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January 31, 2014

A Sign Of Spring

Two baseball preview magazines are on newsstands.
Sporting News

American League East
Red Sox
Yankees
Rays
Orioles
Blue Jays

Boston: The Red Sox went from the A.L. east basement to World Series champs due to great chemistry and a resurgent pitching staff last year. They'll be big-time contenders for that title again.

New York: Injuries and advancing age killed the Yankees last year and they still won 85 games in baseball's best division. Braced with several new additions, they should be playoff-bound again.

AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Rangers
AL Wild Card: Yankees defeat Royals
ALDS: Rangers over Red Sox; Tigers over Yankees
ALCS: Rangers over Tigers
World Series: Dodgers over Rangers

AL MVP: Mike Trout
AL CY: Yu Darvish
AL Rookie: Xander Bogaerts

Lindy's Sports

American League East
Red Sox
Rays
Orioles
Yankees
Blue Jays

Boston: Jacoby Ellsbury high-tailed it to the Bronx, but the Red Sox retained enough talent over the winter to make another serious run at the top. With youngsters Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley joining the everyday lineup, the champs could be more dynamic than they were a year ago. Imagine that.

Yankees: This is not a golden age for Yankees baseball. Robinson Cano left for greener pastures, the A-Rod circus clouds the present, and the future looks bleak because the farm system is bereft of talent. Most important for 2014, the Yankees lack the starting pitching to keep pace with the American League's heavyweights.

AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Rangers
Wild Cards: A's / Rays
World Series: Tigers / Dodgers

AL MVP: Mike Trout
AL CY: Yu Darvish
AL Rookie: Xander Bogaerts
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11 comments:

  1. allanJanuary 31, 2014 at 4:45 PM

    TSN also rates each organization's minor league system. Boston comes in at #4 ("the upper levels [are] stocked with talented prospects") behind Houston, Pittsburgh and Minnesota. ... The Yankees are #29 (out of 30!): "no prospects of any significance on the immediate horizon ... The system is nearly bereft of impact talent".)

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  2. 9caseyJanuary 31, 2014 at 6:10 PM

    No more Jenny her and Will have a thing.

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  3. allanFebruary 1, 2014 at 6:41 AM

    The relationship has been going on for almost two years, apparently.

    Maybe NESN will do the obvious thing and just get rid of the "sideline reporter" position. It's completely worthless from an information standpoint, and if NESN thinks we need to see some tits every so often, they can show someone sitting in the stands.

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  4. Maxwell HorseFebruary 1, 2014 at 11:11 AM

    "Maybe NESN will do the obvious thing and just get rid of the "sideline reporter" position. It's completely worthless..."

    I have to admit, if NESN announced that Jamie Erdahl was going to be replacing Dell, I would be looking forward to her contributions to the broadcasts much moreso than the return of the Remdawg. I know "sideline reporter" is looked down on in general, but as far as these things go, Erdahl seemed pretty likeable and engaged during the times she subbed. That might be damning with faint praise, but whatever.

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  5. laura kFebruary 1, 2014 at 11:24 AM

    I also see that position as utterly worthless. Other than eye candy (although not always, as Ken Rosenthal demonstrates), I can't identify any function that they serve.

    But clearly I am not the audience for any of NESN's - or most sports network's - decisions.

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  6. JereFebruary 1, 2014 at 3:34 PM

    "New York [...] should be playoff-bound again."

    Again? Did I miss something?

    "This is not a golden age for Yankees baseball."

    I would love it if someone hacked into yankees.com and put this as the team slogan at the top of the page.

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  7. FenFanFebruary 2, 2014 at 1:58 PM

    ...if NESN thinks we need to see some tits every so often, they can show someone sitting in the stands.

    Leading to more uncomfortable and embarrassing broadcast moments in sports, like Brent Musburger talking about Katherine Webb during last year's BCS Championship game.

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  8. FenFanFebruary 2, 2014 at 2:00 PM

    I'm happy to see the Sox ranked so high but these preseason predictions aren't worth the paper on which they are printed.

    That said, I totally expect the Sox to repeat. :-P

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  9. laura kFebruary 2, 2014 at 2:09 PM

    Brent Musburger talking about Katherine Webb during last year's BCS Championship game.

    Rarely is a sentence written in JoS comments that I understand less than this one.

    (No need to explain, I Googled it. I just thought it was funny that I had no idea what this meant. I love not paying attention to football.)

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  10. FenFanFebruary 2, 2014 at 2:15 PM

    I stumped Laura?! Not possible! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. laura kFebruary 2, 2014 at 2:41 PM

    Oh, it's easily done! Keep talking about football broadcasts, that's one way. :)

    ReplyDelete