The Preview: AL East

It's time for MLB previews for 2009. Boy who isn't excited for baseball? I certainly am, although despite this, I feel like the season is really sneaking up on me. Know what I mean? As if it just started without any hoopla.

That would never happen in the NFL... EFCSPN (that's Entertainment and Football @#%@% Sucking Program Network) would have been trumpeting Kickoff Week since February... oh wait... THEY JUST DID!! Anyhow, its baseball time, so lets get into the divisions, one at a time. Today it's the AL East.

The AL East (in a nutshell)

Easily the toughest division in MLB. Not only do most of the teams have great lineups, but they each have good pitching staffs to boot.

Orioles... The exception is Baltimore, who has neither. But for O's fans, do not fret... Nick Markakis is a nice young hitter, and Adam Jones is a possible breakout superstar... only 23 or so, and ready to roll! Still, not a whole lot else.

Yanks... love to overpay for people on the downside of their career. This year they didn't quite do that, but came close... signed two guys arguably in their prime (CC and Tex). CC Sabathia wasn't a bad move, but I can't see him pitching as well as he did for two months in Milwaukee. Teixiera... you can have him, NY. I don't even know how he gets all those gaudy numbers, because he is such an ORDINARY hitter... an MLB equivalent to Marvin Harrison.

Red Sox... the forgotten team... dare I say that? Almost no one is talking Red Sox in the off season... Lineup's basically the same as last year post deadline, which means, quite good. Quietly they stole the Dodgers' leftovers in Brad Penny and Takashi Saito. Another instance of "you can have 'em". Good luck trying to get Penny to give you a straight answer on injuries. However, IF he is healthy, Brad Penny ought to be a very solid option, and at a good price. The Red Sox are now Sanford and Son... who knew?

Rays... FEEL... the HEAT... RAYS!! The first step to get to the next step, Tampa Bay, is to ditch that God-awful home run song! For Christ's sake... that is a TERRIBLE song... you might as well play "YMCA" after home runs... even THAT would be better. I like the Rays... but I don't necessarily like them to be as good as last year. Lots and LOTS of young guys on that team, even a rook (Longoria). I think they got Burrell to replace Floyd... Wow is that ever an upgrade. Not sure how Pat the Bat will do, but the turf ought to remind him of the Vet. Comfort! Love the pitching... Don't love the bullpen, save Price (great stuff)... That's a serious wild card.

Jays... Halladay is not good enough to be a pitching staff. Staff = more than one person. BJ Ryan is pretty good to close, but I doubt the Jays repeat that MLB best E.R.A. from last year. The lineup is a joke... Good Lord, unless Rios and Wells just have the seasons of their lives... I can't see Overbay, Rolen, and Scutaro doing much, although stranger things have happened.

Dave's Take: This is going to be the Red Sox' year. No personality at all on that team... but the Ro-Bo sox will get it done. Less hype but more results. Not that they're this little market team or anything, but the Sox are unheralded and they like it that way. Yanks and Rays will likely challenge for the Wild Card and the other two teams will be eliminated by August, easily.

Sox
Yanks
Rays
Jays
O's

NL East preview coming tomorrow!

MY St. Louis Rams

Way back in July, when I was in New York City, I predicted the Rams would go 11-5 and win the NFC West. People laughed at me. Everybody who had a mouth lambasted my projection. They said "What a MORON! He predicted the Rams! They'll be lucky to win a game." People threw tomatoes at me as I crossed the street...

Ok no they didn't, but let's pretend...

Weeks 1-5, It looked bleak. The Rams went 0-5 and got outscored by a combined 104 points. Coach Linehan was fired. Then... it happened.

A bye week! But besides that...

The Rams came out with a blaze of fire! First they hung in there, and gutted out a win in Washington. Then this week, they CLOBBERED the Dallas Cowboys 34-14! Back to back wins versus the vaunted NFC East. I recognize the Cowboys used their backup QB, but let's face it, this was domination! It's no fluke...

The Rams are BACK baby!