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Conference hbahba::cam_sports

Title:Sports 93-96 Archive. No new notes allowed
Notice:Chainsaw's last standSPORTS_97
Moderator:HBAHBA::HAAS
Created:Mon Jan 11 1993
Last Modified:Tue Apr 15 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:302
Total number of notes:117855

301.0. "1997 Major League Baseball Predictions" by WMOIS::CHAPALONIS_M (NEW YORK YANKEES WORLD CHAMPS) Sat Mar 29 1997 09:53

    
    
    
    
       Enter your 1997 Baseball Predictions here!!!!
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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301.1MY PicksWMOIS::CHAPALONIS_MNEW YORK YANKEES WORLD CHAMPSSat Mar 29 1997 10:1467
    
    
    AL EAST
    =====================
    
    1. New York   From top to bottom best pitching staff in the majors???
    2. Toronto    Clemens and Hentgen both win 20
    3. Baltimore  Myers too inconsistent.
    4. Boston     Pitching Stinks, Mo hits 45 Dingers
    5. Detroit    Pitching Stinks, Hunter  45 SB's
    
    AL Central
    ========================
    
    1. Cleveland  Just edges out Chicago, Shuey turns into a dominate closer
    2. Chicago    Belle or Thomas breaks Maris's record
    3. Milwaukee  Young OF keeps them in the hunt
    4. Kansas City Not much to be proud of Appier than???????????????
    5. Minnesota  Radke and Knoblauch only 2 bright spots
    
    AL WEST
    =============================
    
    1. Texas  Too much Pitching and Defense!!
    2. Seattle RJ spends lots of time on the DL
    3. Oakland Bash Brothers part DUex!!!
    4. Anaheim Still a year away...
    
    NL East
    ========================
    1 Florida   Wow this team is loaded!!!
    2 Atlanta   Trades hurt them in the short term
    3 NY Mets   Some of the Young Pitchers actually pitch well
    4 Montreal  Too young
    5 Philly    PeeeeeeeeeUUUUUUUUU
    
    NL Central
    ===================
    
    1. Houston  Bagwell Biggio and Luis Gonzales.....
    2. Chicago  Rojas All World
    3. Cincinatti Lots of Q's?????
    4. St Louis Fall back some Benes'sss have a rough year.
    5. Pittsburgh  Send them to Hartford
    
    NL WEST
    =============================
    
    1. Colorado  Lots of POP. Galaragga (sp) makes a run at Maris too.
    2. LA        Pitching Pitching Pitching
    3. SD        Irabu comes back and.........
    4. SF        If ever there was a one man show!!!
    
    AL WC  Chicago
    NL WC  Atlanta
    
    AL Champ  Da Yanks
    NL Champ  Da Marlins
    
    WS Champ  YANKEES REPEAT!!!!
    
     AL MVP  Albert Belle
     NL MVP  Andres Galarraga
     AL ROY  Todd Walker
     NL ROY  Tony Womack
     AL CY   Roger Clemens
     NL CY   Ramon Martinez
301.2SALEM::LEVESQUE_TOh, yeah! The boy can PLAY!Sat Mar 29 1997 20:0414
    Clemens winning 20 and the CY?  Nah.  I enough people believed that, he
    would still be with Boston.  I'll give him credit for pitching the
    whole year and not landing on the DL.  Could he win 15 or 16?  Maybe.
    But no way is he in the hunt for the CY award.  
    
    Yankees repeat?  I think the Blue Jays were the last to repeat, which
    actually wasn't so long ago.  But I think the odds are too long to
    repeat.  I'm not sure they'll even get to the series.  
    
    I think there is still a trade or two coming that could change the
    balance of power.  Chicago and Cleveland could be very close this year.
    Texas, after a taste of the playoffs could be the dark horse.  
    
    	Ted
301.3CSC32::MACGREGORColorado: the TRUE mid-westSat Mar 29 1997 20:5819
    
    >Clemens winning 20 and the CY?  Nah.  I enough people believed that,
    >he would still be with Boston.  I'll give him credit for pitching the
    >whole year and not landing on the DL.  Could he win 15 or 16?  Maybe.
    >But no way is he in the hunt for the CY award.
    
    Why not?  Clemens had a better ERA than Pettite last year and Fenway is
    much more a hitters park than Yankee Stadium.  So Pettite wins 21 games
    and Clemens only 10.  Guess that makes Pettite more than twice as
    valuable than Clemens for a given season.
    
    I'll bet that Clemens ends the season something like 18-8 with a 3.80
    ERA and 4 complete games (unless the manager decides to pull him in
    favor of Timlin in a good game anyways).
    
    Put Clemens in last years Yankee rotation and he wins 20 games easily.
    
    Marc
    
301.4ROCK::HUBERFrom Seneca to Cuyahoga FallsMon Mar 31 1997 09:5365
    AL EAST
    =====================
    
    1. Baltimore
    2. Boston
    3. Toronto
    4. New York
    5. Detroit
    
    AL Central
    ========================
    
    1. Cleveland
    2. Chicago
    3. Minnesota
    4. Kansas City
    5. Milwaukee
    
    AL WEST
    =============================
    
    1. Seattle
    2. Oakland
    3. Texas
    4. Anaheim
    
    NL East
    ========================
    1 Atlanta
    2 Montreal
    3 Florida
    4 NY Mets
    5 Philly
    
    NL Central
    ===================
    
    1. Cincinatti
    2. St Louis
    3. Chicago
    4. Pittsburgh
    5. Houston
    
    NL WEST
    =============================
    
    1. SD
    2. Colorado
    3. LA
    4. SF
    
    AL WC  Oakland
    NL WC  St Louis
    
    AL Champ  Indians
    NL Champ  Braves
    
    WS Champ  Indians
    
     AL MVP  Alex Rodriguez
     NL MVP  Barry Bonds
     AL ROY  Todd Walker
     NL ROY  Scott Rolen
     AL CY   Charles Nagy
     NL CY   Greg Maddux
301.5Anaheim, Cinci, SandiegoMKOTS3::BREENFrom Thurs to SundayMon Mar 31 1997 10:0122
    East
    
    	Baltimore has an edge.  Yankees are going backwards. 
    			        Boston,Toronto have potential but questions.
    
    Central
    	Chicago, Cleveland. Of other three one may surprise.
    
    West.
    	Anaheim in a surprise.   Oakland has potential.  Seattle SOS.
    
    -------
    
    East
    	Atlanta saved pennant.  Florida way overrated as is Sheffield.
    
    Central.
    	Cincinatti back to its old ways.
    
    West.	
    	I liked SanDiego until they axed Reed.  Why mess around with a good
    team.   SanFran ultimate darkhorse.
301.6Greenwell will flop in Japan.CAM::WAYand keep me steadfastMon Mar 31 1997 10:119
If it weren't for Detriot, Dan Duquette's Fanstay Baseball Team (run by the
stats geek from Noo Yawk) would finish dead last.

Leyland's Marlins look hot.

Yanks won't repeat......


'Saw
301.7ROCK::GRONOWSKIThe *PACK* is backMon Mar 31 1997 10:224
    
    Cleveland will smoke Chicago, bank on it.  Chicago's pitching is poor
    and Ventura's loss is going to kill them.
    
301.8MKOTS3::BREENFrom Thurs to SundayMon Mar 31 1997 10:5615
    .  <<< Note 301.6 by CAM::WAY "and keep me steadfast" >>>
    .                       -< Greenwell will flop in Japan. >-
    
    Chainsaw,
    	You're a little late.  The Greenwell Japan experiment died with
    some uniquely Greenwellian injury and he's out for the season if not
    forever.
    
    billte
    
    You're right about the Yanks though.  They were built by Bucky and
    Torre is a good bench manager but The Idiot will ruin them and they
    won't be repeating anything this year except the 80s misery for their
    fans.
    
301.9CLUSTA::MAIEWSKIBraves, 1914 1957 1995 WS ChampsMon Mar 31 1997 11:0469
    AL EAST
    =====================
    
    1. New York      They've got the horses
    2. Toronto       They've got the pitchers
    3. Baltimore     Roberto Alomar sets record: Most times mugged by fans
    4. Boston        Rebuilding
    5. Detroit       Retooling
    
    AL Central
    ========================
    
    1. Chicago       Big Hurt hits #62 then talks Belle down from tower
    2. Cleveland     McDowell crumbles. "Nagy and Ogea, hope for a rain day"
    3. Minnesota     Todd Walker, best up and coming player at 3rd
    4. Milwaukee     Jeff Cirillo, another best up and coming player at 3rd
    5. Kansas City   New wave of Dey in the wool fans
    
    AL WEST
    =============================
    
    1. Seattle       Mr. Snappy is enough in a weak division
    2. Texas         Close second, far from the wild card
    3. Oakland       Young players, fun to watch
    4. Anaheim       M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E
    
    NL East
    ========================
    1 Atlanta        GO BRAVES!!!!
    2 Florida        Jim Leyland with talent. In Braves tail pipes all year
    3 Montreal       Yet more young players, fun to watch
    4 NY Mets        Pitchers top ER and Chicago Hope for hospital ratings
    5 Philly         What a mess!

    NL Central
    ===================
    
    1. St Louis      Tony La Russa wins weak division
    2. Cincinatti    Marge returns (somehow), finds new way to snap defeat ...
    3. Chicago       Gott'ah love'em.
    4. Pittsburgh    Still more young players much fun to watch
    5. Houston       "And this time if you don't show up we move to Alaska"
    
    NL WEST
    =============================
    
    1. San Diego     Rebuilding pays off
    2. Los Angles    Always overachieving
    3. Colorado      Runs, runs, runs
    4. San Francisco "At least we're not the Phillies"

    The Playoffs
    =============================
    AL WC  Toronto           Some of those pitchers have to win
    NL WC  Florida           Second best record in the league
    
    AL Champ  White Sox      Best hitting & enough pitching, get it done
    NL Champ  Braves         GO BRAVES!!!!!
    
    WS Champ  Braves         GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!
    
    The Awards
    =============================
    AL MVP  Frank Thomas     Big hurt has career year hitting ahead of Belle
    NL MVP  Gary Sheffield   Bonds can't get enough votes from cellar
    AL ROY  Todd Walker      A new star is born
    NL ROY  Andruw Jones     World Series MVP, "What do I do when I turn 20?"
    AL CY   Randy Johnson    Hit batters wins'em "Friends of Orthopedics" award
    NL CY   Kevin Brown      Writers tired of voting for Braves
301.10Chicago's pitching not THAT bad...SALEM::LEVESQUE_TOh, yeah! The boy can PLAY!Mon Mar 31 1997 15:3645
    Strengths: Power offense, starting pitching, closer.
    
                  Weaknesses: Middle relief, outfield defense.
    
                  Starting pitching: The rotation loses RHs Alex Fernandez
    and Kevin
                  Tapani, who combined for 4831/3 innings in '96, and
    replaces them with
                  RHs Jaime Navarro and Doug Drabek. Navarro, signed as a
    free agent, had
                  29 wins for the Chicago Cubs the last two seasons, one
    more than
                  Fernandez. Navarro's contract was $20 million, $16
    million cheaper than
                  Fernandez got from Florida. Drabek has started 30 games
    in eight of the last
                  nine seasons and allowed three runs or fewer in 18 of his
    30 starts. The
                  White Sox's best pitcher this spring is LH Wilson
    Alvarez, who has built
                  enough confidence in his changeup to throw it for strikes
    any time. Alvarez's
                  challenge is to keep from tiring at the end as he did
    last season when his
                  ERA jumped to 5.05 for August and 7.43 for September. The
    fifth starter
                  will be either RH Danny Darwin or LH Mike Bertotti.
    
    Bullpen: An inexperienced middle-relief staff cost the
    White Sox a playoff
                  spot in '96, but they have one of the best closers in the
    AL. RH Roberto
                  Hernandez, who throws close to 100 mph, had 38 saves and
    a 1.91 ERA
                  last season. Having LH Tony Castillo is a big help,
    though, because he's
                  durable and difficult for right-handed batters to hit
    (.241 average vs. Castillo
                  last season). The Sox were hoping RH Roger McDowell
    (shoulder surgery)
                  would be a setup pitcher, but he will not be ready,
    leaving the job to others
                  such as RHs Bill Simas, Matt Karchner, Jeff Darwin and
    Alan Levine  all
                  good pitchers but lacking setup experience.
301.11Some questions on Cleveland's staff...SALEM::LEVESQUE_TOh, yeah! The boy can PLAY!Mon Mar 31 1997 15:4339
    Strengths: Offense, defense, bullpen.
    
                  Weaknesses: Rotation could get too young and too old at
    the same time.
    
                  Starting pitching: The biggest key is for RH Jack
    McDowell to return after
                  an injury-filled 1996 season that he says was the worst
    of his career. Still,
                  McDowell pitched into the seventh inning in 20 of 30
    starts and turned in a
                  good showing this spring. The Indians were 56-30 in games
    started by RHs
                  Charles Nagy, Orel Hershiser and Chad Ogea. Nagy, the '96
    American
                  League All-Star starter, is the most consistent (29-7
    since July 1995) with a
                  split-finger pitch and curveball. Nagy's among the elite,
    but he doesn't get a
                  lot of recognition. AL batters pounded Hershiser at a
    .341 clip until June; he
                  put together a 3.09 ERA in his last 21 starts. Ogea shows
    promise. The fifth
                  starter is RH Albie Lopez, but the rotation also could
    see LH Brian
                  Anderson or RH Bartolo Colon, the Indians' best pitching
    prospect.
    
                  Bullpen: The Indians should have the AL's best bullpen if
    RH Jose Mesa
                  (85 saves last two seasons) gets his legal problems
    resolved. He'll spend the
                  first two weeks in court on sex and weapons charges. Mesa
    has an
                  incredible sinker and slider. He'll be set up by
    hard-throwing RHs Eric
                  Plunk, Mike Jackson and Paul Shuey. There's also LH Paul
    Assenmacher,
                  who leads relievers in this decade with 445 appearances.
301.12Some questions on rebels staff tooROCK::GRONOWSKIThe *PACK* is backMon Mar 31 1997 17:274
    
    Navvarro was never successful in the AL.  Drabek is over the hill.
    Alvarez is not a #1 starter.  Believe what you want, the starting
    pitching is not a strength.
301.13Red Sox will get swept in playoffsTNPUBS::NAZZAROUMass in 1998 - Final Four!Tue Apr 01 1997 16:3351
    AL East:
    
    1. Boston - Just when you think they suck, they surprise you.
    2. New Tork - Wetteland loss prevents repeat.
    3. Baltimore - Key helps, but they're still one good starter short.
    4. Toronto - Clemens ain't that good anymore.
    5. Detroit - Should be relegated to AAA.
    
    
    AL Central:
    
    1. Cleveland - Will win a lot of 12-9 games.
    2. Kansas City - The surprise team of baseball.
    3. Minnesota - They'll have a nice season.
    4. Chicago - Lost too much pitching, and Ventura.
    5. Milwaukee - Another anonymous season.
    
    
    AL West:
    
    1. Texas - In a dogfight.
    2. Seattle - COuld win if Randy Johnson is all the way back.
    3. Oakland - A fun team to watch, and dangerous.
    4. The best last place team in AL, by far.
    
    
    NL East:
    
    1. Atlanta - It won't be close.
    2. Florida - All the money in the world can only buy 2nd place.
    3. Montreal - Wish this team was in a town that would appreciate them.
    4. New York - Still two years away.
    5. Philadelphia - Still light years away.
    
    
    NL Central:
    1. Houston - Best of a weak division.
    2. Cincinnati - Deion Sanders will help.
    3. St. Louis - Dennis Eckersley finally runs out of gas.
    4. Chicago - Loss of Navarro decimates already weak pitching staff.
    5. Pittsburgh - Will not be a disgrace.
    
    
    NL West:
    
    1. San Diego - Best of a mediocre lot.
    2. Los Angeles - Lots of good pieces, but a bad fit.
    3. Colorado - The name of the game is pitching, guys.
    4. San Francisco - Better than last year, but not good enough.
    
    NAZZ