Needle and the damage done.
It is hard not to start with the steroid scandal that rocked the MLB over the off-season. In case you missed it, José Canseco dropped, in his book, the fairly obvious bombshell that much of the muscle in the league is garnered through performance-enhancing substances. With Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield already fingered by a former BALCO employee, Canseco’s comments provoked the American House of Representatives to have a hearing on the matter. The big loser was Mark McGwire, the slugger famous for breaking Roger Maris’s 37- year-old record of 61 homeruns in a season in 1998. He refused to answer 11 of the panel’s 38 questions, lost his composure in the proceedings, and threw a proverbial beanball at the integrity of the game.
My money’s riding on this darkhorse, baby.
The Minnesota Twins continue to play David to the big-money Goliaths in the league. While budget behemoths like the Red Sox and Yankees pour hundreds of millions of dollars into their teams, Twins have won their division the last three years on a meagre payroll of $54 million. They retained the services of Johan Santana, last years’ American League Cy Young winner, have an all-star closer in Joe Nathan, and possess blossoming talent in catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau. Coupled with the fact that they field better than anyone else in the game, they are this year’s chic sleeper pick to win the championship.
Tiny salmon swimming in a stream / Tiny salmon chasing that impossible dream.
The Florida Marlins are my pick to finish atop the heap this season. Only two years removed from their last World Series victory, they have pitchers Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett looking to turn the corner and become top-tier starters. They also have a stacked lineup that features Miguel Cabrera and former Jays first baseman Carlos Delgado, a promising young closer in Guillermo Mota, and manager Jack McKeon who serves as the wise and steady hand for the club. They have all the necessary tools to end the Atlanta Braves’ 13-year reign as the top team in the National League East, and have enough pitching to make a run in the postseason.
Help, I need somebody.
The Toronto Blue Jays are the injury riddled team that finished fifth last year after holding the AL East bronze position for the previous six seasons. They are going to have a tough run this year. While former Cy Young winner Roy Halladay is healthy, this is a team that lost Delgado in the off-season and replaced his bat with Shea Hillenbrand and Corey Koskie, who combined cannot match any of Delgado’s numbers. The Orioles, Red Sox, and Yankees are going to be major pains for Blue Jays fans, especially with additions like Sammy Sosa to the Orioles and Randy Johnson to the Yankees.
