Blaine Train Previews 2010 MLB Season

By Blaine Fentress

It has been a week since I returned from Las Vegas and I am already wanting to go back. If there is someone out there willing to give me a few thousand dollars to blow in the casinos, please let me know.
 
Welcome to the Train Stop, I’m Blaine Train. First off, who out there would have predicted this Final Four. The story of Butler being here is just unreal. I have been a “kinda” fan of this team since A.J. Graves graduated from White River Valley and moved on to become a guard for four years with the Bulldogs. He was one of the first players I had to cover.
 
Predictions? I have to go with Duke over WVU and Butler over Michigan St. That leads to my Championship Game prediction: Butler makes it a close game, then Duke pulls away at the end. Blue Devils to win the Championship.
 
Now, I was going to write out a very long 2010 MLB Preview. But, after trying to get through Oakland in the A.L. West, I came to realize how BORING that was. Baseball previews are everywhere on the web, complete with predictions that either are off the mark or state the obvious. But, the Train Stop, we are all about being fun.
Keeping things short when you have a lot to get through is one of those “fun” things. Also, intermixing song lyrics from a certain band is another. Together, you have:

The Blaine Train 2010 MLB Shake Me Like A Monkey Predictions

American “Baby” League
 
East:
 
1. NY Yankees: They will “eat, drink, and be merry” as they will win the division with C.C. and A.J. anchoring the rotation while A-Rod and Teixeira will lead the team with their bats.
 
2. Boston: Red Sox will be trying to make “the space between” them and New York most of the season. Good pitching but, you have to wonder where the runs are coming from with Ortiz on the backside of his career.
 
3. Tampa Bay: The Rays will “take these chances” because if they don’t get off to a good start right away, they will be trading some of these guys like Crawford before the season is done. And, that might end the Rays for good.
 
4. Baltimore: “Could I have been, anyone but me” No Baltimore, you are who you are because you have a great 1-4 in your lineup, but nothing after that. Roberts, Jones, Markakis, and Tejada are the only people that give this team hope.
 
5. Toronto: “There’s an emptiness inside her” because Roy is gone and their ace, Marcum, is someone who hadn’t pitched in a game in a while. They are in a tough division with three teams that have more talent, this will be hard for the Blue Jays.

Central:
 
1. Minnesota: Hey, “what would you say” if I was to tell you they resigned Joe Mauer to a huge contract to keep him in Minnesota, have the best cleanup hitter in the league with Morneau, and be playing their home games in a new open-air stadium this year? I say they will be the best team in the division.
 
2. Chi White Sox: The will be “climbing two by two” to second place because with Jake Peavy and Mark Buehrle leading the rotation, they will stay close with the Twins all season long.
 
3. Detroit: They “did it, guilty as charged” by giving up the division league last year. Not to mention, so long Granderson and how old is Maggs anyway? Tigers will have to hope that their aging parts will still be able to get it done. Wait, Johnny Damon plays for who this year? You got to be kidding me.
 
4. Kansas City: Zack Greinke is a “smooth rider” to be able to dominate for a team that has nothing else going on. Really wish they were able to build an offense around him but, he has to hold teams to very little to pick up wins.
 
5. Cleveland: “Everyday” this team will continue to rebuild and figure out what is going on. Could end up being a surprise in the division if everything goes right for them “everyday”

West:
 
1. LA Angels: I have them winning the division, “it’s crazy, I’m thinking” but they still have good bats with Tori Hunter and Kendry Morales, along with Jared Weaver and Ervin Santana. Did I mention they have one of the better closers in the American League with Brian Fuentes? They always win.
 
2. Texas: “Tomorrow, the road leads the way” to the Rangers closing the gap between them and the Angels. Josh Hamilton has turned around his career and might be a candidate for AL MVP in the near future. Vlad is now with them and I wonder how much he has left in the tank.
 
3. Seattle: Milton Bradley will “drive me crazy. Crazy is all right” when you also pick up Cliff Lee. Ichiro will still get his hits but, they will need Bradley getting past being crazy in order to keep this team above .500. Sorry Cliff Lee, you left Cleveland last year and now end up at a team at the same level the following year. Sorry.
 
4. Oakland: This team is just “wasting time, let the hours roll by” by still letting Billy B. making moves that save money but do little else. They did pick up Ben Sheets and have some good young talent but, they still play in a bad stadium and the three other division teams are ahead of them on talent.

 
                                                               National League
 
East
 
1. Philadelphia: “So much to say” about the talent of the Phillies. Great talent at the plate (Ryan Howard), good speed (Jimmy Rollins), good pitching (Cole Hammels, Joe Blanton). Oh, did I mention that they went out and got the “Groogrux King” of the pitchers the past couple of seasons (Roy Halladay) They will be the cream of the crop in the league again this season.
 
2. Atlanta: The Braves are a “ticking time bomb, waiting to blow my top”. Sure, they don’t have as much talent as the Phillies, Chipper Jones’s career is starting to come to a close, and Bobby Cox will be here for one more season. But, they have some good young talent including Brian McCann, Nate McClouth, and Jason Heyward. Not to mention I think there is still something the in the tank for Derek Lowe and Billy Wagner.
 
3. Florida: Marlins hope that their “finest hour arrives”. Best shortstop in the game in Hanley Ramirez. Next big time, Roy Halladay-like pitcher in Josh Johnson. Finally the owner is spending the money on the team and not worrying about blowing them up. They still need to get a better stadium. Expect them to be a dark-horse in the Wildcard race this year.
 
4. NY Mets: “Start spreading the news” they are bad. (I know he never sang that song, just seems right for this team.) How Omar still has a job is just a joke. They are going to underachieve again this season and Jason Bay will wonder if he can get his job back with Boston.
 
5. Washington: They “rip away the tears, drink a hope to happy years.” Those happy years will be when Stephen Strasburg becomes the ace of the rotation, which is about two to three years away. Until then, they will lean upon Ryan Zimmerman and hope that they can get a few breaks and not finish in last place in the division.

 
Central
 
1. St. Louis: You would be a “fool to think” that this team wouldn’t be favored to win this division again. Along with Albert, they resigned Matt Holliday and they are hoping that Ryan Ludwick continues to improve from last season. Pitching wise, all I have to say is Wainwright and Carpenter. And, Ryan Franklin is a solid closer.
 
2. Chicago Cubs: To help break the curse, Cubs fans will “see the black cat changing colors, and we can walk under ladders.” This one is tough to comment on because of my boss. So, I will leave it with this: Good News, Bad News. Good news: You got rid of Milton Bradley. There aren’t any injury concerns yet this year. Ryan Dempster can be a solid #2 behind Carlos Z. Bad news: Soriano might be on the downswing of his career. Marlon Byrd might not be an upgrade from Bradley when it comes to performance. And, St. Louis always seem to have your number. Please don’t fire me, Lance.
 
3. Cincinnati: “I did it,” I put the Reds ahead of the Brewers. Why did I do this? Because they have the talent to be good, it just depends on when it will be. Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and the addition of Scott Rolen can provide decent hits throughout the season. Plus, the rotation can be solid with the addition of Chapman at some point down the road. Harang, Arroyo, Cueto are good pitchers. As long as everyone stays healthy.
 
4. Milwaukee: “Bartender, please fill my glass for me” because the Brewers might be heading a bit downward this season. Prince Fielder is still a top first baseman north of Albert. And, Ryan Braun will be the best bat on this team. But, I look at the rotation and there is nothing about it that scares me. Gallardo will be good but, is that Randy Wolf as the #2? Wasn’t he a journeyman pitcher just a couple of years ago that floated around .500?
 
5. Houston: Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt might be near the end of their careers. They have some good young talent in Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn, along with their new ace in a season or two with Wandy Rodriguez. But, I fear they will do little to improve on the record from last year and they are already starting the season with Berkman on the DL. I hate injuries.
 
6. Pittsburgh: “Gravedigger, would you dig my grave” for the Pirates. Beautiful stadium, bad team…just a sad mix. And, at this point, they have become nothing more but a team that will develop good talent and, when it comes time, that good talent will leave for better paychecks and more success elsewhere. It is really sad but, what else can be said about this team. Maybe they finish past the Astros this year…yeah right.

West
 
1. Colorado: “Rocky mountain high” as this team continue to soar to the top of the division. (Again, I know he didn’t sing this song, but wouldn’t have been funny if Dave sang some John Denver?) Outside of Huston Street starting the season on the DL, they have all their pieces returning. But, if they get off to a bad start like they did last season, then the Dodgers will be ahead of them again. Todd Helton is the main bat on this team and will need to be able to get it done on a regular basis.
 
2. LA Dodgers: They will “pay for what they get,” And, that sentence is meant for the crazy man known as Manny. He doesn’t want to play for them this year because they don’t want to pay him what he is asking. This means he will be “wacky Manny” again like he was before he left Boston. But, good news for the Dodgers is that they don’t need him. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are going to pick up the slack. Bigger question: Is this it for Joe Torre and if it is, is it time for Donny Baseball to take over? Time will tell.
 
3. San Francisco: “Am I right side up or upside down” for having the Giants behind the Dodgers. Especially since they have Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, along with Pablo Sandoval. This will be a close race because there is a good chance that the better of the two teams will be the Wildcard this season. Injuries will be the key here as they have to stay healthy. And, Freddy Sanchez is already off to a bad start. Also, tell Barry Zito to stop being crazy.
 
4. Arizona: They didn’t get off to the best start last year when they lost Brandon Webb for the year. Made a couple of moves and landed Edwin Jackson into the rotation. Justin Upton and Stephen Drew will need to be hitting from the start and Webb needs to come back and be his dominate self. If Ian Kennedy and Jackson are good additions and the injury bug stays away from the team, this will be “one sweet world” for them.
 
5. San Diego: They will be trading Adrian Gonzalez at some point this season but, this is a rebuilding year for them. Chase Headley will need to hold things together but, this will be a tough task. Picking up Jon Garland was a nice move. But, this might be a rebuilding year and they will be rebuilding “everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday.” Not one of Lance’s favorite songs.

So, there it is. Hope you had fun reading it as I did typing it. And, hopefully I did the songs justice. Good luck to all the teams and to everybody who still cheers on their teams as much as they did when they were a kid. Baseball can be a fun game to follow, when you get past some of the negative stuff out there. And, hopefully, one of the smaller dogs in the fight will be able to surprise everyone and get into the World Series.
 
Until then, the train rolls on…

Comments

[Josh Peacher]

While I would agree that the Orioles will finish 4th, to say that the Orioles have nothing after 1-4 is just a stupid statement. Matt Weiters who hit the crap out of the ball the last month of the season? Nolan Reimold who played great as a Rookie before getting injured? Luke Scott who is hot and cold but when he's hot, he hits EVERYTHING? Hell, even Felix Pie seemed to find his stroke at the end of last season. The Orioles will not fail because of hitting. They will score runs. It is their pitching that is the big question mark. The only thing the O's lack on the offensive side of the ball is a BIG bat. They don't have a player who can hit the ball out of the ball park and score 3 runs versus the the only 1 or 2 that a double would score.