Major League Baseball 2003
 

Just thought I'd start a discussion for this baseball season, similar in purpose to those about NCAA football, Hockey, and the NFL.

How about those Royals...can they keep it up...will they go .500 keeping Mike Sweeny in KC for the duration of his contract?

What about the (hated) Yankees...how will Jeter's injury affect them later down the line?


Any other thoughts???

Re: Major League Baseball 2003
 

The Royals can and will continue to win. Sweeney will stay in KC and we can special initiate him into Pike (we've discussed it)!

And the Yankees will lose 100 games this year but Matsui will hit 50 homers.

Re: Re: Major League Baseball 2003
 

Wishful thinking on both parts.

It's great that the Royals are developing a good young pitching staff...but I don't know about this continuing to win thing.

The Yanks are red-hot out of the gates - and while Matsui won't hit 50 home runs, he could drive in 100, although his current numbers have come against a weak schedule (save for the Twins).

A guy to watch out for is Austin Kearns. The guy is a hell of a young hitter, and he's come out of the gate fast.

Collin

AL=Yankees
NL=Dodgers

At least that is who I'm cheering for.

What is it about Chicago?
 

That brings crazy-a** fans out?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recaps/2...a.html?prov=ap

The Giants rock! 13-1, what a start.

I am and always will be a NY Mets and Yankees fan!

I am just curious to see if the feud that brewing b/w Mike Piazza and Guillermo Mota will keep up! I mean, it's nasty and I saw the fight b/w them, that whole bench clearing brawl at the exhibition game! The fury on Piazza's face was both scary and priceless at the same time....

Piazza, BTW, looks like my current crush :) *sigh*

Sorry Optimist Prime, but a big BOO to the Dodgers!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

GO GIANTS!!!

The team works so well together and Felipe is proving to be a great manager! He's back in SF where he belongs. There isn't just one player that is excelling on this team. It truly is a team effort, and their pitching staff is so much better than it was!

Re: Re: Major League Baseball 2003
 

well . . . sorta. The Royals can definitely go 75-87 this year, or maybe even .500 with some major breaks (and a breakdown by the White Sox, which could definitely happen) - especially considering they'll get Beltran back. But remember - Chris George and Runelvys Hernandez, their two 'aces' for right now, have never pitched a 162-game season, so expect their numbers to fall as the season goes on. And while Mike MacDougle might be this season's Jorge Julio, his peripheral stats still aren't stellar . . . It'll be interesting to watch, but I think they'll need every inch of that 9-game streak, plus a couple more, to reach .500 - even winning 75 games would be a major accomplishment, and if they develop some hitting, they're definitely a team on the rise.

I think the pirates have a better chance at .500, personally.

Yeah . . . well, neither one of these things will happen. Matsui will hit .300/27/100, just like his translated numbers suggested, and the Yankees will win 97-100 games and win the East. The worst part is, ,Erick Almonte will hit like .275 with a little pop, and when Jeter returns the Yanks will flip him for much-needed bullpen help, even though the kid sucks.

Unbelievable.

Although, come to think of it, that's what my beloved Red Sox will do w/ Shea Hillenbrand - let him tear it up through the first half, make the All-Star squad, then trade him for a closer before the inevitable 2nd-half fall.

Re: Re: Re: Major League Baseball 2003
 

I have a big feeling you are right about this.... and I'm not too happy about it...

Re: Re: Re: Major League Baseball 2003
 

Agree the pitching is likely to become more suspect as the season wears on...but that's the way it is with nearly every team except for the Yankees (and until this year, the D-backs). Even Pedro Martinez has had his late season detrioration.

The thing that will make or break the Royals this year is how they respond to any losing streaks that they will likely encounter. Being used to losing is almost a positive at this point, so long as they don't become "depressed" with themselves and lose hope (something Tony Pena's enthusiasm should help prevent). Further while the pitching staff is still young the position players are pretty experienced with guys like Brent Mayne and Michael Tucker who have been around the league, as well as Randa and Sweeny. You don't catch it out on the Coasts, or on SportsCenter but that clubhouse is alive...and the buzz surrounding this team has energized the KC area and the surrounding states, which can only help the situation. Kansas City is one of the most fairweather sports fan cities anywhere, but once they are on the bandwagon early it takes a while for people to get off. If the Royals can stretch this streak to mid-May, attendance is going to be sky high so long as they aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Something that hasn't happened since like 1988.

No matter what happens it will be interesting to see what happens with this team.


KEN HARVEY (former Husker) for Rookie of the Year!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Major League Baseball 2003
 

It's great what the Royals are doing...but I don't think they're going to go very far; as Rob said, their aces are in their first full year; they'll do better than anyone expected them to do though, and with George Brett in the front office, I think Royals fans have something to be excited about (although not the playoffs).

I think Almonte's a legit ballplayer - not great, but a pretty damn good shortstop who I'd like to see them hold on to, see if they can try him at third or something. Who knows.

Collin

I think Betarulz and I are just happy that the Royals have won 10 games already and its not the All-Star Break.

I'd be pleased with a .500 season and I'd suspect that most Royals fans would be as well. I'd love to see them in the playoffs (worst to first) but their bullpen is suspect and they always have injuries to key players it seems. I agree that their demeanor through a losing streak is critical, as the team usually implodes at the first sign of struggle.

Obviously, Matsui is a good player but he is neither Ichiro nor Barry Bonds. As for the rest of the Yankees, I really don't care.

The Red Sox however (second favorite AL team) will have to trade Hillenbrand although they need him if they are to have any sort of playoff run.

Wow, a Mets AND Yankees fan... muy interesante ;) I'll forever love the Mets even though I am NOT impressed with them so far this season. Benitez is really getting on my damn nerves, blowing all those saves. But then he pissed me off last summer royally and I've never been a fan of his since.

Piazza, even though not my type really, is cute in a weird sorta way :) He's my favorite baseball player of course! :D

All I have to say is Yay for all the true Giants fans here! lol, yay for those of us who support our team (whichever team you do support) during the good and the bad (and now is definitely the good for our Giants :) )

Honestly, I like Hillenbrand - he's a good dude, plays hard, and really likes playing for the Sox . . . but he's replaceable.

First off, Billy Mueller is a good defensive player, and the Sox are just killing the ball as a team; over a full season, the drop in productivity would be minimal.

Second, the Sox have a guy named Kevin Youkilis in AAA that looks like he's ready to go - he's one of the top 5 prospects for the Sox, and he'll be ready by later this season to come to the Bigs.

If it comes down to it, the Sox may be better off w/ trading Shea - he's 28, so he's not exactly young, he doesn't walk, and his numbers have fading dramatically each season in the second half. Lots of teams are looking for cheap infielders, and if the sox can flip Shea for a good arm, maybe Juan Cruz from the Cubs plus a prospect, it might end up being a great deal.

For now though, he's killing the ball.

PS - I just got back from Fenway, sox came back in the 8th to win, so i'm all fired up - great game

I was there too and was very excited about that come back!

Beisbal in San Juan
 

I think it is soo totally cool that the Braves finally played in San Juan. Javy Lopez is from SJ and hit 2 homeruns tonight. The 2nd was a grand slam in the top of the 10th.

For decades, players have had to leave the islands to come to "the mainland" to play. Who knows, the Expos might become the San Juan Expos!

Re: Beisbal in San Juan
 

absolutely no shot - the stadium's small (barely 20k), and the tax/legal ramifications are nuts.

However, it's a pretty cool experiment, and they're absolutely killing the attendance figures from Montreal.

Re: Re: Beisbal in San Juan
 

Don't count 'em out though... if they get some wealthy Puerto Rican to foot the bill for the team and convince the PR government to help foot the bill for a larger stadium, it might have a fighting chance.

Re: Beisbal in San Juan
 

NOOOO!!! We need them here in the DC area! :p

Definitely yay for those who support their team in good and bad times....I have always been and always will be a Padres fan...even if we are in the cellar, they're still my boys. Having family who grew up in the Chicago area and then transplanted here to SD, I've also grown up rooting for the Cubbies, too. Gotta keep rooting for them, too! ;)

Well, the trade was made - a damn good trade if I say so myself, Sox got a hell of a good pitcher in Kim.

Now they can also see if Freddy Sanchez is the real deal.

WORD - Hillenbrand for freaking BK Kim? Who the hell is running the show for the D-backs? This is the reverse of the "Bagwell for Larry Anderson" trade . . . ok not really, but it's pretty lopsided.

Jesus - the other offers they had were for guys like Scott Williamson and Juan Cruz. Getting Kim instead is a coup.

PS - Freddy Sanchez is the real deal, but maybe not at 3rd - he'll be better next year at 2nd, replacing walker. He was raking at AAA, around a .323 BA, and his translated stats look good. Youkilis is still the guy at third, even though he's not really playing up to par, or they can move Kelly Shoppach from behind the plate.

PPS - call me you asshole, peace

Wonder if anyone could ever explain why I just hate the Dodgers! Don't know why I do , but I just do.

Poor ole Rangers - I wish we could do better. I'll stick with them, though (I am SUCH a homer)

Always root for the Phillies, though. My grandmother's cousin played for the Phillies back in the 20s or 30s.

So how bout the Braves. They should be playing in October.

lets go braves!


Tried and True Braves Fan, good times and bad!

My Giants are still on top of the NL West!

And the Braves are 4 games ahead on top of the NL EAST
while the yankees are NOT IN THE LEAD OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE!!


How can it get any better than this? :D

I didn't want to mention the woes of that team from NY.

Go Bo Sox!!!

Ya mean the B.O. Sox?!? Send 'em some Lifebuoy! :p ;) :) :D

Go Yanks - Steinbrenner Sucks!

B.O. Sox????? Gawd, that was funny!!!
Or else I'm just easily amused today...

Heck yeah!
Except the whole Hillenbrand/Kim trade...big mistake if you ask me...I would have let Trot Nixon go but eh...I don't count. I still miss Jeff Frye! (lol)

Boston had been playing better than the Yanks as of late so what does that make them?;)

lol, you probably have just a lil bit of Giants blood in you :)

GiantsChic - that could be it! Makes sense to me!

Works for me! I have disliked the Dodgers since Day 1~ and I'm slowly converting my boyfriend (who was born in LA) ;) We're actually going to the game tonight for our three year anniversary! All I need is a cold beer and garlic fries!!! MMMmmm... :D

GO GIANTS!

My 'stros are in a dogfight as ususal in the NL Central, although i'm really worried about our starting pitching down the stretch.

I think in Dotel and Wags the Astros have one of the best set-up/closer combos in the bigs, but that only comes into play if our starters and middle relievers can get us to the 7th or 8th. Oswalt and Miller i think a bona fide starters and a pretty good 1-2 combo, but after that, the rotation drops off considerably. The pick up of Kent in the offseason will bolster the offense, but in order to be taken seriously as a contender the 'Stros need to pick up a quality starter.

Berkman's had a slow start compared to last year, but Bags has been playing well. Still, it's hard for me to think the Astros have a chance at a division title or even advancing in the playoffs w/o more quality pitching.

BTW, for you Sox fans, i can understand the idea for wanting a closer, but the way BYKim was abused by the yanks 2 years ago in the WS do you think this guy is the answer?

Oh and does anyone know how much Pedro rookie cards are goin for? i came home from school and went through my BB card collection and i've got a couple Pedro RC's.

Kitso
KS 361 baseball cards i've got to go through this summer...and keep the good ones :D