Shakedownsports.com

(Editor’s note: Please welcome our latest contributor…nospunzone!! He promises to write about things other than Braves baseball.)

Well, it’s March, and you know what that means. Trying to research all those bubble and mid-level conference teams you haven’t even heard of so your March Madness bracket won’t suck as much this year? Staying up past midnight to see the latest in the ever exciting Western Conference NBA playoff race? No silly, its spring training in places such as Florida and Arizona. That’s right, opening day is less than a month away, and after all the monotony and drudgery that was the congressional hearings, here are the top five things to look forward to this 2008 MLB season:

1. Yanks v. Sox VXXVIIII

How many years are we into this rivalry? Say what you want about media (over) exposure, but this is the best rivalry in all of professional sports. You can’t go two weeks, even in the off season, without adding a new chapter to the feud to end all feuds (“Red Sox Nation” What a bunch of &%!# that is.” is my personal favorite Hank Steinbrenner quote. Who could figure a tour-de-force as arrogant and loud mouthed as his dad would make an immediate impact (if not managerially, at least giving the media plenty of writing material)? ). And this year it even got better. Red Sox nation looking for their third championship in five years (imagine being that greedy after a 86 year draught), and the fans in New York furious that their Bean-town rivals have 2 World Series rings this century, while the Yanks have none. Neither team has tweaked their lineups too much, although the Yankees obviously needed a little more help. Instead, they let Joe Torre hop on a jet plane for the West coast. So say what you want about hearing non-stop about the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but in an era clouded by cheating and insincerity, there is nothing more pure (and character saving) for MLB than the greatest rivalry ever.

2. Santana to the Mets

How could the biggest free agent acquisition of the off-season not pique immediate interest? Everyone wanted this guy; it just seems the Mets were the most willing to get him. Willing? I think I mean desperate. New York fans have a short memory, and last years late season debacle is not easily forgotten. The Mets took the biggest NL payroll in baseball ($116 million), with the most star-studded team, and proceeded to royally blow a season long lead in the NL east ON THE LAST DAY OF THE SEASON! They didn’t even make the play-offs. So, instead of pointing figures and imploding, the Mets did what their payroll allowed: go out and get the (arguably) best left-handed pitcher in the game (averaging 17.5 wins, 245 Ks, and under a 2.90 ERA the last 4 years). And don’t think Santana will not have a monster year, now that he is in the more pitcher friendly NL, not having to face the lineups of the Tigers, Sox, or Angels. But the NL east won’t be that easy. The Phillies have solid starting and relief pitching, not to mention maybe the two most potent offensive weapons in the division (that’s Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, in case you were wondering). And don’t discount Bobby Cox and the Braves. They might have slipped down the NL east totem pole, but a veteran starting pitching staff supported by a rejuvenated lineup (thanks to mid-season acquisition Mark Texeira), and the Mets will have to do even better than last year to secure a playoff berth.

3. Detroit Tigers break every team record known to Man

Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much. Even in the era of steroids and re-donkulous numbers, does anyone remember seeing a lineup this good in their lifetime? Recap:

Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen, Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Placido Polanco, Ivan Rodríguez, Edgar Renteria, Marcus Thames.

Who do you pitch to? Who do you walk? How many excellent bats can they put on the field any given day (that would be nine, by the way)? Their pitching staff, even with the addition of high-kicker Dontrelle Willis, is only above average. But, until playoff time, who cares? If they break the 31’ Yankees record of 6.9 runs per game, my high school pitching coach would be a 15 game winner. However, banking on the Tigers before Day One is a little premature. I see something interesting happening to this team. Remember the 2001 Mariners, the one the set the season win record with 116 wins? Does anyone remember how they fared in the playoffs that year? They squeaked by the Cleveland Indians 3-2 in the ALDS, and then proceeded to get stomped by the Yankees, losing in five games. The Tigers are built to be a juggernaut, but can that translate into playoff success? In the modern playoff era, a recipe for playoff success includes two ace pitchers and a solid bullpen. 116 wins might be within the Tigers reach, but come playoffs all those records might mean squat.

4. NL West (Read: Best)

So you might be thinking to yourself, “Hey, is this guy for real, the NL West? I don’t even stay up late enough to watch those games.” Ok, east coast biased petty fan, listen up: in case you missed it, the NL west playoff race was the most exciting thing to happen to NL baseball in a while. Four teams in the race till the second to last week of the season. The magical story of the Colorado Rockies (winning 14 of their last 15 regular season games, then sweeping the NLDS and NLCS). And this year is going to be EVEN BETTER! The Rockies still have their core of offensive production, not to mention all those young guys and defensive studs now have playoff experience. The Diamondbacks are as solid as last year. The Dodgers, with their acquisition of Torre and probably the most stacked lineup in the whole West, are a team to be scared of. The Peavy-led Padres were 1.5 games away from the playoffs last year. Even the Giants might be rejuvenated with this entire Bonds’ baggage behind them. So, if you can turn your eyes away from every Sox or Yanks game on ESPN, try and catch a west coast day game. It is classic pitching and defense baseball which has defined the senior circuit since the addition of the DH in the AL.

5. Oh, and the big pink elephant in the room…

It’s not really something to look forward to, but it is not something we can ignore. This winter, with the exception of the Johann Santana blip, Major League Baseball was dominated by discussions of nannies, Canseco parties, and a bloody rectum. Once again, baseball commissioner Bud Selig is praying that this will be the end of this embarrassment to our national pastime. Uh, sorry Bud. Burying your head in the sand while everyone in baseball, including the mascot and beer man, were injecting themselves with HGH, liquid crack, or anything else they could shoot up was not sound policy, and now you reap the backlash. But, is there a rainbow after this storm? Selig could be holding his breath, hoping this is the last year steroids make such a stink. This year could see Bonds in jail, or worse, Japan. Clemens might be arrested. But could this be it? No more congressional hearings? No more perjury charges? The public seems a little weary of all this hoopla, and players (at least to fans) seem clean. So can we all just move on and enjoy a scandal free summer? Unfortunately, some other athlete will come out with a tell all tale of steroid usage, or worse, someone will fail a drug test and receive a 50 game suspension. Bud, you and the league brought this on yourselves, and it is not just going to go away.

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