AL East Preview

New York Yankees – Hulk Hogan

Why Hogan? – This is an easy one. The Yankees are the most storied franchise in all of sports. They are the big bully spending money to win titles. If you are not a hardcore Yankees fan, odds are you despise them. Many think the Yankees suck the fun out of baseball at times with their financial purchases. Flip this around on Hogan and there are a lot of similarities. Hogan was loved by millions, but despised by millions. He always seemed to be there at the end of every Wrestlemania (Just watch Wrestlemanias 1-9, its sickening). Many thought Hogan had no business being the main-event because he really was not a very exciting wrestler. The Hulkster is a legend though, no denying that, and the Yankees are a legendary franchise, no denying that either. I think both get to a point though, where they are pretty fucking boring.

What I like – Obviously there is a lot of like about the 2010 defending champions. Jeter will still be Jeter at the top of the order. Mark Teixeira was a monster last year hitting in front of Alex Rodriguez, and A-Rod is always good for a great season. Robinson Cano is on the verge of being the premier second baseman in the majors, along with Utley and Ben Zobrist. Cano hit .320 with 25 HR last year. That is ridiculous. Especially when you consider they might have him hitting eighth. Jorge Posada continues to hit just under .300 which is good for any catcher not named Mauer. The question involves their offseason pickups of Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson, and the left field role of Brett Gardner. One thing can be counted on, Granderson and Gardner have speed and will steal some bases.
The Yankees pitching is also near the top in the majors. C.C. Sabathia continues to be a horse, Andy Pettite still got 14 quiet wins last year, A.J. Burnett has great stuff, and Javier Vasquez won 15 games for Atlanta last year. They also have the talent of either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlin in the bullpen along with the best closer in the game, the man who never ages…Richard Alpert of Lost Island…actually, Mariano Rivera.

Questions – Will the additions of Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson pay off or backfire? I like the Granderson addition. With Granderson in center and Gardner in left it will be hard to find a hole in the outfield. I have my doubts about Johnson. He is defiantly a different player than he was in his first go-round in New York, but I still doubt he hits better than .275. Who will be at the end of the rotation? Does it matter? The Yankees problems are great problems to have. Chamberlin or Hughes? Who cares?!? Either one will get you 10-15 wins. The question is if they stay healthy can they be caught in the AL East? My answer is no.

2009 Record – 103-59
2010 Record – 100-62

Boston Red Sox – Ultimate Warrior

Why the Warrior? – The Sox are the Warrior because, while it has changed a bit post-2004, the Red Sox still have this reputation as the David to the Yankees Goliath. People sometimes think of the Red Sox as the beloved good guys. Red Sox Nation! Sure they have the history of Fenway, and the breaking of the curse, and Buckner and all that, but they are really the Yankees 2.0. The Warrior was thought of as fucking awesome by all of us when we were kids. I had an Ultimate Warrior birthday cake for God’s sake. (Also, I am still considering being the warrior for Halloween 2010 but don’t tell anybody). But, and this is a big but, the Warrior was not a skilled wrestler. Other wrestlers did not really want to get in the ring with him for fear of being injured. Also, people in the business thought he was a douche. And after hearing Jim Helwig (The Warrior) interviews, yeah, he is a douche. His aura preceded him outside the business, but those in the business knew he was really a phony. Much like the Red Sox.

What I like – You know, I think I like the Red Sox lineup better than the Yankees lineup. Its strange to say that with J.D. Drew hitting fifth and David Ortiz hitting sixth, because I am not a fan of either. However, with Jacoby Ellsbury leading off, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and my main man Victor Martinez hitting cleanup, that is potent. Then the bottom three of the order are Adrian Beltre, who I think will have a big year, Mike Cameron and Marco Scutaro. Not only can these guys all hit, but most are phenomenal defensive players also. Victor Martinez hit .336 in 56 games with Boston last year and should continue to be a dangerous hitter for them.
The Boston pitching staff is also tremendous. Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and John Lackey are all potential all-stars, although I have strong doubts about Lackey. I am also a fan of Clay Buchholz, but I think because of the money they are wasting on Dice-K Matsuzaka, if Tim Wakefield throws well and Buchholz struggles at all that Wakefield will move into the rotation. Also, I hate to say it, but Jonathan Papplbon is a reliable closer. I think Papplebon and Lackey might be fast friends because of the douchiness that oozes out of both of them.

Questions – How will the older Red Sox hold up? This means David Ortiz, Mike Cameron and Scutaro. Keep in mind, Mike Lowell is still around in case Adrian Beltre doesn’t produce, which I think he will. Will Lackey and Dice-K be all-star caliber or will they be more reminiscent of the Dice-K of 2009? I think Lackey will be alright. I don’t think he will be a Cy Young candidate, but I think he could still win 13-16 games. Dice-K sucks.

2009 Record – 95-67
2010 Record – 98-64

Tampa Bay Rays – Edge

Why Edge? – the Rays are like Edge because they were hyped for a couple years as being that new, cool, up-and-comer with talent who could challenge the big boys, then they did in 2008 and it was awesome, but then injuries and other things sidelined them in 2009. Will they return in 2010 like the Rated-R Superstar to win the Royal Rumble (The AL East) and be a contender again? I think they should use Edge’s music when they take the field at the Trop. You think you know me…..On this day…I see clearly!

What I like – The Rays and D-Backs came into the League the same year, and although it took them a little longer, the Rays took a page from the D-Backs and learned how to foster young talent. The cream of that crop is third baseman Evan Longoria. I think Longoria is maybe two years away from being the best third baseman in baseball. This will happen when he either improves more than A-Rod, or A-Rod starts to see his post-steroid drop off and comes back to the pack to allow Longoria to overtake him. Long story short, I love Evan Longoria. I’m also a big fan of the always underrated Carl Crawford and his 50+ stolen bases. Ben Zobrist also emerged last year with his .297 average, 27 HR, 17 steals and ability to play every position. The downfall of the Rays lineup comes with B.J. Upton who is coming off of a sub-par year, Pat Burrell who is coming off a fucking terrible year, Gabe Kapler who is often confused with the Welcome Back Kotter guy, and catcher Kelly Shoppach who came over from Cleveland. I’ve seen Shoppach play a lot in the last few years, especially last year after the Indians traded Martinez, and I don’t think he is going to be any better than a .250 hitter with a lot of strikeouts.
The pitching staff should be better than last year headed up by James Shields, Matt Garza and exciting lefty David Price. I also love the Rafael Soriano pickup. I think he will fit in nicely with Mariano Rivera and Papplebon as an AL East premier closer.

Questions – Is the bottom of the order good enough to compete in the AL East. I think there is enough talent there, but Upton and Burrell need to produce. If they both play shitty like last year, they are done for. Is the pitching staff good enough to compete? I think the pitching is pretty good, although I have my doubts about Jeff Niemann equaling his success of last year.

2009 Record – 84-78
2010 Prediction – 92-70

Baltimore Orioles – Randy Orton

Why Orton? - The Orioles come from a rich recent history. Cal Ripken Jr. and Co. got a premier ballpark built at Camden Yards, and were a fixture in the playoffs for a few years until the whole Jeter home run grabbed by that fan Jeffrey something-or-other. They had their push, but then sort of dropped from the spot light for a while, but this young outfield could have them back in the spotlight soon. Orton is much like that. Came from a rich family history, had a push, then fell out of main-event status for a while, while doing his Legacy thing. Now, it appears the Viper is back to stardom and he even has the fans behind him.

What I like – Believe it or not, the Orioles really have one of the best outfields in the majors and they are young to boot. Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Nolan Reimold could solidify themselves as a premier outfield this year and get the O’s some much needed publicity and wins. Also in that O’s lineup is catcher of the future Matt Wieters. Wieters hit .288 last year in 96 games and I wouldn’t expect anything less from him this year. They need Garrett Atkins to step up his .226 average he brought over from Colorado, otherwise that move will backfire. It will also be interesting to see how veterans Miguel Tejada and Brian Roberts play together again. I am also a fan of the Kevin Milwood pick up. He had 13 wins last year, and probably pitched well enough to have more.

Questions – Will the young outfield and veteran infield produce enough runs to win with a questionable pitching staff? This will be the question asked all season of the O’s. After Millwood comes Jeremy Guthrie who had a 5.04 ERA and a 10-17 record last year. Is the bullpen going to be any good? I don’t like the pen much. Mike Gonzalez is slated to be the closer, but he came over from Atlanta where he was stuck behind Rafael Soriano, so full-time closing will be somewhat new to him.

2009 Record – 64-98
2010 Record – 69-93

Toronto Blue Jays – Owen Hart

Why Owen? –

They are the little brothers in the AL East to mega powers New York and Boston. They are in the little brother country, Canada, home of Owen Hart. Even when they won the back to back titles in the 90's they still seemed underappreciated, much like Owen. And now they are pretty much irrelevant, much like Owen. For the record, I love Owen Hart and think he needs to be in the WWE Hall of Fame, like right now.

What I like – Not a lot. Adam Lind is a really good hitter, but after that I’m not crazy about anybody in the lineup, that includes Vernon Wells. I would like to see third baseman Brett Wallace called up to see what he can do. I have his bobblehead so I’m hoping he gets some publicity so the value goes up. Seriously. The young arms are not bad, but losing Halliday hurts immensely. Ricky Romero, Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum should be exciting to watch pitch, but I wouldn’t expect much run support if I were them.

Questions – Is this lineup the worst in the majors? I don’t think they are the worst, but they are not good. They will struggle to score runs, and the pitching staff is young so it will be interesting to see how they react to low run support.

2009 Record – 75-87
2010 Prediction – 64- 98