unfathomable predictions?

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I can't read his analysis since I sure as hell ain't an ESPN Premium subscriber, but why does Rob Neyer think the White Sox win their division?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?page=05expertpicks

I'm also amazed at ppl thinking Texas can win this year; aren't all their rising youngsters hitters?

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 4 April 2005 13:47 (twenty years ago)

The preseason World Series predictions by some of the Baseball Tonight people were pretty crazy. I may have been dozing off, but I swear Karl Ravitch said the Angels were going to beat the Padres in the series.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Monday, 4 April 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

I'd also like to know why all the big ESPN names (Gammons, Stark, BUSTER) are going ga-ga over the Twins! One full season of Justin Morneau (w/ a possible 400+ ABs from Joe Mauer) does not a world-beater make! Even if Generic Slappy McGrounderGobbler > Christian Guzman

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 4 April 2005 13:59 (twenty years ago)

According to the non-Insider spelunking I could get done, RN believes the ChiSox's hopes hinge on their veteran pitching, which includes, IIRC, TWO Yankee castoffs. That's some hinge!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

Smarter people than "Ravvy" are picking the Angels (that is, other people are). My reading is they're the Great Hope of Beane haters.

I think the Twins are easily the class of that division, given the best pitcher in baseball and the Tribe not being quite there yet. I gave the Sox 71 wins in the BP Predictatron.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:13 (twenty years ago)

yeah the tribe clearly ain't there yet. next year, though, they should contend. and even with the twins' rubber-bat lineup, they have enough balance to take the central (which is no longer the worst division in baseball -- thank you nl west!).

the angels are basically the mr. glass of mlb. aside vlad -- who, remember, has had lower back problems in the past -- no one on that team is anything even close to durable.

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:28 (twenty years ago)

and i can just see it now: when the cards take the central and the angels lose the west, many a commentator will blame the demise of the los angeles angels of anaheim of california of america of north america of earth of the milky way of the universe of gene autry on the departure of a "character guy" like david eckstein because, after all, he plays the game the white way!

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)

Darn those skilled foreigners and their flashy hotdoggin'! I imagine the Eckstein meme has already been invoked by folks picking against the LAAoA. BUT: what happens if the Angels succeed & the Cards falter?

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

then it comes down to the a's: billyball sucks so they lose the west, mulder sucks so the cards lose the central!

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:41 (twenty years ago)

Dastardly!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:44 (twenty years ago)

Stark and Gammons both hang their hats on the Twins' pitching, which they think will carry them through the playoffs; they also bank on Morneau and Mauer. Stark claims that the Twins' veterans are not scared of the Yankees or the Red Sox or whoever come playoff time.

I am extreeeeeemely skeptical about this last line of reasoning. What, suddenly Jacque Jones is Mr. October?

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:49 (twenty years ago)

it seems to me that, wrt pitching, a lot of the picks in the al hinge on unproven youngsters or veteran reclamation projects.

― jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

Same as it ever was, jq.

The only thing the Twins have to fear come playoff time is Gardenhire getting stupid again w/ pitcher usage.

Also, I'm hoping that Jacque Jones will be my HACKING MASS MVP, so I'm a bit biased when I say CLEVELAND ROCKS!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:22 (twenty years ago)

So I was not dreaming, Gammon's did pick the Twins to beat the Cubs in the series.

I saw Steve Phillips pick the Braves over the Yanks on ESPN news last week, which might be a good preseason pick for 1998.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:35 (twenty years ago)

Gammons last night picked the Twins to beat the Cubs in the WS. I can see the Twins making it there, but def. not the Cubs. I even said aloud to a co-worker: "Is Gammons high?"
xpost!

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:36 (twenty years ago)

Harold and The Kruk road the company line though, they both picked the Yanks to beat someone.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:50 (twenty years ago)

Themselves?

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:53 (twenty years ago)

If the Big 3 moundsmen are healthy (yukyuk), I could see the Cubs sneaking into the wildcard, and Anything Can Happen in a Short Series.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 4 April 2005 16:10 (twenty years ago)

ravech had padres losing to angels?!?

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 4 April 2005 17:04 (twenty years ago)

Neyer on the Sox, courtesy of someone else's account:

Why did I pick the White Sox? Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, and my gut tells me the Twins aren't going to win this season. That leaves the Indians or the White Sox (or, some would argue, the Tigers). And I've chosen the White Sox, in part because I honestly believe this is the year that Jose Contreras finally puts everything together and wins 16 or 18 games. But this is the prediction for which I have the least confidence.

(I can post the rest, but maybe this should be de-Googled?)

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Monday, 4 April 2005 21:16 (twenty years ago)

He said that about Contreras last year.

― Jimmy Mod Knows You Eat Your Own Farts (ModJ), Monday, 4 April 2005 21:53 (twenty years ago)

was that posted on April 1?

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Monday, 4 April 2005 22:25 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

i swear it was just yesterday i was thinking, "i'll bet mark grudzialanek will hit for the cycle this year."

― jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 19:40 (twenty years ago)

haha, I just picked him up on Monday to replace Khalil in one of my money leagues. God bless you, Grudz.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 20:03 (twenty years ago)

god?

...or SATAN?

― jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 20:16 (twenty years ago)

I remember when I traded Mike Cameron for Shawn Green to someone several years ago, citing my need for power and Cameron's blazing speed.

The first time I had Shawn in my lineup, 6 for 6, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 6 runs scored.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 20:22 (twenty years ago)

four months pass...

Isn't it fun to look back on threads like these?

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 00:50 (twenty years ago)

Mr. Jamz Murphy was pretty spot on with his assesment of the Angels..

― Stuh-du-du-du-du-du-du-denka (jingleberries), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 04:15 (twenty years ago)

eight years pass...

Dave Fleming checks in on his off-season predictions, hits .230:

www.billjamesonline.com/50_fearless_forecasts_reviewed/

― clemenza, Wednesday, 6 November 2013 23:16 (twelve years ago)

.220. I'm unilaterally taking away half a point for "Boston wins the AL East"--that's just him sucking up to the boss.

― clemenza, Wednesday, 6 November 2013 23:35 (twelve years ago)

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