Broad Street Believers

Last week, on the Best Damn Sports Show Period, Jimmy Rollins told host Chris Rose that Phillie fans were “frontrunners.”  Though Rose tried to soften the blow by alluding to the fact that all cities are like that in certain ways, Rollins would not back down.  “When you’re doing good, they’re on your side.  When you’re doing bad, they’re completely against you.”  These comments - from my favorite current Philadelphia athlete - hit me very, very hard.

There is a psychological theory about the stages of grief that human beings experience when they face loss or emotional damage.  (Please understand that that I am not, in any way, trying to compare anything that happens in sports to the loss of a loved one or any other major life event that creates immense grief.).  And, it seems to be right in line with my experience over the past couple days.

Stage One:  Denial & Isolation
At first, I saw the report, but did not hear Jimmy’s words.  I figured it was just another media creation.  I figured that, because the media absolutely loves to villify Philadelphia fans, they would take anything that remotely sounded like an admonishment of our character from one of our heroes and run with it. I figured that Jimmy was just a little frustrated and just really wants to win.  I mean, after all, he loves Philly, and we love him.  Then, I heard the actual interview.  Then I saw Jimmy’s words…

Stage Two:  Anger
I could not believe that Rollins could possibly have the audacity to call out us.  I really believed that he understood, that he “got it.”  I was irate that he could possibly say such things after all we have been through together.  We watched him and cheered him, as he struggled in the beginning of his career.  We stuck by him when he was clearly one of the worst leadoff hitters in baseball because we saw potential and we loved his defense.  We pushed for him to finally get the much-deserved Gold Glove.  We backed him up when he called out the Mets in Spring Training, saying (correctly) that the Phillies were the team to beat.  We all felt a collective sense of pride - our little guy was all growned up - last year when he played his heart out, logging an amazing 716 at-bats, winning a much-deserved MVP award and leading this team, physically and emotionally, into the playoffs.  And, finally, this year, we have given him all of the breaks he has earned.  He is hitting .266, folks.  He has 41 strikeouts and only 56 runs scored.  He has been difficult to the manager on (at least) two occasions.  And, we have given him a break.  Hell, he deserves it.  So, then, why in the WORLD would he possibly call US out?!?  Why?!? Why?!? WHY?!?  There are a lot of negative things that can be said about Philly fans.  Being “frontrunners” is just plain WRONG.  We stick by this team.  We sell out the stadium EVERY NIGHT for a team whose fans have to be in their mid-30’s to even remember a championship and has not even won a playoff game in FIFTEEN YEARS.  This city, these fans, are loyal - to a fault.  We live and die with these teams, which is great if you root for the New York Yankees or the New England Patriots or the Duke Blue Devils or USA Swimming, but it stings and burns and just plain hurts if you root for any team from Philly because there is a whole lot of “dying” and not much “living.”  Frontrunners?!?  Not even close.

Stage Three:  Bargaining (Rationalizing)
Eventually, I settled down and moved into the third stage, which is when I tried to rationalize these comments.  Maybe he is just frustrated because the team is struggling right now.  Maybe he is irritated because of his nagging injuries that are not allowing him to play at his best.  Maybe this is something that will just pass by, as if it never really happened.  Maybe if the team just starts winning, this will all forgotten (after all, we are frontrunners, right?).  Maybe this will be a spark for a team that seems to desparately need one right now.  Maybe…  Maybe…  Maybe…

Stage Four:  Depression
I can honestly say that this whole thing has brought me close to actual tears.  I have invested all my emotional capital into this team - this man - and now he calls me a frontrunner?  Now, I am accused of being disloyal to a team that has taken me on a roller-coaster with far more down than ups, with me all the while holding on to that one glimmer of hope that this might be the year.  Let us be honest, for a second:  they are not going to win the World Series.  They have one quality starting pitcher, and he has been mediocre for the better part of two months.  They have a flawed lineup that strikes out far too much and is downright terrible after the #6 spot in the lineup.  They have glaring holes at catcher and third base.  They have a patchwork bullpen that is completely overworked and was not even that good to begin with.  This team is just not a World Series-caliber team.  But, I still believe.  I watched the Cardinals win in ‘06 and the White Sox in ‘05.  I saw the Tigers and Rockies both make runs to through their leagues with blatantly flawed teams.  I know that the Florida Marlins have never had a team good enough to even win their own division, yet they fly not one, but two World Championship banners in their laughably empty stadium.  So, why not us?  I still watch.  I still follow.  I still believe.  But, Jimmy Rollins thinks I am disloyal.  Jimmy Rollins thinks I only care about the team when they are good (when was that, exactly, Jimmy?).  Yes, we may all be just rooting for laundry, but this time, that 5′8″ guy in the #11 shirt has broken my heart.

Stage Five:  Acceptance
Maybe I am naive.  Maybe I am clinging on to a childish passion.  Maybe I should take this as a cue that sports are just entertainment, and that I should not invest as much emotion and passion into a bunch of spoiled, narcissistic, self-serving athletes who have no real connection even to my city, let alone me, personally.  Maybe I should continue to watch Olympic sports, where at least the athletes care about the uniforms they wear and want to represent all those that believe in those colors.  Maybe, one day, I will reach this fifth stage of grief.  Maybe I will understand that what Jimmy Rollins says or thinks or feels matters not at all in my life.  Maybe, one day…

Unfortunately, that day is not today, so I am stuck in Stage Four.

1). Michael Phelps has as many gold medals in this Olympics than Great Britain, France, Spain, and Russia - combined.  In fact, if Phelps were his own country, he would be tied with South Korea and a Phelps-less USA for second in gold medals.
Obviously, the dominance of Michael Phelps is remarkable, but this really puts it into perspective.  Wow!

2). Michael Phelps has more career gold medals (11) than the entire history of India (8).
This is even more remarkable.  Granted they are not known for their athletic achievements, outside of maybe squash and cricket (both non-Olympic events), but India has more than one billion people and has competed at 22 different Olympiads.  Phelps is one person and has competed at 2 Olympiads.

3). Babe Ruth hit 54 home runs in 1920.  That same year, the St. Louis Browns were second in the AL in home runs–as a team–with 50.  The 1920 Boston Red Sox hit 22.
Now, I know that this Babe Ruth stuff has been done and done again, but this is absolutely remarkable.  This one guy hit more home runs than any other TEAM.  His individual total was almost TRIPLE that of the entire Boston team.  Oh, and by the way, George Sisler was second in home runs, behind the Babe, with 19.  That is utterly ridiculous.

4). The difference between Tiger Woods’ #1 ranking and Phil Mickelson’s #2 ranking is a wider margin than that between #2 Mickelson and the 110th ranked player in the world.
I apologize for not knowing or understanding the point system than goes into ranking golfers, but I do not think that it makes much of a difference, considering the sheer ridiculousness of that stat.

5). Roy Oswalt is 21-1 against the Cincinnati Reds.
Now, I do love the random stat, but this one is ridiculous.  Yes, I know that Roy Oswalt is one of the best pitchers on the era.  And, yes, I know that the Cincinnati Reds have really struggled during Oswalt’s career, but TWENTY-ONE and ONE?!?

6). Entering their recent 3-game series, Ryan Howard was hitting .114 against the Pirates, with 34 strikeouts in 70 at-bats.
Say what you will about Ryan Howard and his low batting average and high strikeouts, but these numbers are mind-boggling.  He is not anywhere near this bad, and the Pirates do not exactly have a lights-out pitching staff.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I’ll relax on my couch in Brooklyn today and watch the Olympics in China, the PGA Championship in Michigan, and the Phillies game in Philadelphia.  It’s certainly an interesting Sports Sunday and it starts early with the broadcast of USA vs. China in Olympic basketball.  Predictably, NBC is airing a story on Yao Ming right now.  Also predictably, I know nothing about China’s team other than Yao.  It should be interesting to see how the US decides to defend him, because Dwight Howard is really the only center on the roster.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see them throw a zone defense and see if these Chinese guards can hit some shots.

 10:16 AM: Howard wins the tip from Yao.  USA starting lineup: Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Howard.  Yao hits a 3 to start!  Maybe a zone won’t work (and yes, the US has come out in a zone).

10:20 AM: Oh, China has Yi Zianlian, of course.  They also have a guard that was apparently drafted in the second round by the Lakers in 2007.  He hit a 3 already.  Early 11-9 lead for China, and the crowd is really into it, of course.  Chris Paul checks in.  Many people have pointed out that Paul has surpassed Kidd, and it should be interesting to see who gets the bulk of playing time at the point, with Deron Williams also in the mix.

10:36 AM: The first quarter ends with the US leading 20-16.  Kidd has not come back on the court, and Paul and Williams have on the court together, which I think is a great idea.  China’s been knocking down some 3’s.  I see Jim Boeheim is an assistant coach.  No word on whether or not he tried to get this game played in the Carrier Dome.

10:47 AM: China just keeps sinking the 3’s, they’re 7-11, and have the game tied at 29.  It definitely hasn’t been an encouraging game for the US so far.  Obviously they have a ridiculous advantage in athleticism but they’ve been a bit sloppy and haven’t shot the ball well, which has been the Achilles heel of a lot of these international teams.  If they were playing like this against Argentina, they’d be down double-digits right now.

11:00 AM: It was a disastrous close to the half for the Chinese, as the US delivered what should be a finishing blow and taking a 49-37 lead.  The US started bringing some pressure defense, which you would love to see more of considering their 12th man is an NBA All-Star.  Fatigue will never be an issue for the ‘Redeem Team’.

11:32 AM: The US has really just enforced their will here in the third quarter, carrying over the momentum from the end of the first half.  They still haven’t got the offense clicking on all cylinders but the defense has been pretty stifling and China looks worn down.  It certainly won’t help that Yao just landed awkwardly and looks like he rolled his ankle.  69-48 US with just over a minute in the quarter.

11:57 AM:  Well, it turned into a blowout win for the Americans, but there are still question marks for this team.  They’ll get Angola in their next game, so there probably won’t be much figured out in that one either.  One of my favorite sports quotes ever came from Charles Barkley during the 1992 Olympics.  He was asked what he knew about Angola and responded, “I know they’re gonna lose!”.  Final score: USA 101, China 70.  Craig Sager looks disappointed that he had to wear the NBC golf shirt and not one of his purple and gold suits.

1:17 PM: After catching some rowing events that were probably about as exciting as rowing gets (i.e. not even a little bit), I’m ready for a switch over to baseball, as the Phillies get ready to finish up their series with the Pirates.  The Phillies offense has been shockingly bad lately, but they did manage to break a 23-inning scoreless streak last night and beat the Pirates, 4-2.  They cling to a one-game lead in the division over the Mets, and they’ll send Jamie Moyer to the mound today.  The Pirates starter is some guy I’ve never heard of, Jason Davis, who has appeared in 4 games out of the bullpen for Pittsburgh this year.

1:35 PM:  Rain delay in Philly.  On the bright side, water polo is on the Olympics now, USA vs. China again.  I guess these guys make a bit less money than the basketball players.  This is probably the hardest sport in the world to play.  US leads 3-0.

 2:09 PM:  Ah, the PGA Championship, everyone’s least favorite major.  The CBS coverage is just getting underway.  By the end of the day we’ll know who gets to join such golf luminaries as Shaun Micheel and Rich Beem as champions of this tournament.  It’s quite an underwhelming leaderboard, with Ben Curtis and JB Holmes at the top.  Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia lurk 3 shots off the lead.  It will be interesting to see if either of those two can make a move.  This is one of the 6 days each year that I make an effort to watch golf, so hopefully we get more than a Curtis-Holmes duel.

2:13 PM:  I don’t understand Ben Curtis’s hats.  I remember in the past seeing him wear a Chicago Bears hat while playing and I thought he was just a big fan and/or didn’t have any sponsorships.  But today he’s sporting a Detroit Lions hat, with Titleist written on the side of it.  Does he have some sponsorship deal with the NFL?  Is he just a big football fan?  I need an explanation here.  Maybe Jim Nance will touch on this in a witty aside at some point.

2:20 PM:  Well, Holmes might be exiting stage left, right at the start of his round here.  He put his drive into the trees and then took a hack to get it out and the ball went about four feet.  Now he’s taking a drop.  It’s always fun to watch a professional athlete look completely incompetent.

2:48 PM:  Well, apparently it’s raining everywhere in the whole world.  The Phillies are still in a rain delay, the golf tournament in Michigan has had terrible weather, the beach volleyball match in the Olympics is being played in a torrential downpour, and there’s a severe thunderstorm warning scrolling across the bottom of my screen.  Anyway, the final round in Michigan has gotten off to a crazy start, with Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson making strong moves.  Sergio is still looking for his first major, and that always makes for an intriguing storyline.  Long-time players in search of their first major tend to feel a ton of pressure over those last few holes.

12:15 AM: Well, thanks to Verizon wireless, my internet connection went out just as the Phillies game was getting underway.  The Phillies won an (apparently) exciting game on a 3-run homer by Chase Utley in the 7th inning.  At the PGA Championship, Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington DID make a move and it WAS very interesting and entertaining, with Harrington taking his third major in the last two years and establishing himself as clearly one of the top players in the game right now.

If you are anything like me, one of the best aspects of the game of baseball, and all sports, is its ability to act as an incredible outlet for statistics nuts.  Without trying to come off as an uber-dork, I love statistics, in any fashion, so when they can be “analyzed” in the form of something I love–namely, sports–I just can’t get enough.  That being said, this may be a running segment.  The ridiculous part is because I doubt that I will always be able to give credibility to these stats because a lot of them may be from announcers or sports talk radio or just some guy on the street that told me something.  (Or maybe, the ridiculous part is how ridiculous it is that anyone could possibly care about this stuff, but whatever.)  I just want a bit of an outlet for some of the astonishing statistics that come from the world of sports.  Some of them might not be amazing–or, they might just be weird.  I don’t know…

So, here are the first set of ridiculous numbers that I heard…somewhere:

1). Ryan Howard is hitting almost .370 (and slugging almost .800) when he puts the ball in play.
Granted, this is not a good stat for the image of Mr. Howard because everyone knows that he’s hitting around .240, so this just goes to further the already overdone impression of how much he strikes out.  However, I think that, is taken in a positive light, this could show how hard Howard hits the ball, and that if he just figures out the strike zone a little better, he could actually be that .300 hitter that he was in the minors.

2). Joe DiMaggio hit 361 career home runs…and only struck out 369 times
Speaking of strikeouts, I heard this stat the other day, and it completely blew my mind.  My grandad (and every other Italian-American born before 1925) may not have been so crazy in telling me from the time I knew what a baseball was that “no one will every be better than Number Five.”  In fact, in looking up Joltin’ Joe’s numbers, over the course of his 16-year career, he never struck out more than 39 times in a single season, and he had 7 seasons (including 5 in a row) in which he hit more home runs than had strikeouts.  Oh, and in an MVP campaign in 1941, Number Five put up the following numbers in 139 games played:  .344 BA, .440 OBP, .643 SLG, 43 doubles, 11 triples, 30 home runs, 125 RBIs, 122 runs scored, 76 walks, and ONLY 13 STRIKEOUTS.  Uh…wow!

3). The Minnesota Twins are on pace to have a better team batting average with runners in scoring position than any other team in the past half-century
This really goes to show you what wins in baseball these days.  If you have a solid pitching staff, a good bullpen, and timely hitting, you can win about 40 more games than your talent says you are capable of.

4). Trever Miller, of the Tampa Bay Rays, just broke the modern baseball record for most consecutive appearances without recording a decision (121)
I have no idea if this is good or bad.  I would guess that this just goes to say that the guy rarely pitches to more than one batter, and that he might not come into close games.  Maybe?  So, I guess this is not exactly a “good” record to have.  But, then again, he has never blown a lead.  I don’t know.  Either way, this is a pretty strange phenomenon.

Apparently, this might happen.  The Phillies might be able to acquire the notorious Manny Ramirez– a.k.a. the best right-handed hitter since Willie Mays.  This has to be good, right?  Right?!?

For those who say “Yes,” the reasons are simple and straight-forward.  His stats are mind-boggling.  His 162-game averages are as follows:  .313 batting average, .409 on-base percentage, .550 slugging percentage, 40 HRs, 132 RBIs.  Plus, he always hits in the clutch (probably because he does not recognize the difference between a “big” situation and just another at-bat).  As good as Pat Burrell has been, there is no question that Manny is a serious upgrade in leftfield.  Plus, Manny has a deep respect for Charlie Manuel, from their days together in Cleveland, so between Charlie and the Phillies contending ways, Manny would probably welcome a shot in Philly.

For those who say “No,” the argument is much more contextually-based and subtle.  This year, he has shown to be, at the very least, a minor distraction, and, as some may argue, a cancer, in the clubhouse.  Even the hall-of-famer and Red Sox fanatic, Peter Gammons, calls Manny a “tired act,” and blatantly calls him out for being “all about the money” and caring little about his Red Sox “family.”  The opponents may also make the financial argument, in that Manny is convinced that his 36-year old body is worth $100 million dollars beginning next year.  This brings up another interesting situation for the Phils because if they are going to continue to get production in leftfield, they are probably going to have to shell out big bucks this offseason, be it Manny, Burrell, or another available stud.  Or, we may be looking at Jayson Werth hitting 5th next year.

So, what do I think?  Honestly, I think it depends on what (other than Burrell) the Red Sox want in return for Manny.  If it is a straight-up deal, with maybe a marginal prospect thrown in, I think the Phillies have to do that.  If it costs the Phils one of their major prospects (Carrasco, Marson, etc.), then I would probably lean towards the four-year younger Pat Burrell.  However, I think if you hooked me up to a lie-detector today and asked me how I would feel with a Manny Ramirez in my outfield, no matter what the cost, I would probably be doing cartwheels.  In my lifetime, I have seen three hitters that I legitimately feared whenever they came to the plate against a team for which I rooted–Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, and Manny Ramirez.  With all due respect to the Mark McGwires, Ken Griffeys, and Chipper Joneses of the world, it is a different level of fear.  And, I think that if the Phillies do have a legitimate shot to land Ramirez, they have to do it.

And, just think how entertaining it would be–on many levels…

UPDATE:   As many of you know, BSB runs its season previews a little differently than most.  We have a little game in which Doogan and Bry pick teams, like a draft, and whether they think that they will be better or worse than they were a year ago.  The baseball preview was done about a week into the season, and is reference below.  In italics, are the updates to this picks, as of the All-Star break.  All “projections” are based strictly on winning percentage at the All-Star break.  The scores after each one represent how it would play out if the second half mirrored the first (with the “locks” in parentheses).  So, without further ado, here is the update to our Baseball Preview.  If you have already read the preview, just skip through to the parts in italics.

As some of you may know, the way we do season previews is a little different than the norm (shocking, huh?).  Instead of just writing who we think will win their division or the MVP or who we think will be a “sleeper,” we like to make it a little competition between the two of us.  What we do is a draft.  Since Bry went first in the NBA preview, Doogan will have the first pick for MLB.  He will pick any team and then choose the over/under on their total wins this year, with the line being last year’s win total.  He can pick any team and either over or under for any team.  It involves a little strategy, a little knowledge, and a little je ne sais quoi.  Okay, well, maybe it doesn’t take any of them, but it’s still a somewhat fun way to do a season preview.  So, without further intro, Doogan is on the clock…

DOOGAN 1. Colorado Rockies - UNDER 90 wins: Admittedly, we’re kind of cheating by doing this over a week into the season but, honestly, I would have picked the Rockies here even if we had done this before the season started.  Their slow start only makes it easier.  I don’t see their pitching staff repeating what they did last season, and I certainly don’t see them winning 21 out of 22 games at any point.  Especially in a fairly tough division, this looks like a .500 team to me, not a 90-win team.

UPDATE:  Doogan is on his way to grabbing an easy victory with his #1 pick, as the Rockies have been rather terrible this year, and project to no where near the 90 wins that they had last year.  They currently project to only 66 wins, and are actively shopping Matt Holliday (to teams like the Phillies, by the way).  Even if, as some are predicting, they get red-hot again in the second half and win the division, I do not see any way that they can hit the 90-win mark.
DOOGAN 1(1) - BRY 0(0)

BRY 2. Tampa Bay Rays - OVER 66 wins:  There is real hope in Tampa Bay this year about a potential .500 season.  Honestly, I do not see 81 wins out of this team, in this incredible division, but I also do not think they will be the worst team in baseball again this year.  I like Matt Garza and they have a true stud at the top of the rotation, in Kazmir.  Plus, they just exercised their option on Carl Crawford, so he is probably going to stick around for the whole season.  66 wins is a tiny number.  They will probably hit the 70-mark, at least.

UPDATE:  Bry also seems to be well on his way to hitting with his #1 pick.  The surprise story of the year was predicted here first (well, unless you count the part that says “I do not see 81 wins out of this team.”  But, it is nice to be right, even when you are very wrong).  The Rays project to an astronomical 95 wins for the season.
DOOGAN 1(1) - BRY 1(1)

BRY 3. Los Angeles Dodgers - OVER 82 wins:  Yes, this division is really deep, but I honestly think that this is the best team in the division.  As Doogan hit on earlier, the Rockies are not a 90-win team, and the Diamondbacks are still young, plus the Giants are atrocious.  I like this team to win the division and probably around 90 games.  They have a wealth of starting pitching with Cy Young candidate, Brad Penny, the Japanese sensation Hiroki Kuroda, veteran Derrick Lowe, and Chad Billingsley.  Plus, apparently they have a lights-out prospect, Clayton Kershaw, who is supposed to be in the bigs by June.  Oh by the way, Joe Torre is the manager.

UPDATE:  Well, Bry thought this division was one of the best in baseball, and it turns out to be THE worst.  He is on his way to losing his second pick, though it is still up in the air.  Since the Dodgers need 83 wins to win it for Bry, and they only project to 78, we hand the point to Doogan, but it is still too close to call.
DOOGAN 2(1) - BRY 1(1)

DOOGAN 4. Chicago White Sox - OVER 72 wins:  This team definitely under-achieved last year and has added Nick Swisher and Orlando Cabrera.  With returning talent like Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, and Bobby Jenks, it’s hard to imagine this team winning less than 80 games again.

UPDATE:  Doogan follows up on his great Colorado pick with another great pick at #4.  The White Sox project to 93 wins, as of the All-Star break, and Doogan only needs them to hit 73.  This one will come safely in for Doogan.
DOOGAN 3(2) - BRY 1(1)

BRY 5. Cincinnati Reds - OVER 72 wins:  As the eternal optimist, I guess it is no surprise that I keep picking the over on teams.  I just think that this is another team that is going to be vastly improved this year.  They have a couple potential superstar pitchers in their early 20’s (Johnny Cueto in the bigs already, Homer Bailey in AAA) and a very underrated 1-2 punch in Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang.  And, they added Francisco Cordero to help the ‘pen.  Oh, and they have 57 games against the Pirates, Astros, and Cardinals.  Sounds like at least a 75-80 win team.

UPDATE:  Though, you do not think of the Reds has being one of this season’s positive surprises, they are well on their way to going over their win total of a year ago.  In fact, Bry predicted 75-80 wins, and they are on pace for 78.  He should get this one, but with only a 5 game cushion, we will still not call this race (especially since the Reds do not really look that good and could collapse).
DOOGAN 3(2) - BRY 2(1)

DOOGAN 6. Minnesota Twins - UNDER 79 wins: Wow, I feel like the easy ones are off the board already.  I watched this team on Opening Night last week and it looks like they have Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, and a whole lot of question marks.  If Francisco Liriano has a good, healthy season, they could push for 79 wins again, but any time you replace Johan Santana and Torii Hunter with Livan Hernandez and Carlos Gomez, you’re bound to take a step back.  I see them in the low-70’s range for wins this year.

UPDATE:  As solidly as Doogan nailed his first two picks, he seems well on his way to solidly missing his third pick.  Though, you cannot really blame him, as no one thought the Twins would be this good after losing their best hitter AND best pitcher in the offseason.  But, Gardenhire and company keep that machine rolling.  The Twins project to 90 wins, which is well over the 78 needed for Doogan to hit the under.  I think it is safe to call this one over and award Bry the point.
DOOGAN 3(2) - BRY 3(2)

BRY 7. Chicago Cubs - OVER 85 wins:  You’re right, Doogan, there are no easy picks left.  I would have also taken the Twins and the under, so nice pick.  I am going to go with the Cubbies.  They are a good team in a bad division, so I see them pushing 90 wins this year.  Then again, an injury to Zambrano or, dare I say it, Kerry Wood, may have this team facing some pitching problems.  Either way, I like them over 85 wins this year.

UPDATE:  Maybe the best team in baseball at the All-Star break, the Cubbies are well on their way to hitting the over and winning this one for Bry.  They project to 97 wins, and they just acquired Rich Harden.
DOOGAN 3(2) - BRY 4(3)

DOOGAN 8. Anaheim Angels - UNDER 94 wins:  This is maybe a tough team to bet against, because they are always good and Mike Scioscia is a great manager, but it looks like age and general injury problems are catching up to them.  Their ace, John Lackey, has started the year on the DL and Kelvim Escobar could potentially miss the entire season.  Also, Francisco Rodriguez is hurt and Vladimir Guerrero always looks like he’s about one awkward step from completely ruining his back.  They have a lot of money to spend, so they could always go out and get better, but this just has the makings of an injury-plagued season, which will make 94 a hard number to reach.  I’ll mark them down for 87-88 wins.

UPDATE:  Doogan said in his opening line, “this is a tough team to bet against,” and he is right.  This team, led by one of the two best managers in baseball, is right there again.  They project to 97 wins, which is only slightly over the 94 of last year, so this does not go solidly into Bry’s category, but it does look like Doogan will lose this one.
DOOGAN 3(2) - BRY 5(3)

BRY 9. San Diego Padres - UNDER 89 wins:  Well, again, Doogan took my next pick, so I will go with a similar team in a similar situation.  It’s hard to bet against the Padres because of their recent success, but I just don’t see how this team wins 89 games again this year in such a tough division.  Trevor Hoffman is, all of a sudden, a question mark, Jim Edmonds is pretty much finished, and Khalil Greene (as much as I love him) is a middle-of-the-order bat for them (5th or 6th, depending on the handedness of the pitcher), which should tell you something about their lineup.  I don’t think they’ll lose anywhere near 89, but I don’t think they’ll win 89 either.

UPDATE:  Bry was right on with this pick, as it seems so far.  They only project to 63 wins, which is WAY off their 89 of a year ago.  This is safely into Bry’s pocket.
DOOGAN 3(2) - BRY 6(4)

DOOGAN 10. Arizona Diamonbacks - OVER 90 wins:  I’m slightly hesitant with this pick, because this team over-achieved a bit last year by winning 90 games.  But, now that their plethora of talented young position players have the experience of winning a division title and a playoff series, and Dan Haren has joined Brandon Webb at the front of the rotation, it’s easy to see them going a step further this year and winning the National League pennant.  I’ll call them for 94 wins. 

UPDATE:  For the first month of the season, Doogan looked like a genius with this pick.  The D-Backs were, by far, the best team in baseball, through April, but then the wheels fell off–or, more accurately, they stopped hitting.  As of the All-Star break, Arizona only projects to an 80-win team, which is far from the 91 Doogan needs for the over.  I would not be surprised to see them recover and win the division and maybe 85-88 games, but it would take a miraculous second half to reach 91, so this will go safely to Bry
DOOGAN 3(2) - BRY 7(5)

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