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  • Sports & Gaming Moderators: ghostfreak

2005 Mlb!

Nice to see the cards getting some respect with all the losses they had... Im not sure if the pitching can hold up but it will be exciting with that lineup again...

Im not sure if Id count on the Cubs to make much noise again this year.. Those young arms will wear down just after the break and cubs might have to scrap to hit .500..
 
Injuries are hard to predict. Most team's outlook on a new season is hopeful of a healthy one.

I do wish McBankrupt would get injured and sell the Dodgers to an owner who can afford them.
 
Season-opening rankings
1. New York Yankees: As the season begins, the onus shifts to Jason Giambi's bat: If he hits early in the season, he'll be forgiven in Yankee Stadium. Otherwise, it'll be rough.
2. Boston Red Sox: Shake hands with the Yankees? Sorry, kids, but it's time to grow up.
3. Atlanta Braves: Every starter threw effectively this spring, including Horacio Ramirez and Mike Hampton. Could get off to a fast start.
4. Minnesota Twins: Jason Bartlett opens the season at shortstop, and no one doubts he'll hit. His glove will be closely watched by a manager who loves defense.
5. Florida Marlins: Josh Beckett had an 0.87 ERA in spring training, with 14 hits and five walks over 20.2 innings. Maybe this is the year he takes off.
6. St. Louis Cardinals: New book says Tony La Russa had great angst over retaliation pitches. And this just in: Lawrence Taylor had trouble sleeping when he punished QBs.
7. Los Angeles Angels: Now Francisco Rodriguez will learn what it means to pitch without a safety net.
8. Chicago Cubs: They are hopeful that Mark Prior will pitch April 12, but they're putting themselves in position to put him on the DL in case that doesn't work out.
9. Cleveland Indians: They're going to hit, with or without Juan Gone. Now, if their bullpen can just hold some leads.
10. San Diego Padres: Looks like they'll open the year without Dave Roberts, the guy who is supposed to change their offense.
11. Houston Astros: Trying all different kinds of combinations offensively, but they should stay in games often, assuming The Rocket's spring wasn't an early sign of a 42-year-old's flameout.
12. Philadelphia Phillies: Pat Burrell is ready to bust out. No, we're not kidding this time.
13. New York Mets: An entire spring training did little to solve their bullpen problems. And between the aged Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez and the strike-challenged Kaz Ishii and Victor Zambrano, they're going to need a lot of bullpen help.
14. Oakland Athletics: They're going to score runs, and when Barry Zito and Rich Harden pitch, they should be tough. The other days? We'll see.
15. San Francisco Giants: Opening the season without Barry Bonds leaves an enormous hole in their lineup. They gotta have him.
16. Texas Rangers: Ryan Drese seems to be ready to take it to the next level. Now the Rangers need two or three other pitchers to do the same thing.
17. Baltimore Orioles: Sidney Ponson has used up about eight of his nine Baltimore lives.
18. Los Angeles Dodgers: The scouts' take: A team with some serious issues. Unless Derek Lowe and Jeff Weaver and J.D. Drew are great players, they could struggle to stay in the race.
19. Detroit Tigers: Jeremy Bonderman ready to bust out, so they've got a leader. Now they need other starters to follow.
20. Toronto Blue Jays: Gustavo Chacin was an intriguing performer in spring training this year.
21. Seattle Mariners: So many questions about pitching injuries. Ichiro will get a lot of hits, but we're not sure how many of them will mean something.
22. Chicago White Sox: Brandon McCarthy might want to keep his cell phone on at all times. The bet here is that he'll be up by May 1.
23. Milwaukee Brewers: They want to sign Ben Sheets, and Sheets wants to sign. It'll happen, eventually.
24. Cincinnati Reds: Yes, we know Eric Milton has had success. But nothing happened in the spring to make us think he'll win in Cinergy Field.
25. Arizona Diamondbacks: Spring-training consensus: Troy Glaus is going to do some big-time damage.
26. Pittsburgh Pirates: They had a bunch of guys hit well in the spring, and Jason Bay just rejoined the team. We're rooting for them.
27. Washington Nationals: Yes, they are going to be on television -- on the Orioles' network. But maybe Peter Angelos will give them the 5 a.m. time slot, up against infomercials.
28. Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Won a franchise-best 70 games in '04, but still finished 30½ games out of first place. Expect another long year for Lou Piniella and Co.
29. Colorado Rockies: They're making strides, but are still miles away.
30. Kansas City Royals: Twenty years since their last postseason appearance. That's Two-Zero, as in 20, years.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=2027562
 
No problem for the Yanks this year! The Sox blew thier 83 yr old load last year! Should take another 80 yrs to build it back up!
 
you know.. if yankee fans could be a little LESS predictable, it would make the rivalry a bit more interesting.

i read a bill simmons article where he predicted that all yankee fans would say just that. "oh well it's going to be another 80 some odd years until they win again!"

and if the sox don't win it this year..

"SEE! IT WAS JUST A FLUKE! HAHAHAHAHAHH *GOES TO SMOKE MORE CRACK*"

Make sure all you Yank fans tune in early on April 11th's game at Fenway, fuckers.
 
I read an article that all Sox fans thought last years championship was overdue! The article also stated that this will be the 1st year we wont have to hear moaning until the end of the season!
 
ring2_4.3.05.jpg
 
Alex Sanchez Suspended 10 Days for Steroids

I have a feeling they're just trying to nail a little guy that won't really affect the game, to show that they're "really enforcing the policy".

AMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Alex Sanchez was suspended 10 days for violating baseball's new drug policy, the first player publicly identified under the major leagues' tougher rules.


Alex Sanchez
Center Field
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Profile


2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM HR RBI R SB AVG
79 2 26 41 19 .322

The suspension begins Monday when Tampa Bay opens its season against Toronto, the commissioner's office said Sunday.

Under the new policy that took effect last month, steroids and other performance-enchancing substances are the only drugs to draw a 10-day suspension. Baseball officials and the players' union agreed they would not disclose the exact substance for which a player tests positive.

Sanchez said he was surprised by the suspension, adding that he uses milkshakes and multivitamins to build his energy -- and blaming the positive test on something he bought over the counter.

"I'm going to fight it, because I've never taken steroids or anything like that," said Sanchez, who was released by Detroit in mid-March and signed by the Devil Rays.

Sanchez, 28, who hit .322 with 19 stolen bases in 79 games for the Tigers last season, said he was drug tested while he was with Detroit. He was to be the Devil Rays' center fielder on opening day.

Devil Rays general manager Chuck LaMar said the team would have no comment on the suspension.

"It's suprising," manager Lou Piniella said. "That's all I have to say on that."

It already had been an emotional month for Sanchez. The center fielder was reunited with his mother for the first time in 11 years in mid-March. Five days later, he was released by the Tigers.

Sanchez left Cuba on a raft 11 years ago, leaving his family behind. On March 10, Sanchez reunited with his mother and brother in Miami, where he has a house with his wife and twin boys. Sanchez's mother and brother escaped from Cuba by boat and spent time in Mexico and Texas before traveling by bus to Miami.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
 
Why doesn't he just say what he took that tripped the positive test? I bet he stocked up on M1T or another PH before the 1/20 federal ban on steroid precursors and got nailed for that.

I sounds to me like he knew exactly what he was taking that made him test positive.
 
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