Opening Night!

Fenway Park 2000 prior to a game with Toronto.

The start of the 2010 Major League Baseball Season gives hope to every fan, young and old. Whether you cheer for the defending champions New York Yankees or the Chicago Cubs who haven't won a World Title since 1908, today all fans can say, "this will be the year." From Kansas City to Pittsburgh Spring brings hope.

Force fed to us by ESPN comes a long-time rivalry to open the season in Fenway Park, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. And as the curtain opens on the season here comes my prediction for the 2010 season:

Amercian League:                                 National League

• East--New York Yankees              East--Philadelphia Phillies
• Central--Chicago White Sox           Central--St. Louis Cardinals
• West--L.A. Angels of Anaheim       West--San Francisco Giants
• WCard--Detroit Tigers                    WCard--Chicago Cubs

ALCS: Yankees over Tigers                      NLCS: Cardinals over Cubs
World Series Champion: St. Louis Cardinals

General thoughts: The Yankees will continue their championship ways. I don't feel the Red Sox have done enough to win the East, or win the Wild Card. Look for the Rays to finish second in the division. Since the Twins have lost their closer, Joe Nathan, for the year, they will lose close games down the stretch. The White Sox have the talent to win the division, it will come down to whether or not they have the winning mentality to take it. Jim Leyland will find a way for the Tigers to be successful. In the West, the Angels may have obstacles along the way, but will find themselves atop the division at the end of the year. As long as the Mariners have Milton Bradley, success will escape them.
In the National League East, the Phillies continue to be the dominant team. Bobby Cox's Atlanta Braves team will play hard for him in his last year, but they don't have the talent to match up with the Phillies. The Mets will struggle along with the Marlins and Nationals. The Cardinals will be tough to beat in the Central, but this Cubs team will be better than many expect. It will be a two team race down the stretch, with the Cardinals winning it in the last five days. The San Francisco Giants have a underrated manager and played strong down the stretch in 2009.
The Yankees are the best in the American League while the best playoff series will be in the National League. The Cubs finally find a way to win a post-season series, but will lose to the Cardinals in six. In what will be one of the better World Series in years, the Cardinals will win it at home in 7.

View of the Green Monster from RF.

 

Crosstown Classic

Since the beginning of interleague play, the city of Chicago looks forward to the two series the Cubs and White Sox play. For a few days the "snobbish" North-siders brag about the Friendly Confines and the love they have for their losers. While the "blue-collar" South-Siders point out they have their one World Series title over the last 100 years to go along with their knowledge of the game. This series is more for bragging rights than for positioning for a run at the title. But is it?
While the fans find this series important and find it more than a baseball novelty, the players and coaches need to realize it is more than "just another game on the schedule." While driving home and listening to Chicago Sports Talk, players were being interviewed and asked of their thoughts on the upcoming series. Of the few talked to, a few said that this game is like no other, and every one is important to win. But is it a game like no other?
Last fall I wrote about rivalry games. They are important and need to be emphasized as such. The Cubs playing the White Sox isn't like a game against the Pirates or Marlins. The Cubs need to win those games to advance to post-season play. But playing the White Sox and Cardinals prepare them for playoff atmosphere games. Having witnessed games against each of those teams, the players and fans are into every pitch. The roar is louder for a strikeout and the anticipation for the leading run to score grows on every pitch. Playing against the Pirates, fans are more reserved-sitting back and waiting for the Cubs to take the lead, or waiting for the next great celebrity to sing the seventh inning stretch.
Interleague play is here to stay and has proven to be successful in its time. There are series many don't find interesting (Rockies - Royals, Pirates - Angels, etc.), but there are those which don't garner the national attention but the locals find very attractive (Twins - Cubs, Tigers - Cardinals, etc.). But for a team which has had its struggles in the post-season, an interleague series with the crosstown rival has nothing but benefits, as long as the Cubs deem it important.

Matt Leinart...your 10 minutes of fame may be over. You'll be remembered more for a picture depicting you doing a beer bong with coed college students than playing for the Arizona Cardinals....But then again, who'd want to be remembered for playing for the Arizona Cardinals. Point goes to Leinart.

CBS Sports...nice way to finish your golf season. An audio glitch had us missing the last 8-10 minutes of audio on their last golf tournament of the 2008 season. No Jim Nantz to explain why Sergio Garcia got relief from his poor lie. I found out a day later that this problem was limited to our broadcast area. Thanks, KGAN

The Yankees and Red Sox play this week. It is hard to believe this is the last series between the two until the final weekend. What will ESPN do for a month? And can ESPN handle a series more important than the Yankees and Red Sox playing on the final weekend? Say the Brewers and Cubs?

Best baseball is being played in the midwest. Although the Cubs have a 4 1/2 game lead on Milwaukee, it is far from over. The battle for the NL wild card may come down to the Cardinals and Brewers. In the American League, it is important to check the standings daily. One day the Twins may lead the AL Central, and the next it could be the White Sox. The next two weeks are very important to the race. The Twins are on the road for fourteen days due to the Republican Convention in the Twin Cities. If Chicago is to have a sizable lead, now is the time.