So this has bewildered me a little bit. PYT was talking about Manny possibly being the greatest right handed batter to ever swing a bat, there was another thread about Albert Pujols, and also the All Star Game in this section. Plus Thriller was a lucky bastard and got to go check out All Star festivities in St. Louis.
So anyway, I am starting this thread to look back on the first half of the season so far. Yes there is still one more day of games to play before the All Star break, but so what. There have been numerous stories in the news, and the divisional races are sure to heat up and be fun the rest of the summer.
Starting in the NL, the divisional races so far, well there are two races in the NL, not including the Wild Card. T
he NL West is pretty much the Dodgers' division to lose. But the Giants are a surprising team and have arguably the best starting staff in the NL if not the MLB. So that could turn interesting. The Rockies had a huge month in June after a horrible start to the season, the Padres are just bad, just recently no hit, and the D-Backs, well they haven't been good this year either.
The NL Central will most likely be the most interesting race the NL has to offer, with 5 teams within 4.5 games of each other. The Cardinals are a surprise in 1st, as everyone, at least experts and analysts, picked the Cubs to run through the entire NL, let alone the NL Central. Plus the Brewers are ahead of the Cubs and behind the Cards by 2 games. Astros and Reds are 4 and 4.5 out respectively.
The NL East is so up and down, it is hard to gauge how that race will go, as the last 2 years the Phillies were out and made huge comebacks to steal the division from the Mets. Florida is a game over .500, but still playin fairly good ball all season. No one should count out the Braves or even the Mets, and I will tell you why. Braves have one of the best managers in the game in Bobby Cox, and have a pretty young team to maybe make a run. The Mets have been hit by injuries. I believe Beltran, Delgado, and Reyes are currently out, and when they come back I sense a rejuvination in the team.
The NL will be have decent to good races, but the AL is where the competition truly is as of right now.
The AL West is a good race so far, with the Angels, Rangers, and even the Mariners vying for that top spot. The Angels have been the powerhouse of that division for about 5 years, so no surprise they are in 1st. Texas is really surprising me this year, as they are just a .5 game back, and that is without Josh Hamilton for most of the year. The Mariners have a good core of players and pretty good staff led by King Felix. Does any baseball fan doubt Felix Hernandez's pitching abilities?
The AL Central race is a one to be looked at closely this summer. 3 teams within 4 games of each other, but there is a difference than other races here. The Tigers have a good squad playing, but I don't think they will be able to keep it up the rest of the season. If they prove me wrong then more power to them. The White Sox are 2.5 back, but have made a huge turn around since bringing Scott Podsednik back, bringing up Gordon Beckham, and Jose Contreras regaining his confidence to attack hitters. I can go more in depth on the White Sox but for now I will leave it as is. And anyone that counts the Twins out are morons. The Twins are the most fundamentally sound playing team in the bigs, and have to great players in Morneau and Mauer. They may be .500 right now, but I expect them to be right in the thick of it at the end of the season, especially with that dome that they are in their last year of having. The Metrodome is a nightmare for teams that are not the Twins. Plus the Royals were a surprise team to start, and have Zack Greinke, a candidate for Cy Young honors, so they are a team that will give others some fits.
The AL East is currently a Red Sox-Yankees division, to which right now I am surprised I haven't heard any huge coverage like it was back in like 2003 and 2004. It is a close race between the two, with the Yankees coming back from a horrible start themselves, to closing the gap to two games so far. I believe A-Rod coming back helped out a little bit, and the pitching has been better than earlier in the season. But, lest we forget the Rays from Tampa? I think not. They have a talented team, and the fans at home are pretty loud, those stupid fucking cow bells are annoying though. I went to a Rays vs. White Sox game back in April down there, so annoying, and there was almost a physical altercation between a few fans of each team, it was hilarious. But their staff is pretty solid, and definitely have shot to make it a 3 team race. I also think that the Jays can give each team trouble, especially if they keep Doc Halladay, but I don't think they can win the division.
Yes I know I went more in depth on the AL side, but that is because I know more about the AL. So for now, I want your thoughts on the season so far, and you can also add your own visions on each race. After a little bit we can dabble into some of the stories that have come about so far this season. Also I hope to keep this thread going for the rest of the season.
So anyway, I am starting this thread to look back on the first half of the season so far. Yes there is still one more day of games to play before the All Star break, but so what. There have been numerous stories in the news, and the divisional races are sure to heat up and be fun the rest of the summer.
Starting in the NL, the divisional races so far, well there are two races in the NL, not including the Wild Card. T
he NL West is pretty much the Dodgers' division to lose. But the Giants are a surprising team and have arguably the best starting staff in the NL if not the MLB. So that could turn interesting. The Rockies had a huge month in June after a horrible start to the season, the Padres are just bad, just recently no hit, and the D-Backs, well they haven't been good this year either.
The NL Central will most likely be the most interesting race the NL has to offer, with 5 teams within 4.5 games of each other. The Cardinals are a surprise in 1st, as everyone, at least experts and analysts, picked the Cubs to run through the entire NL, let alone the NL Central. Plus the Brewers are ahead of the Cubs and behind the Cards by 2 games. Astros and Reds are 4 and 4.5 out respectively.
The NL East is so up and down, it is hard to gauge how that race will go, as the last 2 years the Phillies were out and made huge comebacks to steal the division from the Mets. Florida is a game over .500, but still playin fairly good ball all season. No one should count out the Braves or even the Mets, and I will tell you why. Braves have one of the best managers in the game in Bobby Cox, and have a pretty young team to maybe make a run. The Mets have been hit by injuries. I believe Beltran, Delgado, and Reyes are currently out, and when they come back I sense a rejuvination in the team.
The NL will be have decent to good races, but the AL is where the competition truly is as of right now.
The AL West is a good race so far, with the Angels, Rangers, and even the Mariners vying for that top spot. The Angels have been the powerhouse of that division for about 5 years, so no surprise they are in 1st. Texas is really surprising me this year, as they are just a .5 game back, and that is without Josh Hamilton for most of the year. The Mariners have a good core of players and pretty good staff led by King Felix. Does any baseball fan doubt Felix Hernandez's pitching abilities?
The AL Central race is a one to be looked at closely this summer. 3 teams within 4 games of each other, but there is a difference than other races here. The Tigers have a good squad playing, but I don't think they will be able to keep it up the rest of the season. If they prove me wrong then more power to them. The White Sox are 2.5 back, but have made a huge turn around since bringing Scott Podsednik back, bringing up Gordon Beckham, and Jose Contreras regaining his confidence to attack hitters. I can go more in depth on the White Sox but for now I will leave it as is. And anyone that counts the Twins out are morons. The Twins are the most fundamentally sound playing team in the bigs, and have to great players in Morneau and Mauer. They may be .500 right now, but I expect them to be right in the thick of it at the end of the season, especially with that dome that they are in their last year of having. The Metrodome is a nightmare for teams that are not the Twins. Plus the Royals were a surprise team to start, and have Zack Greinke, a candidate for Cy Young honors, so they are a team that will give others some fits.
The AL East is currently a Red Sox-Yankees division, to which right now I am surprised I haven't heard any huge coverage like it was back in like 2003 and 2004. It is a close race between the two, with the Yankees coming back from a horrible start themselves, to closing the gap to two games so far. I believe A-Rod coming back helped out a little bit, and the pitching has been better than earlier in the season. But, lest we forget the Rays from Tampa? I think not. They have a talented team, and the fans at home are pretty loud, those stupid fucking cow bells are annoying though. I went to a Rays vs. White Sox game back in April down there, so annoying, and there was almost a physical altercation between a few fans of each team, it was hilarious. But their staff is pretty solid, and definitely have shot to make it a 3 team race. I also think that the Jays can give each team trouble, especially if they keep Doc Halladay, but I don't think they can win the division.
Yes I know I went more in depth on the AL side, but that is because I know more about the AL. So for now, I want your thoughts on the season so far, and you can also add your own visions on each race. After a little bit we can dabble into some of the stories that have come about so far this season. Also I hope to keep this thread going for the rest of the season.