Guest Anglesault Report post Posted February 20, 2004 Worse, they traded their ace starter for Jeff Weaver. Al, do you think there's any chance for Weaver to turn himself around now that he'll be out of the NY spotlight AND pitching at Dodger Stadium? Not that I'd expect him to fully replace Kevin Brown, but it seems possible to me. I know that Anglesault would explode with rage if he has a good year. Why would I do that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cartman 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2004 No Yankee pitcher will finish the season with an ERA under 3.00. False. Even if none of the starters do, Rivera will. I should have said STARTER. That's my fault. I meant Starter. I know Rivera will almost definitely be below 3.00 if not below 2.00 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest OctoberBlood Report post Posted February 20, 2004 Personally I think that if he gets run support he may be a 14 game winner. Besides San Diego as far as whole team offense goes the NL West is pretty sucky. Bonds and nobody else on San Fran. Arizona has some offense but these days its homer or nothing for Sexon and Gonzo while Finley and Hillenbrand seem to be singles/doubles hitters. Not to mention he'll get to face Milwaukee, Pitts(sorry KKK), Cinci, and Montreal Uh, right .. theres no advantage to facing Cincinnati's offense. Hell, nor Montreals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2004 I feel bad for Toronto, they've assembled a very fine lineup with a solid rotation and then the Yankees (And Red Sox for that matter) add all of their big money free agents and the Blue Jays now have a snowball chance in hell of winning the AL East. If the Jays were in the AL Central they could easily win that division. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FrigidSoul Report post Posted February 20, 2004 Through Free Agency the Red Sox aquired Keith Foulke for around $8mill per year After that they got Pokey Reese for a mill, Ellis Burks for $750k, Tony Womack in a minor league deal, and Mark Bellhorn in the same. The Red Sox didn't add much to their payroll this off-season. Even with the Curt Schilling trade. The Big Spenders this off-season were the Yankees, Angels, and Phillies(they revamped their bullpen and added Eric Milton) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Mosaicv2 Report post Posted February 20, 2004 go Braves, Red Sox & Giants... now I know it will be a challenge for the Sox & Braves... but im still countin on them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DerangedHermit 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2004 Worse, they traded their ace starter for Jeff Weaver. Al, do you think there's any chance for Weaver to turn himself around now that he'll be out of the NY spotlight AND pitching at Dodger Stadium? Not that I'd expect him to fully replace Kevin Brown, but it seems possible to me. I know that Anglesault would explode with rage if he has a good year. Why would I do that? Why wouldn't you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 Worse, they traded their ace starter for Jeff Weaver. Al, do you think there's any chance for Weaver to turn himself around now that he'll be out of the NY spotlight AND pitching at Dodger Stadium? Not that I'd expect him to fully replace Kevin Brown, but it seems possible to me. I know that Anglesault would explode with rage if he has a good year. There's almost certainly a turn-around coming for Jeff Weaver. There's a few things working in his favor. When you look at his stats, you see that his big problem was hits. He allowed 211 hits in 159.3 innings. Growing evidence shows pitchers have less control over hits allowed than once thought. So Weaver goes from the Yankees, with Soriano/Jeter behind him, to the Dodgers with Alex Cora and Cesar Izturis behind him. Izturis and Cora are crap hitters, but they're among the best fielders in the league. Beyond that, Weaver doesn't walk too many batters. The only concern is the strikeouts. Finally, Weaver turns 27 this season. Typically, that is the age players see a jump in performance. I doubt he'll be as good a Brown, but I think he'll return to form. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 Worse, they traded their ace starter for Jeff Weaver. Al, do you think there's any chance for Weaver to turn himself around now that he'll be out of the NY spotlight AND pitching at Dodger Stadium? Not that I'd expect him to fully replace Kevin Brown, but it seems possible to me. I know that Anglesault would explode with rage if he has a good year. Personally I think that if he gets run support he may be a 14 game winner. Besides San Diego as far as whole team offense goes the NL West is pretty sucky. Bonds and nobody else on San Fran. Arizona has some offense but these days its homer or nothing for Sexon and Gonzo while Finley and Hillenbrand seem to be singles/doubles hitters. Not to mention he'll get to face Milwaukee, Pitts(sorry KKK), Cinci, and Montreal Run support and the Dodgers don't mix. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Anglesault Report post Posted February 21, 2004 Worse, they traded their ace starter for Jeff Weaver. Al, do you think there's any chance for Weaver to turn himself around now that he'll be out of the NY spotlight AND pitching at Dodger Stadium? Not that I'd expect him to fully replace Kevin Brown, but it seems possible to me. I know that Anglesault would explode with rage if he has a good year. Why would I do that? Why wouldn't you? While yes, I would have loved for him to walk off a cliff, I'm just glad that he's gone, never to come back. I don't care what he does elsewhere. Growing evidence shows pitchers have less control over hits allowed than once thought. So Weaver goes from the Yankees, with Soriano/Jeter behind him, to the Dodgers with Alex Cora and Cesar Izturis behind him. Izturis and Cora are crap hitters, but they're among the best fielders in the league Weaver gave up ALOT of clean hits last year. Not that many had to do with the fielders behind him. Anyway, IMO, The man's biggest problem was that he picked some of the worst possible games to have really bad performances. And it's not like Wells, who redeemed himself with that Boston game at the end of the year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 This season is going to piss me off, I'm sure of it...The Blue Jays have their best team in a decade, and they're in the WRONG DAMN DIVISION. Being a Jays fan, I'm curious as to what makes you so optimistic about their ability? Notice how I didn't say chances, since they are playing with the Bosox and Yankees. Well, their offence is the same as last year's (which was one of the best in the majors), and their pitching is quite improved. They're stronger in the 1-4 spots that at any time since '93, and they may well have a legit closer in Speier. The bullpen isgoing to be the turning point for them, but I don't think 90 wins is an unrealistic goal for them at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Anglesault Report post Posted February 21, 2004 You called the Yankees the Mafia, so your opinion doesn't count. Honestly, I don't think 90 wins will get them second place in that division. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted February 21, 2004 I honestly believe Bos, NYY, Baltimore will dog fight each other to the end and by proxy eliminate each other from Post-season contention meaning no matter who makes it of the three, that team will be so emotionaly tired someother team team takes a quick advantage with the 5 game series rule in effect. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Anglesault Report post Posted February 21, 2004 a) I'm not sure how Baltimore with the awesome force that is Sidney Ponson is gonna even compete against NY or Boston. I don't care how supposedly awful the Yankees pitching staff is (A statement I STILL don't get) we've still got one up on Baltimore. b) What the hell are you talking about? The team is gonna be emotionally tired? the hell? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 Predictions: Cubs win it all. Here's a question: with Les Expos leaving town after all these years, why do they pick the LAST YEAR to replace the god-awful turf with something better than basement-quality carpet??? I hope the city paid for that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 A's should still be a quiet force while the Yanks/BoSox get all the attention. A's still have possibly the best starting 3, they added Redman, and have Hardan as a #5......that is one hell of a 5-man rotation. They lost Tejada, but scoring runs was never their strong suit last year and Tejada was in year long slump. Also the A's feel they have a damn good SS prospect. Add to that the Billy Beane factor and I think the A's win the west in 2004. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 Honestly, I don't think 90 wins will get them second place in that division. I agree. That's why this season is going to piss me off so much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HarleyQuinn 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 Personally, he could do great if Dodger Stadium's park factors match what Comerica Park was in 2002 before the trade and remain consistent as a pitcher's park. Over 100 favors hitters or pitchers, 1st # is hitting, 2nd # is pitching. 1999 - 176 hits in 163.2 IP, 27 HR's(Tiger Stadium was a 101/101) 2000 - 205 hits in 200 IP, 26 HR's(Comerica Park was a 97/97) 2001 - 235 hits in 229.1 IP, 19 HR's(Comerica Park was a 99/99) 2002 - 112 hits in 121.2 IP, 4 HR's(Comerica Park was a 93/94) in Detroit and 81 hits in 78 IP, 12 HR's(Yankee Stadium was 98/98) 2003 - 211 hits in 159.1 IP, 16 HR's(Yankee Stadium was a 96/97) His Walks & Hits Per Inning(WHIP) #'s are... 1999 - 1.42 2000 - 1.28 2001 - 1.32 2002 - 1.19(with Detroit) and 1.23(with New York) 2003 - 1.62 Past 5 Years(Park Factors for Dodger Stadium) 1999 - 96/97 2000 - 92/93 2001 - 90/92 2002 - 91/92 2003 - 93/94 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 The Red Sox and Yankees had a dog fight last year (With the Jays briefly included) and were not "emotionally tired" enough to muster series wins. I don't even think the Orioles will be a factor, their pitching downright blows with the exception of Ponson (Who's OK). I think the Blue Jays will easily finish in 3rd over the Orioles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Anglesault Report post Posted February 21, 2004 (edited) The Red Sox and Yankees had a dog fight last year (With the Jays briefly included) That' being generous. Edited February 21, 2004 by Anglesault Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 Well I gotta give the Jays credit, they almost had the division lead for about a milisecond in June and gave both teams scares up until August before saying "Fuck it, we can't beat these guys" The AL East as a whole last year was a dog fight, even the D-Rays beat my Sox at least three or four times (Out of sixteen ) and beat the Yankees. Heck the Sox were .500 against the Orioles last year. The AL East is pound for pound the best division in a long time in the MLB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Anglesault Report post Posted February 21, 2004 The AL East as a whole last year was a dog fight, even the D-Rays Oh, come on. The Devil Rays were out of the race in May. Little wins over Yanks and Sox meant nothing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 I'm not saying they were in the pennant race, but they played (Edit: somewhat) well against other AL East teams. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 The AL East is pound for pound the best division in a long time in the MLB Yup, a whole two years. 2002 A.L. West had the Mariners finishing in 3rd place with 93 wins, the A's winning an A.L. record 20 straight games, and of course the 2nd place Angels with 99 wins winning the World Series. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HarleyQuinn 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 An amusing sidenote from last year: Despite leading the AL with 138 errors, the Tigers also led the majors in double plays with 194... 2003 Numbers vs AL East teams Yankees: 47-29(62%) Red Sox: 41-35(54%) Orioles: 31-45(41%) Blue Jays: 37-39(49%) Devil Rays: 34-42(45%) Looked like every team came out pretty even with the Yankees pretty much winning away but not by that large a margin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2004 An amusing sidenote from last year: Despite leading the AL with 138 errors, the Tigers also led the majors in double plays with 194... Careful, that stat is misleading. Why did the Tigers turn so many double plays? Because they allowed so many runners to reach base. There's little correlation between W/L and double plays, or even defense and double plays. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kahran Ramsus 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2004 I know what I said earlier (Houston wins WS), but I actually thought about these picks. I will skip the rookie awards because I don't know enough about them. AMERICAN LEAGUE MVP: Carlos Beltran (KC) Cy Young: Tim Hudson (OAK) AL EAST STADINGS: 01. Boston Red Sox 02. New York Yankees 03. Toronto Blue Jays 04. Baltimore Orioles 05. Tampa Bay Devil Rays AL CENTRAL STANDINGS: 01. Kansas City Royals 02. Chicago White Sox 03. Minnesota Twins 04. Cleveland Indians 05. Detroit Tigers AL WEST STANDINGS: 01. Anaheim Angels 02. Oakland Athletics 03. Seattle Mariners 04. Texas Rangers NATIONAL LEAGUE MVP: Albert Pujols (STL) Cy Young: Mark Prior (CHC) NL EAST STANDINGS: 01. Philladelphia Phillies 02. Atlanta Braves 03. Florida Marlins 04. Montreal Expos 05. New York Mets NL CENTRAL STANDINGS: 01. Chicago Cubs 02. Houston Astros 03. St Louis Cardinals 04. Cincinnatti Reds 05. Milwakee Brewers 06. Pittsburgh Pirates NL WEST STANDINGS: 01. San Francisco Giants 02. San Diego Padres 03. Arizona Diamondbacks 04. Los Angeles Dodgers 05. Colorado Rockies PLAYOFFS Angels d. Yankees Red Sox d. Royals Astros d. Phillies Cubs d. Giants Angels d. Red Sox Cubs d. Astros WORLD SERIES CHAMPION: Chicago Cubs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2004 Well here are my BOLD Predictions.. NL Division Winners Braves Astros Giants Cubs (Wild Card) Astros def Braves Cubs def Giants Astros def Cubs NL MVP - Albert Pujols NL Cy Young - Kerry Wood AL Division Winners Red Sox Twins Angels Yankees (Wild Card) Angels def Yankees Red Sox def Twins Angels def Red Sox AL MVP - Vlad AL Cy Young - Bartolo Colon World Series: Astros def Angels in 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2004 NL Divison Winners -Phillies -Cubs -Giants -Astros (Wild Card) AL Division Winners -Red Sox -Twins -A's -Angels (Wild Card) (Flipped a coin between them and the Yankees, Angels won) Playoffs -A's beat Twins -Red Sox beat Angels -Phillies beat Astros -Cubs beat Giants -A's beat Red Sox -Phillies beat Cubs -A's beat Phillies I REALLY wanted to pick the Sox or Cubs, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. As for the awards: AL MVP - Vladimir Guerrero AL Cy Young - Roy Halladay NL MVP - Albert Pujols NL Cy Young - Mark Prior Some other predicitons: -Kelvim Escobar's going to be Anaheim's best starter. -The Cubs and Red Sox will lose in the playoffs in even more painfull ways than last year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FrigidSoul Report post Posted February 24, 2004 The A's are a worse team than last year...I don't understand how anybody could pick them to win the WS...Wild Card maybe, but nothing more. Anyways here's mine. AL East - Red Sox AL Central - Royals AL West - Angels AL Wild Card - Yankees AL MVP - A-Hole...er A-Rod AL Cy Young - Curt Schilling NL East - Phillies NL Central - Cubs NL West - San Diego NL Wild Card - Houston NL MVP - Pujols NL Cy Young - Mark Prior Playoffs Red Sox over Royals Angels over Yankees Red Sox over Angels Cubs over Padres Houston over Phillies Houston over Cubs World Series - Red Sox over Houston in 6 WS MVP - Keith Foulke with 3 Saves in 5 2/3 innings of work. Doesn't give up an earned run. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
