Baseball Over/unders and predictions

I still have four days in Vegas that I have not blogged about. I need some motivation to finish it off. The great thing is since I can change the date and time of the post I can make it look like I did a month ago.

Speaking of Vegas, they have released their Over/Unders for baseball. And with my Rangers spitting the damn bit as always, I believe it is time to shift into that baseball mindset. The green grass, the blue sky, the peanuts and Cracker Jack, the dread of that first opposing baserunner.

So with two of my three least favorite teams starting the season tomorrow, I will predict the over under on the number of wins each team will amass over the 2009 season. Being blessed with a tremendous sense of clarity of vision, here's how it will go down.

Arizona- 86.5
Over
Atlanta- 83.5
Over
Baltimore- 73.5
Under
Boston- 94.5
Over
Chicago Cubs- 91.5
Over
Chicago White Sox- 79.5
Over
Cincinnati- 80.5
Over
Cleveland- 85.5
Over
Colorado- 77.5
Under
Detroit- 82.5
Under
Florida- 76.5
Over
Houston- 74.5
Under
Kansas City- 75.5
Over
LA Angels- 89.5
Under
LA Dodgers- 82.5
Over
Milwaukee- 80.5
Over
Minnesota- 83.5
Over
NY Mets- 88.5
Under (No joke)
NY Yankees- 97.5
Under
Oakland- 81.5
Over
Philadelphia- 87.5
Over
Pittsburgh- 69.5
Under
San Diego- 71.5
Under
San Francisco- 80.5
Under
Seattle- 72.5
Over
St. Louis- 82.5
Over
Tampa Bay- 87.5
Under
Texas- 73.5
Over
Toronto- 80.5
Under
Washington- 71.5
Under

Now for the playoffs. Let's start in the AL. I love the additions the Yankees have made with CC, AJ, Teixeira, and even the lesser heralded players like Nick Swisher. For the first time in several years, I predict the Bronx Bombers will win the AL East again with the Red Sox taking the wild card. Beckett, Daisuke, and Lester is the best 1-2-3 rotation is baseball. For the Central, a lot of people seem to be taking the Twins. I like them, but there is something about the Indians. I believe the White Sox don't have enough starting pitching (I am not sold on Gavin Floyd) and the Tigers are a mess. I'll take the Indians to emerge in a dogfight. For the West, it's hard to go against the Angels. They have lost a lot this offseason in K-Rod and the team's core is aging. But I still like them just ahead of Oakland, simply because the A's, like the Sox, do not have pitching.

In the NL West, the Dodgers have the best lineup with Manny, Ethier, Loney, Kemp, Furcal, Hudson, and Martin, but the Diamondbacks seem more balanced. They have a good young lineup, but they have better pitching and a better bullpen in my opinion. And don't forget last year, Arizona had the best record in baseball through 50 or so games. I will take Arizona to win the division this year. I hate to say it but the Bubbles of Chicago will come out of the Central. Although Kevin Gregg will turn into the new Latroy Hawkins before long. And then there's the East. I don't think the Mets are deep enough. In short, I love the bullpen. But the lineup is not deep enough. 7, 8, and 9 are automatic outs. And the starting rotation is a huge question past Johan Santana. John Maine and Oliver Perez may make or break this season. Philadelphia is deeper and tougher. I want that to change in the worst way, but now I need to see it change. I give the Mets no pre-season plaudits until they earn them. Philly wins it and I will give the Dodgers the wild card. Maybe if I don't pick the Mets to make the playoffs, they will actually do it!

I pick a LA-Yankee World Series with the Bronx Bombers bringing back the title to New York.