and steroids
Baseball starts and steroids for sale are going on sale on the net why is it someone can get caught using steroids admit to it and still have their job?