It finally feels like Spring. The sky is blue, birds are chirping, and I woke up at 9am this morning to partake in my annual baseball fantasy league draft. Honestly, does it get any better than the hours preceding Major League Baseball’s Opening Day? I know It’s totally unhip to be excited about something as trivial as professional sports (the Internet’s intended purpose, after all, is for masturbating over the new hit album from that band who used to be totally underground), but this is my site and I’ll do with it what I like.
So how about those Mets? A lot of questions entering the 2007 season, and the analysts’ predictions vary greatly from last year. According to the insiders, this year’s team has the potential to finish anywhere between first and third place in the NL East. Granted, it was Steve Philips who predicted a third place finish, and he’s probably still a bit bitter about being fired from the organization in 2003. Nevertheless, questions surround this year’s team. Will their immense lineup compensate for their lack of pitching depth? Will Moises Alou stay healthy long enough to contribute and balance the lineup against lefty-pitching? Will Sean Green quit Jewin’ around and start swinging his bat like a man? How will the absence of middle-relievers Dauner Sanchez (out most of the season), Guillermo Mota (out 50 games), Chad Bradford (signed with Baltimore), and long-reliever Darren Oliver (signed with…somebody?) effect what was one of the league’s best bullpens last year? What the fuck is Chan Ho Park doing on this team? That name is like a death knell for a baseball team.
The best aspect of Opening Day is the electricity that flows through clubhouses, bars and homes across the nation. Ballplayers, front-office personnel and fans all believe they—or the team they support—has a legitimate shot at winning. If you’re a scenester dufus and you’re reading this, just imagine you’re rooting for your favorite indie-pop band to win this year’s Shortlist Prize, only instead of it being only you and your handful of sexually ambiguous friends, its several million people.
So, what? You’re looking for predictions or something? Okay. Let’s play a game, and I’ll check back in October to see if I deserve a job at ESPN:
AL EAST: Red Sox
AL CENTRAL: Tigers
AL WEST: Angels
WILD CARD: Yankees
CY YOUNG: Roy Halladay (TOR)
MVP: David Ortiz (BOS)
ROOKIE: Alex Gordon (KC)
NL EAST: Mets
NL CENTRAL: Cardinals
NL WEST: Dodgers
WILD CARD: Phillies
CY YOUNG: Carlos Zambrando (Chi)
MVP: Albert Pujols (StL)
ROOKIE: Stephen Drew (Ari)
