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last month they were 15 games below .500 now they are 2. last month they were in dead last place now they are in second. didn't they do something similar last year?
my prediction... houston stays hot, atlanta wins their division, nationals lose a few here and there, and houston gets in just barely edging washingtion out for the wild card.
I can't see the Nationals maintaining their pace after the All-Star break. I just can't. Streaks are a dime-a-dozen in baseball, so naturally what goes up must come down.
The Braves seem a little lost, what with the Bad News Bears in their outfield (how many rookies do they have on the field now?), but I still think they can claim the division because the Nats will fold by August and the Mets are nothin' special right now.
I had hopes that the Dodgers might make a play for the West, but they're collapsing under their own expectations from the first of the season. I think it's gonna come down to the Padres vs. the Giants, which could go San Fran's way with a "steroid-free" Bonds back in the game.
I'm willing to spot you the Astros making a play for Central, but never forget the Cardinals. I may not buy into the notion of Tony LaRussa as "uber-manager" (I'm sorry, how many rings does he have?), but the Cards still have the odds in their favor. The Cubs might make a threat, but I'd expect them to get closer to the wild card than the division lead.
God, I love talking baseball...
no way in hell the cardinals are going to not win the division, but guess what, they'll lose in the playoffs :)
my beloved cubbies, fuck them. they're doomed. they worried so much about steve stone an sammy sosa leaving that they did nothing to improve their team. The only great thing about the cubs right now is Derrik Lee. I hope baltimore and slumpin slammin sammy make it to the playoffs just so we can have another curse to blame :)
I hate the white sox more than any other team and wish they'd lose like 40 in a row.
i was surprised about the dodgers playing poorly, i thought they would have had a great shot this season.
anyhoo, need to find a name of a polish movie i saw last week but having no luck. best get back to looking.
The Cubs were a surprise with Derek Lee, but as always the curse of the Billy-Goat has struck and he is injured, the Cubs are flopping around and Kerry Wood looks like he forgot everything he ever knew about pitching. They're doomed, and the Sosa trade could very well be their "Babe Ruth" jumping-the-shark moment.
I'm more interested in the decline and fall of the Yankee empire. (trust me, they will still be contenders, but their championship days are long behind them) The world has passed Steinbrenner by, and I feel bad for Torre and the still-remaining championship Yanks having to put up with a rolling door of different teammates.
It could happen that way Kamar, but I still think the wild card will come out of the NL East; hell, the last place team has a .500 record today.
That's probably one reason Tristan's been mostly absent; the collapse of the boys in Blue, after their great start.
The Mets keep tantalizing me with flashes of brilliance and then periods of ineptitude. Can't recall any other team that quickly goes down batting 1-2-3, and on the fewest pitches, than the Mets this year, and the defense sometimes lets 'em down, but Glavine seems to be coming around now(just in time for a trade to the junior Yankee-wannabe organization, which'd the Red Sox BTW).
[darkgreen]Green[/darkgreen] wrote: The Mets keep tantalizing me with flashes of brilliance and then periods of ineptitude. Can't recall any other team that quickly goes down batting 1-2-3, and on the fewest pitches, than the Mets this year, and the defense sometimes lets 'em down, but Glavine seems to be coming around now(just in time for a trade to the junior Yankee-wannabe organization, which'd the Red Sox BTW).
The Mets are one of those teams that you always want to see do better than they tend to. I think if they could pull off a high-placed standing in their division, it could well point to better things in the future. I doubt they'll go to the Series this year 
In the NL I like to see the Cubbies vanish the billy goat curse once-and-for all and if Prior and Wood can get back on track, they could make a run. Cards should win the division again, there's too much firepower in the offense but their pitching will hurt them in the postseason. Clemens has been simply amazing, but in order for them to contend they probaly need someone like Carlos Beltran and what he did last year for them.
prior has been getting on track. i think he is 5-2 with a low era. wood, well i really don't know what to say about him. i'd love to see him turn into the all star pitcher he should be, but i doubt he'll win 13 games this year.
they sent cory patterson to triple A. that is going to send a message to the rest of the team i hope. but in all honesty, I'm a cubs fan for life but i'm not stupid. They'll be lucky to finish 500 because they have no lead off hitter, no left fielder, no shortstop, no center fielder, inconsistent starting pitching with no 5th starter, and a mediocre bullpen, swing at first pitches way too much, stike out way too much, have no speed, and average players @ 2nd, RF, & catcher :(
Taboo # 7 wrote:
[darkgreen]Green[/darkgreen] wrote: The Mets keep tantalizing me with flashes of brilliance and then periods of ineptitude. Can't recall any other team that quickly goes down batting 1-2-3, and on the fewest pitches, than the Mets this year, and the defense sometimes lets 'em down, but Glavine seems to be coming around now(just in time for a trade to the junior Yankee-wannabe organization, which'd the Red Sox BTW).
The Mets are one of those teams that you always want to see do better than they tend to. I think if they could pull off a high-placed standing in their division, it could well point to better things in the future. I doubt they'll go to the Series this year
Especially if they keep giving games away like they did last night. 
Trevor, ever checked out Gerard Cosloy's (guy from Homestead and Matador Records) blog, Can't Stop The Bleeding? Primarily a sports blog, he's also a Mets fan, but that's not why it's one of my fave places, it's funny, ornery, and almost always right on the money. Here's his take from last night's debacle......
Speaking of the Mets, I understand there's a new movie coming out about the 1986 team. It's called "The Devil's Rejects" and is directed by Rob Zombie. For some reason, Dwight Gooden and Keith Hernandez roam the countryside looking for innocent victims that they can assault with season tickets to Shea 
In terms of baseball this year, what's with the controversy about Schilling going to the bullpen? I see it sort of a Smotlz-like move to help the team anyway he can. Hell, the man almost lost a foot pitching them into the Series last year, if he wants to do it then let him. I understand what Johnny Damon is saying, but Jesus-Man needs to calm down.
Oh, and the Yankees still suck :p
Any Cubs fans (or baseball fans in general) catch this piece from ESPN.com about the search for Steve Bartman, the man who interefered with their march toward the World Series, and then practically disappeared? It's not like the Cubs didn't blow plenty of chances after that play, what with the lousy fielding 'n all, but hey, those are the breaks I guess. Same with the Red Sox fans and Bill Buckner, the Red Sox were ahead in game seven and let that one slip away, but Billy gets all of the blame it seems.
Poor guy, I heard he had to quit his job and move to another state soon after that debacle. Bartman was just at the wrong place at the wrong time when it happened, anyone would have lunged at the ball, it's a split second reaction.
If the Red Sox can get rid of the curse, the Cubbies can surely do so but I'm not sure about this year. Dusty Baker will need someone besides derek lee in the lineup who they can lean on, maybe Nomar if his groin heals and when healthy they have one of the best 1-2 starting pitchers in Prior and Wood. I'm not a Cubs fans but the underdog-tag applies here and I have a soft spot for them. The "loveable losers" as they are so referred to.
Rid the curse!
The Expos... er, Nationals (rip off), have always had a good record at the all star game to vanish after the second half due to injuries and lack of good replacement players.
I don't follow baseball anymore, but it actually pisses me a lot that they are in first place with the worst manager of the history of baseball!!! How good would be that team if Felipe Alou was still around...
Streaking in June, Sliding in September, Gone By October: that's the way it usually runs, with teams streaking this early. I suppose the Nats could pull off a division title, but it's too soon to tell.
Aren't the Padres leading in the West? That may be the best story in baseball that's not being reported, especially if they carry the division and square off against the Cards or Braves for a Series appearance 
