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Post by swarm on Jun 25, 2006 16:20:44 GMT -5
Who will be the odd team out? I'm going with the Red Sox, only because I want to see the Tigers pound on the Yankees in the ALCS. I think Chicago will get the wildcard.
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Post by gatekeeper on Jun 25, 2006 16:26:16 GMT -5
I'm going with the Yankees. This team has been injury plagued this year. I think it will catch up to them by the end of the season. Plus, it's nice to see other teams get some time in the sun. Hey, where'd you get the idea for this thread??  |
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Post by stephenvegas on Jun 25, 2006 16:46:36 GMT -5
If the Yankees do not pick up another outfield bat then they may actually fall behind Toronto into third place in the AL East- they are currently only two games ahead of them.
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Post by blueraider1 on Jun 25, 2006 16:56:27 GMT -5
i voted for the white sox not to make it.
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Post by Matt on Jun 25, 2006 16:59:09 GMT -5
I picked the White Sox, although not really sure why.....  |
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Post by Chewey on Jun 25, 2006 18:09:40 GMT -5
I really want the Yankees not to make it. I've become something of a Yankee fan in that I follow every one of their games to root for the other team (I even have them on my yahoo sports scoreboard), and while I have enjoyed watching baseball's #1 heel team go down in each of the last five years (especially in '04 - that was SWEET!) it would be a welcome change not to hear from the Yanks at all this October.
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Post by steelthunder814 on Jun 25, 2006 22:56:38 GMT -5
The Yankees on general principle since im a Red Sox fan!!! Weird sidenote my wife loves the Yanks and yet we still get along cept when they face off. It seems the curse of the Red Sox ended the same year I got married. Weird!!!
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Post by Tournament Master on Jun 26, 2006 16:24:54 GMT -5
Went with the Spankees here. As Gatekeeper said, the injuries will catch up with them. The Soxes and Tigers are just better teams with better pitching than the Yanks, so I don't see them faltering.
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Post by ThePunisher on Jun 26, 2006 19:22:13 GMT -5
I voted for the Yankees just out of my disgust for their entire franchise. I would love to watch them fall out of the playoff picture. I would love it even more if Toronto finished second in the East over them. Realistically I don't see that happening.
I want to like the Tigers this year but they seem kind of fragile to me. The pitching is good but I don't know if Rogers, Robertson and Maroth can keep it all together for the 2nd half. I like Bonderman.
Don't get me wrong, the Tigers staff at Toledo is nasty so I believe the Tigers are on the cusp, I just don't know if its this year.
The Tigers line-up is decent. You wonder if its going to fall off in the 2nd half too though. Ordonez is an injury risk, Inge and Shelton are largely unproven. Granderson, Thames, Polanco are all pretty solid so far.
We'll see what happens. I'm calling both of the Sox, Oakland and probably those damn Yankees (but I'll be rooting for Detroit, Texas, LAA, anyone else).
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Post by Chewey on Jun 27, 2006 7:28:41 GMT -5
hell yeah, Steel Thunder... cheers to another Red Sox fan. How sweet it would be to see Jeter and Posada not playing in October for once in like ten years. Jeter is having a great season this year, but I'm still sick of all of the cameras focusing on him cheering his team on every time anyone else on the squad does something big in a playoff game.
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Post by gamtime247 on Jun 27, 2006 7:51:16 GMT -5
I too went with the Yankees. I can't see their pitching holding up, Johnson is always shaky now with injuries and age, and the back end of their rotation is pretty weak compared to the other 3 teams.
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Post by offspring515 on Jun 27, 2006 10:12:44 GMT -5
As a guy who has watched every Tigers game this year (give or take), I think they're the real deal. AT this point the critics can't blame it on scheduling or luck or fluke wins.
I"m thinking the Yankees though. I could easily see them falling even lower in the standings.
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Post by Mad Dog on Jun 27, 2006 12:33:02 GMT -5
I have to go with the Yankees. The team has a lot of aging superstars and I think the age is going to start showing as the season wears on. If A-Rod or Giambi go down for any length of time they're finished.
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Post by stephenvegas on Jun 27, 2006 23:37:18 GMT -5
To add to the Yankees injury problems, they had to put Robinson Cano on the DL today. Cano was hitting .325 and was the leading vote getter for the All Star game among American League Second Basemen. Although Cano is not supposed to mis too much time, the Yankees still really need to make a trade to replace all of the bats on the DL.
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Post by steelthunder814 on Jun 27, 2006 23:53:37 GMT -5
tsk tsk tsk couldnt have happened to a nicer team
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Post by Chewey on Jun 28, 2006 8:52:51 GMT -5
baseball prospectus, in its current adjusted standings, still has the Yankees ranked with one of the two best records in third order wins (along with the Tigers), which if it is any indication, means that they are currently playing under where they should be. That's bad news, since Baseball Pro is usually prett good at predicting these things (although they have the Yankees not making the playoffs in terms of their calculated playoff odds at this point of the season). Let's hope they get blown out the next few games so that it can drop their Pythagorean adjusted record down a little. www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/sortable/ |
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Post by Pete on Jul 1, 2006 22:27:17 GMT -5
The Yankees under Torre have shown a pattern of outperforming their Pythag. projections, often significantly and in the case of 2004 (pythag. of 89 wins, won 101) hugely so.
Problem with the Yanks and the Pythagorean method is that Rivera is of course lights-out, but their middle-relief guys have usually been mediocre at best and often much worse. Thus, if they fall behind early, they usually fall *way* behind by the end, but are often lights-out if they have a late lead. That leads to stuff like their 22-0 thrashing at the hands of Cleveland a couple of years ago and throws those projections out of whack.
Anyway, I still voted for them because Johnson has shown no indication that he's going to turn things around anytime soon, leaving Mussina as the only reliable starter. They basically have a one-man relief corps as well until Octavio Dotel returns (and who knows if he's even going to be any help at all.)
The Tigers are approaching the point where you have to start dismissing the "They're playing over their heads" excuse. Even if Verlander does tire out, the pitching collapses, and they play .500 ball the rest of the way...they'll win 96 games. I'd like to see them grab a lefty bat and get somebody more reliable than Todd Jones to close things out, though.
The thought of a postseason with no Yankees, no Braves, and possibly even no Cardinals makes me a happy, happy man.
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Post by stephenvegas on Jul 1, 2006 22:49:55 GMT -5
But I think the Yankees actually have a decent group of middle relievers this year. Both Mike Myers and Ron Villone are indeed having awesome years so far and Scott Proctor is also doing a god job. I even think Kyle Farnsworth is pitching better than his ERA indicates.
I think before the Yankees add to their bullpen, they need to address their offense-particularly in the outfield where they can use another bat due to the injuries of Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield. I like Melkey Cabrera but I do not think he is the answer yet and Bernie Williams is doing ok but at this stage in his career he really is used best as a fourth outfielder. If they can swing the deal, Alfonso Soriano of the Washington Nationals would be a great pickup for the Yankees as he can play both the outfield and fill in at Second Base for Robinson Cano who is also tempoarily on the disabled list. It sounds like the Nationals are definitly trading Soriano (as well as Jose Guillen and possibly even Livan Hernandez) somewhere before the end of the season.
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Post by gatekeeper on Jul 2, 2006 1:23:45 GMT -5
The Tigers are approaching the point where you have to start dismissing the "They're playing over their heads" excuse. Even if Verlander does tire out, the pitching collapses, and they play .500 ball the rest of the way...they'll win 96 games. I'd like to see them grab a lefty bat and get somebody more reliable than Todd Jones to close things out, though. Well the Tigers do have Dimitri Young still on the roster. He's slated to return soon so they may feel that they have that left handed bat (which they absolutely do need). I think you may see Zumaya become the closer as we near the end of the season. This guy is just awesome. He may give up a HR or 2 but he's great. The Tigers could also turn to Fernando Rodney, he's had a rough few weeks but looked very strong for most of the 1st half of the season. I hate Todd Jones -- too unpredictable. |
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Post by Chewey on Jul 2, 2006 15:17:23 GMT -5
I agree. Rodney and Zumaya are awesome. Todd Jones is a nice guy and I've been reading his occasional columns on yahoo sports since he was pitching for the Reds, but 21 saves or no, a closer should not have an ERA north of 6.00.
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