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CONTENDERS |
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Beachwood Terriers (Bob Vargo)
Really nice team. Mark Prior's health
will be important for their pitching staff but that lineup is awesome:
Teixeira, Blalock, Tejada, Beltran and Wright will carry this franchise to
the playoffs. |
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Boston Stranglers (Ray Breault)
Not such a sure thing as the Terriers
but the potential is incredible. We know Piazza, Helton, Nomar, Dunn
and Manny will deliver, but breakout seasons from Bonderman, Beckett and
Wilkerson could take them to the World Series. |
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JURY STILL OUT |
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Buenos Aires Mad Turtles (Jorge
Punturere)
Their pitching staff doesn't look so
great as last season, mainly due to health concerns related to Kerry Wood
and Curt Schilling. They went for speed in the draft and we'll have to
wait and see how that turns out. |
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Chesapeake Tree Frogs (Kevin
Smith)
Thome and A-Rod are terrific hitters,
after them... well... nothing to write home about. Renteria, Javy and Huff
are pretty good. A healthy Magglio would help. Rivera will be fine despite
his terrible first week. |
 |
Harrisonburg Savage Fury (Mark
Hines)
Nice balance. Some power in Sexson,
Kent and Aramis, speed in Ichiro, and good proven pitchers like Mussina,
Oswalt and Halladay. Hines seems to like experienced guys he can rely on. |
 |
Jersey Black Sox (Jesse
Jastremski)
They definitely look like a playoff
team with a lineup that includes Posada, Delgado, Soriano, Chavez and
Sheffield. However, I don't see them winning the title. That pitching
staff needs more than Oliver Perez. |
 |
Mishawaka Maniacs (Dan Spalding)
Can they stay in the race until Bonds
comes back? That will be the key. Pujols, Edmonds, Pudge and Schmidt will
need some help from Harden and Kazmir. That's too much pressure for these
two kids but they might surprise us. |
 |
Toronto Delivery Boys (Rafael
Oliveira)
Maybe they are "pretenders" but I
love this outfield: Matsui, Lee, Berkman, Pierre and Kearns. Their
strategy of drafting plenty of relievers might work out and they end up
making the playoffs... you never know. |
|
PRETENDERS |
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Belfast Cubs (Tom Reilly)
Oh Boy! Here we go again... Who's the
star here? Jeter? Peavy? This franchise is in trouble. They can't afford
another season like 2004. I don't think they'll win more than two games. |
 |
Kitchener Howlers (Robert
Matthies)
I know, I know... I should never
underestimate the heart of a champion. Rolen and Abreu are terrific and K-Rod
should be very good. But, right now, they don't look like a championship
team. |
 |
Saint Louis Drunken Monkeys
(David Pursley)
Nice pitching staff but not dominant.
And where's the offense? McPherson is a good franchise player for the
future but maybe they needed somebody who can help them avoid mediocrity
this season. |
 |
Trenton Walkers (Darik Buchar)
This is a young team, maybe too young.
Papi, Cabrera and Crawford will produce some wins but it won't be enough
to make the postseason. It would help if Junior could stay healthy for
more than two weeks. |
