We're Gonna Party Like it's 1987....Part II

Yesterday, I previewed and predicted the 2010 American League, and determined the AL Champions in 2010 would be the Minnesota Twins. Today, we'll tackle the National League. Unlike the American League - where only 4 or 5 teams have a legitimate shot of winning the AL Pennant - the National League is a toss up. So many teams are good in some areas and have gaping holes elsewhere, that unless you are a fan of the Nationals (who actually have the foundation to be good in a year or two), Mets, Pirates or Padres....your team begins the 2010 season with a very reasonable chance of playing for the NL Pennant. That leaves twelve teams.....TWELVE TEAMS.....that could be left standing at the end of October. Let's rank them (in my humble opinion, of course)

12. Chicago Cubs
Always an intriguing team. They got rid of a clubhouse cancer in Milton Bradley. Their lineup is good enough to compete. But their pitching is razor thin and their bullpen is full of question marks. They'll outslug teams and win enough to hang around until August, but unless they acquire some pitching or find some down on the farm, they will be waiting till next year.....again.

11. Florida Marlins
I like this team a lot this year. I flip flopped on the Fish several times....having them finishing as high as winning the NL East, all the way down to 4th place. Ultimately, I think they will finish right where they did last year...3rd place in the East, a few games over .500 and a few games out of the playoffs. Too many bullpen questions, not enough starting pitching after Johnson and Nolasco.....and they couldn't move Uggla for the pitching they wanted. Uggla was a great story 2 years ago. Now, he's just another guy who can hit 30 HRs, but only hit .250, never do it when it matters and is a liability defensively.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks
Young. Talented. Deep. Good pitching. Enough bullpen. But alas, too young, strikes out too much as a team, in a division with better pitching and more experience. With the right offseason though, could be the NL's version of the Orioles in 2011 - one of the favorites to win the pennant. In 2010, though, they will fall a little short though.

9. Houston Astros
Could surprise some people this year. I like their young pitching behind Oswalt and Brett Myers. They should settle on a closer (personally, I favor Lyon) and their offense is vastly underrated with Berkman, Lee, Pence and Bourn anchoring a lineup that will score more this year than last. I don't think they have enough to make the playoffs, but they have enough to scare some teams.

8. Milwaukee Brewers
Offense. Offense. Offense. This team can score. This team will score. A lot. And Yovani Gallardo is a legit ace. But they have serious bullpen issues, and no contender in the NL has worse pitching, and ultimately that will be this team's downfall. They may be the most fun team to watch this year, and if you own a fantasy baseball team, you should own most of their offensive players, but they'll be watching the playoffs from their couches.

7. Los Angeles Dodgers
6. Atlanta Braves
I think both of these teams are very good. The interesting thing is if you combined these two teams, you'd have your NL Pennant winner - the Dodgers offense with the Braves pitching. The Dodgers lack of pitching comes in the wrong division and will land them behind the Rockies and Giants this year. I really wanted to pick the Braves to win the East, but they have too many offensive question marks, and the Phillies are just too good.

5. Cincinnati Reds (sleeper team)
I love love love the Reds this year. Maybe it's a Cincinnati thing. I picked the Bengals to be sleeper NFL team and win the AFC North. I was right on that call. I don't think the Reds can knock off the Cardinals in the Central, but they're going to come close. I think Drew Stubbs is the real deal in CF, and if he is, than they're up the middle is as solid - offensively and defensively as any in the NL - with Hernandez (catcher), Cabrera (ss), Phillips (2B) and Stubbs (CF). Homer Bailey is poised to breakout as a pitcher and along with Arroyo, Harang, Cueto and Cuban Stud Chapman - this rotation is solid top to bottom. They will just barely miss the playoffs.

Playoff teams.....
4. Colorado Rockies
Solid team top to bottom. Good pitching. Very good offense. Good bullpen. Good team speed. Good team defense. Slow starts have kept them from winning the division twice in the last three years. They are good enough to win the division but will likely take home the wild card yet again. Never fear, Rockies fans, that path should lead the Rockies right back to the NLCS in 2010.

3. San Francisco Giants
You have to spend money to make money. The Giants nearly had a flawless offseason. They avoided a nasty arbitration with ace Tim Lincecum and locked him up for 2 years. They locked up Matt Cain and Brian Wilson for 3 years. They locked up Freddy Sanchez for 2 more years. They signed free agent Mark DeRosa to help the middle of their lineup. They are not rushing future stud Buster Posey - he will be up in June or July. All this, and somehow they pinched pennies and opted for cheaper Aubrey Huff over more expensive, but ultimately much better options in Adam LaRoche (who wanted to play in San Francisco) and Jermaine Dye. They still have pitching to burn - with more on the way. But their penny wise, will prove pound foolish in the playoffs.

2. Philadelphia Phillies
The two-time defending NL champs, who are widely favored to get back to the World Series for a third straight year. Yes, they still have the most talent in the NL. But the injury bug is biting this team to early and too often already. I don't like the omen that sets for the season. Losing three pitchers - a starter, solid left handed reliever and your closer - all before the season starts, does not give me a good feeling for the Phitin Phils. They still have too much offense and with the addition of Roy Halladay, too much pitching to be caught in the east.....and they are almost good enough to 3peat as the NL Champs. If it wasn't for........

1. St. Louis Cardinals
Yes, they have a gaping hole at 3B, unless David Freese proves up to the challenge. But, what happens last year in the NLDS if Matt Holliday actually catches that ball in game 1 with 2 outs in the 9th inning? Do they go on to beat the Dodgers and play the Phillies for the NL Pennant? And if so, didn't they match up perfectly against the Phillies last year with Carpenter and Wainwright in games 1 & 2? I say yes. Brad Penny LOVES pitching in the NL. He pitched great for San Francisco down the stretch last year after being discarded by Boston. And who is better at getting the most out of pitchers than Dave Duncan? And, for you fantasy guys, you want this year's Joel Pineiro? Rich Hill. He'll win the #5 job eventually and win 10-12 games and have an ERA under 4. And....they have the best player in baseball. That's enough for me.

NL East
Phillies
Braves
Marlins
Nationals
Mets

NL Central
Cardinals
Reds
Brewers
Astros
Cubs
Pirates

NL West
Giants
*Rockies
Dodgers
D-Backs
Padres

NLDS
Rockies over Phillies
Cardinals over Giants

NLCS
Cardinals over Rockies

World Series
Cardinals over Twins in 6

MVP - Albert Pujols
CY Young - Matt Cain
ROY - Jason Heyward

In 1987, Kirby Puckett's extra inning HR in game 6 sent the series to a 7th game, which the Twins ultimately won over the Cardinals. Jack Buck's famous call - "and we'll see ya tomorrow night." This time, with Puckett and Buck looking on from the heavens, there will be no tomorrow night. Cards in 6.

We're gonna party like it's 1987

The New Movie "Hot Tub Time Machine" takes 4 friends back in time to 1986. This year's baseball season, or at least the end of October to early November is going to look an awful lot like 1987.

In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series despite Byun Hung Kim's best efforts to thwart it. And they did it by beating the best closer ever in the bottom of the ninth in game 7. In 2002, the Angels bested the San Francisco Giants despite the Giants being 8 outs away from winning the World Series, with a 5-run lead, and Dusty Baker turning the ball over to -statistically speaking - the best bullpen in baseball that year. In 2003, the Florida Marlins closer situation was so shaky that they had to go get a closer mid-season and do a bullpen by committee with Braden Looper and Ugueth Urbina for the stretch run and the playoffs. The end result? A World Series victory over the Yankees. Last year, the Phillies had a litany of bullpen issues - including a closer controversy heading into the playoffs. They wound up winning the NL pennant and playing for a World Championship. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins had (at least by some experts' accounts) the 2nd best closer in baseball. And how did that work out? Joe Nathan cost the Twins a shot at beating the Yankees in the ALDS (note Yankee fans - I did not say he cost them the series - I said he cost them a shot at the series). The Yankees swept the Twins - in part because Nathan blew two saves in that series.

What does all this mean? It means that the most overrated, overblown story of the 2010 offseason has been the injury to Joe Nathan. The Twins somehow went from the clear cut favorite to win the AL Central and challenge the Yankees for the AL pennant to somehow being in a dogfight to even win the AL Central. All because they lost Joe Nathan? I don't think so. I still say, despite the setback because of the Nathan injury, they had quietly the best off season in the American League. They signed a veteran hitter in Jim Thome. They signed a gritty, hard nosed player that no one wanted in Orlando Hudson (and don't think that motivation is underrated). Francisco Liriano looks all the way back from surgery and has the bite on his slider he had in 2007. And they locked up Joe Mauer long term, so that distraction is gone. The other contenders in the American League just didn't match the actual benefits that the Twins added.

The Red Sox have the best pitching in the AL. But their offense looks mediocre, at best.
The Angels lost Jon Lackey, Vlad Guerrero and Chone Figgins. They are still the best team out west. Only because the AL West suddenly looks like the NFC West - where just finishing over .500 should win you the division.
The Tigers have to have a good April, otherwise whispers will start about them trimming even more payroll by trying to unload Miguel Cabrera.
The Rays have a ton of talent, but their pitching is thin and young. Can it hold up during a playoff run?
The Orioles. Yeah, I said it. This team is going to be good. REAL good. Unfortunately, it's going to be in 2011. If they can add just one more young bat to Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Matt Weiters and still an under-30 Brian Roberts, this lineup will be deadly. And, they have some AMAZING young pitching - particularly Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman.
And the Yankees.....the team that had a "great" offseason.......if you were building a fantasy baseball team. Yankee fans will soon learn what Tiger fans already know. Curtis Granderson look great on paper....and lousy in CF. He also has a career batting average of .210 against lefties. So how does this make the Yankees better against LHP? It doesn't. And Javier Vazquez failed before in NY. I don't see him as a good fit in the rotation. Some people just can't pitch in NY, despite great success elsewhere (see Rogers, Kenny). The Yankees lineup still makes them the beasts of the East. But they are a year older, they lost two very good clubhouse guys in Damon and Matsui (the World Series MVP, by the way). They would win my fantasy baseball league. But I don't see them winning the AL this year.

Tomorrow- a full National League Preview.

2010 AL Predictions-
AL East
Yankees
Rays
Red Sox
Orioles
Blue Jays

AL Central
Twins
*Tigers
White Sox
Indians
Royals

AL West
Angels
Rangers
Mariners
A's


ALDS
Yankees over Tigers
Twins over Angels

ALCS
Twins over Yankees

MVP - Justin Morneau
CY Young - Jon Lester
ROY - Brian Matusz

This man needs a job....

The baseball off-season is officially underway, what with trades already happening, players re-signing with their teams, a confessed steroid user exercising his $20 million player option rather than test the free agent market, after tanking on yet another team, following a 50-game suspension. It's just Manny being Manny, and it's just another off season in Major League Baseball. The countdown to pitchers and catcher reporting has begun (95 days, if you're counting at home). And it's also time to sort out new managers. Some teams are set with their skippers, while others will start scouring the available managers to lead their clubs into battle in 2010.

The Cleveland Indians have already made their selection. They interviewed several candidates. They looked at very qualified assistant coaches (Mattingly, Don) as well as plenty of re-treads (Hurdle, Clint). In the end, they settled on Manny Acta. He seems like a really nice guy, too. But what pedigree does he bring with him? His .385 winning percentage in 410 games managing the Washington Nationals? His propensity for finishing in last place? I'm curious as to the qualifications that Indians' GM Mark Shapiro was looking for in his next field boss.

There was another candidate that Shapiro and the Indians interviewed and tossed aside. He's currently employed part time by ESPN, and he's managed before. He's managed successfully, as a matter of fact. And he might very well be the smartest man in baseball who is not employed by a Major League Baseball team at the current time. He is the only man who, in 2000, said Ichiro could not only play baseball with Major League players here in America, but that he would excel at it. Other scouts, managers and GMs scoffed at the notion. They said Ichiro was too slight. That his game was great in Japan but would not translate well over here. All Ichiro has done since joining the Seattle Mariners is have 200 or more hits in every season he's played, break the single season hits record (262), win the rookie of the year, an AL MVP trophy, lead the league in batting average twice, stolen bases once and be an All Star selection every single year he's played. The same man who was the only man to predict Ichiro could do these things was also asked prior to game one of the 2009 World Series two questions. The first question was - who will win the World Series? He answered - The Yankees, in 6 games. The second question was - Who will be the X-factor in the World Series? He answered - Hideki Matsui. The Yankees won in 6 games, and Matsui was named MVP of the Series.

This man has managed two MLB teams in his career. In his first full season managing the Texas Rangers, he improved them by 25 wins over the previous season. He took a 62-99 team and turned them into an 85-77 team. Six years later, he was fired. He was fired mid season, with the Rangers 45-41. His replacement led the team to a 32-44 record the rest of the way. A few years later, after managing the New York Mets' triple-A team to an astounding 82-59 record, he was promoted to manage the big club. As manager of the Mets, he led them to 5 consecutive seasons of over .500 baseball. He led them to back to back playoff appearances (the Mets would kill for such success these days) in 1999 and 2000. And he led them to their first World Series berth in 14 years in 2000. Since he was fired after the 2002 season, the Mets have made the playoffs only once.

Yes, this man has his quirks. He was once ejected from a game. He proceeded to go into the clubhouse, put on funny glasses and nose and return to the dugout, "incognito". The umpires noticed the obvious, over-the-top costume and ejected him.....again. But his quirks and his quick temper do not take away from his genius. He was a transcendent figure while managing in Japan these past 5 seasons. He led his team to the championship over there. And, when the Chiba Lotte Marines' management decided they wanted to fire him after the 2009 season, the fans signed a petition in an attempt to keep him - all the fans. How beloved a man must he be to get fans to sign a petition to keep him - a manager, not a player? When Joe Torre and the Yankees parted ways after the 2007 season, there was no petition to keep Joe. And he led the Yankees to 13 consecutive playoff appearances and 4 World titles. After Joe Girardi botched the 2008 season so badly that the Yankees missed the playoffs, there was still no petition to bring the real Joe back to the Bronx. So, imagine how popular this man must have been to garner such respect and admiration of an entire fan base.

I implore some GM, some owner, someone in MLB with a brain - hire this man. He will do wonderful things for your ballclub. If I had Brian Sabean's number on speed dial, I would be calling him right now, telling him to dump Bruce Bochy and hire this man.

Please, somebody hire Bobby Valentine.

Boycotting the Hype and Hyperbole

In case you missed it, there is a pretty big event happening in Minnesota tonight. After 162 games, the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers are tied for the AL Central Division title. They will meet in a one-game playoff to determine the winner of the division and the right to go to the 2009 ALDS against the New York Yankees. The Twins will host the Tigers in what could be their final game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. This will be the 9th time in MLB history that two teams had to play on the day after the regular season ended in a one game playoff. Wait a second, what's that? The game is not being played the day after the regular season? It's being played TWO days later? I'm confused. Did Detroit need a travel day to get from Detroit to Minneapolis? This is unprecedented. No, obviously that's not the case. What happened here was that the NFL's 4th game of the regular season took precedent over a one-game playoff to determine a MLB division champ.

Now, don't get me wrong. The NFL was well within their rights to not move tonight's Media Hype Bowl. The game as it read on the schedule was Green Bay at Minnesota, Monday, October 5th at 8:30 pm. So the NFL has first rights of refusal here. And that's exactly what they used. They trumped a one game playoff for their precious media darling game. A game that will be watched by what is being estimated as the most televisions ever for a regular season game. Can't move that. Too much revenue to be made tonight. Or could they? Anyone who follows the NFL at all knows that the Packers and the Vikings both reside in the NFC North. That means that they play each other twice each season. Once in Minnesota and once in Green Bay. They actually could have spiced up Media Hype Bowl by moving the game to Green Bay tonight and creating an even bigger stir for Ryan Longwell's homecoming (that is who this is all about right? The ex- Green Bay Packer, turned Minnesota Vikings kicker, right?). But the NFL said no. They said no to flip-flopping the home games for the two teams (which I find quite ironic, considering the fact that this game is all about the biggest flip-flopper this side of John Kerry). And they naturally said no to moving the game to Sunday Night or Tuesday Night, for revenue issues.

So, now, the Tigers and Twins can take in the football game Monday Night and wait until Tuesday to play their one game playoff. Of course, this creates problem number 2, and a potential controversy. The Tigers/Twins winner will play the New York Yankees. The Yankees owned the best record in baseball this year. That gives them the privilege of deciding if they want the ALDS to begin on Wednesday or Thursday (theoretically, to better help them set their pitching rotation). Never, in the over 100 years of baseball has a team not had a day off before starting the playoffs. If the Yankees so choose, they can force the Tigers or Twins into this scenario, while a team that didn't even win their division - the Red Sox - gets an extra day of rest while travelling out west. Somehow, that doesn't seem right.

So, while I am only one person, and I am quite certain that the NFL won't miss me all that much tonight, I am boycotting tonight's Packers-Vikings game. There are fantasy football implications for me (go Percy Harvin). But I am sure I can find something else on to kill those three hours. Oh look, the Rangers and Devils are playing tonight on versus. I think I'll tune into that rivalry game instead.

Heaven on Earth.....For a day

I woke up this morning a little before 7am to take my son to school. The weather was a nice 80 degrees and there was not a cloud in the sky. The high today is supposed to touch 90 degrees, with only a slight chance of rain. Yet, today, just for today, I with I would have woken up to 48 degrees and cloudy with a 50% chance of rain. Today's high in Detroit is only 58 degrees, and there is a good chance of rain, with basically no chance of sunshine. None whatsoever. Yet, today, I wish I was there instead of here. At approximately 12:05 today in downtown Detroit, the Tigers and Twins will square off in a double header - this is the latest point in the season that two teams this close in the standings are playing a double header against each other. And I wish I was there.

Sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s, MLB did away with scheduled double headers. Teams wanted to make sure they got the revenue from all 81 home games, and didn't want to give up the revenue from a game to schedule a double header. Even today's double header between the Twins and Tigers is a day-night double header. This way, the Tigers can still get two games' revenues today. The sad thing is, a lot of baseball's great traditions went by the wayside because of revenue. MLB refuses to have even one World Series game played during the day. A day game in the World Series would lead to fathers taking the day off of work- or at least taking a half day. They could rush over to school to pick up their sons (or daughters) and get home to watch the World Series. Maybe then, our kids would be more into baseball.

Double headers are also a thing of the past. A 12:00 or 1:00 start - 18 innings of baseball. For baseball fans, that is a day of pure heaven. And now, those days are gone. And even though there will be a 3 or 4 hour break between games today, it's still the perfect day to be in Detroit. Two teams, separated by 2 games for one playoff spot. Two games, 18 (or more) innings. By 10:00 tonight, the lead could be 4 games. Or the two teams could be tied. Or the Tigers could still have a two game lead, with 2 fewer games remaining in the season. Those are the only three possible outcomes (barring another rain out). Today in Detroit is the perfect day to play hookey. Take the day off of work. Keep your kids out of school. Go to the ballpark. Watch 21-year old sensation Rick Porcello in game one. Then go across the street and grab a burger. Relax for a couple hours and walk back across the street to Comerica Park for the nightcap. Tigers' Ace, Justin Verlander will take the mound against Joe Mauer and the Twins. Will the Twins be going for the tying game in game 2 or will Detroit look to all but end Minnesota's season when Verlander takes the hill? Nobody knows. But one thing is for sure. This Florida boy would love to bundle up me and my 5-year old son for the next 11 hours and watch two teams battle head to head in a classic day-night double header.

Thoughts on September's Final Weekend.....

I got my MLB Network back last night.....just in time to watch Brian Wilson torment and torture me one more time. With the Giants one strike away from pulling within 3 games of Wild Card leading Colorado, Wilson served up a 2-run home run to Jeff Baker. It was Baker's 4th home run of the season. The 26th home run of his 5 year major league career. I was crushed. I posted some very nasty words about Mr. Wilson on my facebook page. And apparently, he is not that well known to the non-San Francisco Giants fans, as I had several replies asking why I was mad at the Beach Boys. As I try to gather myself from yet another crushing Giants defeat, I offer up some of what I expect to happen on this, the final weekend in September.....

• The Colorado Rockies finish with St. Louis, Milwaukee and the LA Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves (only 3 1/2 games back now) finish with 7 of their last 10 games against Washington. By the end of the weekend, the Rockies and the rest of the world will be watching the Braves make a serious run at the Wild Card.
• The New York Yankees will clinch the division against the hated Red Sox. This will lead to a lot of premature celebration on the Yankees part.
• South Carolina will wake up Sunday Morning and be ranked anywhere from 15-18 in the AP College poll. They will get this ranking largely due to a win over an extremely overrated Ole Miss team. And then nobody will be able to comprehend how South Carolina struggles the rest of the season.
• The Florida Gators will struggle for the first half against Kentucky, before pulling away in the 2nd half. This will lead voters to start doubting Tebow and the Gators. This will be a mistake.
• The Miami Hurricanes will go into Blacksburg and beat Virginia Tech, vaulting them into the National Championship conversation. It will also give the Hokies their second loss of the season (both to top-10 ranked teams). They will then be ranked below South Carolina. That is a joke.
• Texas will finally make a statement...against UTEP. So, really????
• Houston will be shown that is not a true contender when Texas Tech beats them this weekend on their own home turf.
• Penn State will avenge last season's loss to Iowa.....and it won't be close. But nobody will really notice because, yes, the Big 10 really is that bad.
• Brett Favre will try to make too many plays in his home opener to impress his new fan base. And it will cost the Vikings the game.
• The Cincinnati Bengals will prove that they are for real (they should be 2-0 as it is) when they get their signature win by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• The Detroit Lions will snap their 19-game losing streak, by beating the Washington Redskins 20-17.
• The Miami Dolphins will continue to prove that they were the beneficiaries of an overly easy schedule last year, that led them to their 11-5 record, as they fall to 0-3.
• The San Francisco Giants will find yet another way to tease me, then crush me this weekend....like only they can do (well them and high school girls from 1989-1992).

Have a great weekend everyone!

A Plea to the Detroit Tigers

To: Mike Ilitch
CC: Dave Dombrowski, Jim Leyland, Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Brandon Inge, Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, Rick Porcello, Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodney
Re: Please save baseball from the impending apocalypse

Dear Detroit Tigers,

Last night at approximately 11:35pm eastern time, I pronounced the San Francisco Giants playoff hopes dead. When your 2nd best pitcher is on the mound with a 3-0 lead (2 of the runs driven in by the pitcher, himself), and less than 45 minutes later you're losing 9-4....your playoff hopes are basically DOA. The Giants were largely considered the team that could make the baseball playoffs fun again - with Lincecum and Cain and Kung Fu Panda and a bunch of blue collar guys that were scrappy enough to cheer for. They're out. Now, you guys claim the throne of America's team. Why? Here's why: If the Twins overtake you guys for the AL Central crown, they will get thumped by the Yankees in round one. It won't be pretty. The Royals would put up a better fight. At least in that case, Zack Greinke could keep the Royals in a game. If the Twins face the Yankees, the Bronx Bombers will put up 30-35 runs in a boring 3-game sweep. And then, since the Red Sox have the Angels number in the post season for reasons that nobody can figure out, we will be headed for yet another Yankees-Red Sox ALCS, that quite frankly bores the hell out of 90% of America. If you live or lived in the northeast at some point in your life, you love it. If not, you're tired of it. ESPN's Jim Caple even wrote about it. The Yankees-Red Sox "rivalry" is a media-hyped illusion. Would it be a highly rated ALCS from a TV standpoint? Of course. So would the Yankees vs. the Tacoma Rainiers. New York is the biggest TV market in the US. People either watch the Yankees to see them win or to see them lose. But, you, the Detroit Tigers can save us from all the hyperbole and over-hyped media love a Yankees-Red Sox ALCS would bring with it. How? Simple - win the AL Central and beat the Yankees in the ALDS.

But we went 1-5 against the Yankees in the regular season, you say. No worries. In 1997 and 2003, the Giants went 5-1 against the Marlins in the regular season both years (and in 2003, the Giants had the best record in baseball). The Marlins promptly ended their season in the NLDS both years. So, you have history on your side. You also haven't played the Yankees since July. Your offense is better now than it was then. Their pitching is wearing down. Andy Pettitte's arm looks more tired than Brett Favre's. CC Sabathia has a career ERA of 3.62 in the regular season and 7.92 in the post season. In other words, he's eminently beatable. And AJ Burnett is the New York Yankees version of Nuke Lalouche. He has a million dollar arm and a 5 cent head. He's also never pitched in the post season. And we all know Alex Rodriguez just lives for the post season. And you guys have beaten the Yankees in this situation before. Remember 2006? You weren't supposed to beat the Yankees then. And after dropping game 1, you guys dropped them faster than Mike Tyson dropped Michael Spinks. Justin Verlander is good enough to shut down the Yankees offense. Edwin Jackson has nasty stuff and Rick Porcello is just young enough and just dumb enough to not understand the gravity of the situation - think Josh Beckett in Yankee Stadium in game 6 of the 2003 World Series.

You guys can do it. You can save baseball. Granderson and Cabrera and Inge and Ordonez. It's up to you guys to save baseball. Save us from the hyperbole. Save us from the media hype. Save us from an ALCS that nobody wants. Save baseball. Don't make me write a letter to the Angels. I'm still bitter from 2002.

Sincerely,
David Krakower.....and the rest of baseball fans outside of New York and Boston