Wunderdog Sports Picks Blog

MLB PICKS 2008 AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL PREVIEW

CHICAGO WHITE SOX
MANAGER:  OZZIE GUILLEN
2007 RECORD:  72-90
 
KEY ADDITIONS:
NICK SWISHER   OF
CARLOS QUENTIN OF
SCOTT LINEBRINK RHP
ORLANDO CABRERA SS
 
KEY LOSSES:
SCOTT PODSEDNIK OF
JON GARLAND RHP
RYAN SWEENEY OF
DARIN ERSTAD UTL
MIKE MYERS LHP
 
HELP IS ON THE WAY:
CURTIS THIGPEN C
 
OUTLOOK:
Cabrera and Swisher will help, but when you look at this line-up compared to those of Detroit, and Cleveland, they are still not there. The rotation has too many question marks, and don’t see this team contending.

MLB Picks 2008 - AL Central

The way the National League West finished the regular season is something to be talked about for years to come. The finish was a thorough antiseptic to all the icky things we witnessed during this MLB regular season (cue Barry Bonds vs. Mark Echo circus music). The way the end of the National League regular season finished, was reminiscent  of the movie “Major League” where the makeshift Cleveland Indians team finished an improbable run that culminated in a one-game playoff against the New York Yankees to move on to the post season. But this time, it was a carefully crafted Rockies squad that favored the youth movement and homegrown farm-club talent that put the pieces together for the Rockies miraculous run. Not a “bunch of has-beens and a couple of never-will-bes,” that got the job done for the fictitious Tribe. That and the Rockies flat-out deserved it. The wild, wild, West finish – the best way to end the season

Before we get into our discussion of the upcoming MLB playoffs, it would be short-sided of us not to comment on the biggest choke job in baseball history - the 2007 New York Mets!

The Mets were up 7 games with just 17 to play, and coughed up not only the division, but the wildcard as well. It is easy to argue from many points what went wrong. We point to comments by manager Willie Randolph, after a sweep of the Braves, and taking the first two against Cincinnati. The Mets had won five in a row and Randolph said that he had told everyone to play hard, so he can then get them some rest. The series finale against the Reds was the game.

Randolph decided to rest everyone in the same game, as if he had clinched the pennant, rather than sit a guy here, and another there. Delgado,Reyes,Castro, and Alou all sat that day, breaking the momentum of a 5 game winning streak, when in reality the clinched nothing! We think the players bought into his easing up, that things were now in hand.

The result: CINN 7  NYM  0. The Mets attitude seemed to be changed, as they seemed to take the lead from their manager. The message was, “ok, we have a comfortable lead, time to relax, and get ready for the playoffs.” The only problem wasn’t the relaxing, it was there are for the Mets….No More Games! 

Now, on to the teams that DID make the playoffs…

The Red Sox fans may be bursting with joy that their hometown heroes have completed the 2007 season with the best record in baseball. Our congratulations are extended to their fans, and all of Red Sox Nation. In our 2007 MLB preview, we were correct in predicting them over-taking the Yankees for the first time in over a decade, as well as correctly predicting 4 of the 6 division winners, as well as 18 of the 30 teams in the exact order they finished.

2007 MLB Fall Classic

I’ve well documented my theory on the 5 man rotation, and why it has devastated baseball. The stat I just uncovered says it all. The starters are going 6 innings or 100 pitches, if they are even good enough to get to that point. The bullpens are over worked. Proctor and Farnsworth, for example, for the Yankees have pitched in half the games to date! Take a look at this number: 557.

Do you know what it represents?

Why Pitchers Can’t Pitch Anymore

Wow, talk about an exciting week is sports! With the opening of the college football season, we saw the biggest upset in the sport’s history. Over on the big league diamond we saw a rookie hurl a no hitter in storied Fenway

Park, and what was this week’s gift form the NFL? Another superstar gets popped for a banned substance. I understand that the NFL is cracking down and getting tougher on conduct policy and drug testing – as well they should, so reserving comment in favor of highlighting the reminders of why we love sports this week is the necessary high road. After all, someone much wiser than me once mused: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” 

What a week and nothing nice to say!