Friday, April 28, 2006
Texans Go With Williams
ESPN is reporting that the Houston Texans have signed NC State DB Mario Williams to a six year $54 million dollar contract and will make him the first pick in tomorrow's NFL Draft. The Texans blew this one and have shown why they are NOT in contention and will continue not to justify any bloated expectations of them: they are content to take players of David Carr's caliber but will pass players with the potential of Reggie Bush. Mario Williams doesn't even matter here. Sure he's a great prospect and may well be a great player. But he will not be at the level of a Reggie Bush.
-Why did the Texans pass on Reggie Bush? In passing on Bush, the Texans are passing on a potential box office attraction and possibly a player who can become one of the most explosive in the NFL. Improving the running game would have forced teams to prepare for a running game and could have relieved some of the pressure on David Carr. Yes, negotiations with Bush were proceeding very slowly. Yes, Yes, the Bush investigation (the wrong Bush is getting investigated) may make teams think harder about Bush's character. Yes, the Texans get a quality defensive back. But the opportunity to take a player with the potential of Reggie Bush is very rare. It doesn't matter how good Mario Williams will be- the Texans blew this draft. They'd better hope Reggie Bush doesn't end up in the AFC and especially not in the AFC South.
-Where will Reggie Bush go? Any one of the next five teams- New Orleans, Tennesee, NY Jets, Green Bay and San Francisco could use him. My question is whether New Orleans will trade the pick or whether they will take Reggie Bush. For a team like the Saints, it should be common sense to take Bush, even with a RB like Deuce McAllister, who could be a big first step to rebuilding the team. Bush is a player who could mean a lot not only to a rebuilding team, but the rebuilding New Orleans area. If the Saints are stupid enough not to draft Bush, then they should look to acquire draft picks from teams with multiple picks- possibly the New York Jets. Which leads to the ultimate question of the NFL Draft: can the Saints and/or Jets and/or anyone else screw up more than the Texans already have????
-Why did the Texans pass on Reggie Bush? In passing on Bush, the Texans are passing on a potential box office attraction and possibly a player who can become one of the most explosive in the NFL. Improving the running game would have forced teams to prepare for a running game and could have relieved some of the pressure on David Carr. Yes, negotiations with Bush were proceeding very slowly. Yes, Yes, the Bush investigation (the wrong Bush is getting investigated) may make teams think harder about Bush's character. Yes, the Texans get a quality defensive back. But the opportunity to take a player with the potential of Reggie Bush is very rare. It doesn't matter how good Mario Williams will be- the Texans blew this draft. They'd better hope Reggie Bush doesn't end up in the AFC and especially not in the AFC South.
-Where will Reggie Bush go? Any one of the next five teams- New Orleans, Tennesee, NY Jets, Green Bay and San Francisco could use him. My question is whether New Orleans will trade the pick or whether they will take Reggie Bush. For a team like the Saints, it should be common sense to take Bush, even with a RB like Deuce McAllister, who could be a big first step to rebuilding the team. Bush is a player who could mean a lot not only to a rebuilding team, but the rebuilding New Orleans area. If the Saints are stupid enough not to draft Bush, then they should look to acquire draft picks from teams with multiple picks- possibly the New York Jets. Which leads to the ultimate question of the NFL Draft: can the Saints and/or Jets and/or anyone else screw up more than the Texans already have????
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
A Very Sad Day for Keith Hernandez
What a sad day indeed for Keith Hernandez. If you don't already know, the ex-Met had this to say about a female trainer on the Padres staff: "I won't say that women belong in the kitchen, but they don't belong in the dugout." I'm going to touch upon this before that lazy excuse for a sportswriter Bill Simmons writes about this next month. First of all, I think that Keith Hernandez was completely out of line. Unlike the 70s and 80s where players could do things like abuse drugs and take steroids and get away with it, baseball players today....hmmm... ok bad example. But baseball players can't expect MLB to know about poor behavior and let it go unpunis.... ok ok sorry.... but baseball players can't expect to act poorly and not have the media blow the story up, and that's where Hernandez screwed up. There's one lesson for baseball players to learn here, if you want to talk negatively about women, or cheat on your wife, or have your mistress inject you with steroids, make sure it is done behind closed doors, like the champagne room in a strip club.
And that's where hubris got the best of Keith Hernandez. Up until this point in his life, he had been living a dream. 1979 NL MVP, 1986 World Series champion, multiple Gold Gloves, batting champion, the list goes on and on. I know this will get beat to death by Simmons, but that "I'm Keith Hernandez" quote on Seinfeld is the epitome of living above social norms. This is important because Elaine was no one special, sure she looked cute, but at the very best, she's like the girl in your Foreign Policy class that sits in the back row text messaging her friend. It's possible she's figuring out which guy to hook up with but chances are she's talking to her cubby friend in the front row, deciding what time to go to Sherman. At best she could have been an occasional fling for Hernandez depending on how much she put out, but in no way was she going to be a prize catch. Mind you, this is pre-straight hair Elaine, so she wasn't going into the Hernandez courtship with much fanfare (if you ask me I personally love the Hernandez-era Elaine, but I don't have the taste of an ex-ball player who's palate has been seasoned by groupies, models and elite townies -pun grossly intended). At any rate, I'm sure he was boning tons of chicks, prior, during and after Elaine. So in a bubble, he let his expertise from years of meaningless sex get the best of him and he had the misfortunate of slipping on the air.
Again, I'm not condoning what Hernandez said, I think females are the yin to the our yang and I am a proponent of equal gender rights in all facets. However, I can understand why he said it. If you are a woman casually sleeping with a baseball player, you are probably aware of the evils of the business. The overwhelming majority of these men are looking for a quick fling in various cities with no strings attached; any woman with sense in her head would realize that key elements of relationships such as monogamy, time, communication, and commitment go out the window when one half is on the road for most of the year. The result is that most women who have sex with these athletes have zero respect in the eyes of ballplayers; in fact, all the shallow chronicles of their meaningless sex acts are told in the clubhouse with the detail of a sworn addidavit. Yes, comraderie doesn't stop at the dugout. My point here is that if you were a ball player all of your life, and been around an environment that degrades women, and made a lot of money and achieved fame and did not have to abide by any social norms, your view on many facets of life would be skewed. Women included.
If you think that I am wrong or joking, this quote just about proves my point: "You know I am only teasing. I love you gals out there -- always have."
Either this is one of boldest statements ever, basically rubbing sexism in the face of all women, or he is completely oblivious to his actions. I am going to go with the latter. I swore when I read that quote I thought I was reading a line from Anchorman. I've even gone back to make sure that there isn't a Bourbon glass hidden somewhere in the shot.
The moral of the story is that we as fans allow athletes to act in a certain manner: cuss at their fans, defy their coaches, make absurd salaries, cheat on their wives with hundreds of women, inject themselves with steroids, get drunk in public, expose themselves in front of female reporters, urinate on their hands, cork their bats, do drugs, kiss fans on the field, take off their pants at first base, and many more ridiculous things that any professional in any other field could not do. We have created this culture and unfortunately, many aspects of this culture are neither progressive nor politically correct; in this instance the sexist nature of the game was revealed on television. Keith Hernandez will probably go on to become a victim that is accosted by all sorts of women's rights activitists while hundreds of other ball players will continue this legacy that Keith has been a part of. If you want to be mad at Keith, fine, but he is a very small part of the problem. There are many immoral things to occur behind closed doors, attacking Hernandez is merely cutting a weed in half, not pulling it from the root.
Lastly, if athletes are to learn anything from Keith Hernandez, it's to keep your mouth shut when the camera is rolling, and spew all sorts of vile statements behind the scenes. There's a pretty good chance that the climate of sports will only grow worse and athletes will have fewer authority figures to answer to. There is no reward for good behavior, just punishment for falling out of line. Don't be the guy who gets caught. And for the love of Bud Selig, if you are going to abuse something illegal, it might as well be coke, no one ever gets busted for that in baseball anymore. OK, you're right, steroids too.
And that's where hubris got the best of Keith Hernandez. Up until this point in his life, he had been living a dream. 1979 NL MVP, 1986 World Series champion, multiple Gold Gloves, batting champion, the list goes on and on. I know this will get beat to death by Simmons, but that "I'm Keith Hernandez" quote on Seinfeld is the epitome of living above social norms. This is important because Elaine was no one special, sure she looked cute, but at the very best, she's like the girl in your Foreign Policy class that sits in the back row text messaging her friend. It's possible she's figuring out which guy to hook up with but chances are she's talking to her cubby friend in the front row, deciding what time to go to Sherman. At best she could have been an occasional fling for Hernandez depending on how much she put out, but in no way was she going to be a prize catch. Mind you, this is pre-straight hair Elaine, so she wasn't going into the Hernandez courtship with much fanfare (if you ask me I personally love the Hernandez-era Elaine, but I don't have the taste of an ex-ball player who's palate has been seasoned by groupies, models and elite townies -pun grossly intended). At any rate, I'm sure he was boning tons of chicks, prior, during and after Elaine. So in a bubble, he let his expertise from years of meaningless sex get the best of him and he had the misfortunate of slipping on the air.
Again, I'm not condoning what Hernandez said, I think females are the yin to the our yang and I am a proponent of equal gender rights in all facets. However, I can understand why he said it. If you are a woman casually sleeping with a baseball player, you are probably aware of the evils of the business. The overwhelming majority of these men are looking for a quick fling in various cities with no strings attached; any woman with sense in her head would realize that key elements of relationships such as monogamy, time, communication, and commitment go out the window when one half is on the road for most of the year. The result is that most women who have sex with these athletes have zero respect in the eyes of ballplayers; in fact, all the shallow chronicles of their meaningless sex acts are told in the clubhouse with the detail of a sworn addidavit. Yes, comraderie doesn't stop at the dugout. My point here is that if you were a ball player all of your life, and been around an environment that degrades women, and made a lot of money and achieved fame and did not have to abide by any social norms, your view on many facets of life would be skewed. Women included.
If you think that I am wrong or joking, this quote just about proves my point: "You know I am only teasing. I love you gals out there -- always have."
Either this is one of boldest statements ever, basically rubbing sexism in the face of all women, or he is completely oblivious to his actions. I am going to go with the latter. I swore when I read that quote I thought I was reading a line from Anchorman. I've even gone back to make sure that there isn't a Bourbon glass hidden somewhere in the shot.
The moral of the story is that we as fans allow athletes to act in a certain manner: cuss at their fans, defy their coaches, make absurd salaries, cheat on their wives with hundreds of women, inject themselves with steroids, get drunk in public, expose themselves in front of female reporters, urinate on their hands, cork their bats, do drugs, kiss fans on the field, take off their pants at first base, and many more ridiculous things that any professional in any other field could not do. We have created this culture and unfortunately, many aspects of this culture are neither progressive nor politically correct; in this instance the sexist nature of the game was revealed on television. Keith Hernandez will probably go on to become a victim that is accosted by all sorts of women's rights activitists while hundreds of other ball players will continue this legacy that Keith has been a part of. If you want to be mad at Keith, fine, but he is a very small part of the problem. There are many immoral things to occur behind closed doors, attacking Hernandez is merely cutting a weed in half, not pulling it from the root.
Lastly, if athletes are to learn anything from Keith Hernandez, it's to keep your mouth shut when the camera is rolling, and spew all sorts of vile statements behind the scenes. There's a pretty good chance that the climate of sports will only grow worse and athletes will have fewer authority figures to answer to. There is no reward for good behavior, just punishment for falling out of line. Don't be the guy who gets caught. And for the love of Bud Selig, if you are going to abuse something illegal, it might as well be coke, no one ever gets busted for that in baseball anymore. OK, you're right, steroids too.
Friday, April 21, 2006
NBA Playoff Predictions
Below are my NBA playoff predictions...enjoy!
Eastern Conference
(1) Detroit over (8) Milwaukee, 4-0
(2) Miami over (7) Chicago, 4-3
(6) Indiana over (3) New Jersey, 4-3
(4) Cleveland over (5) Washington, 4-2
(1) Detroit over (4) Cleveland, 4-2
(2) Miami over (3) Indiana, 4-2
(1) Detroit over (2) Miami, 4-3
Western Conference
(1) San Antonio over (8) Sacramento, 4-2
(2) Phoenix over (7) LA Lakers, 4-2
(6) LA Clippers over (3) Denver, 4-2
(4) Dallas over (5) Memphis, 4-1
(4) Dallas over (1) San Antonio, 4-3
(2) Phoenix over (6) LA Clippers, 4-2
(4) Dallas over (2) Phoenix, 4-3
NBA Finals
(4) Dallas over (1) Detroit, 4-2
Eastern Conference
(1) Detroit over (8) Milwaukee, 4-0
(2) Miami over (7) Chicago, 4-3
(6) Indiana over (3) New Jersey, 4-3
(4) Cleveland over (5) Washington, 4-2
(1) Detroit over (4) Cleveland, 4-2
(2) Miami over (3) Indiana, 4-2
(1) Detroit over (2) Miami, 4-3
Western Conference
(1) San Antonio over (8) Sacramento, 4-2
(2) Phoenix over (7) LA Lakers, 4-2
(6) LA Clippers over (3) Denver, 4-2
(4) Dallas over (5) Memphis, 4-1
(4) Dallas over (1) San Antonio, 4-3
(2) Phoenix over (6) LA Clippers, 4-2
(4) Dallas over (2) Phoenix, 4-3
NBA Finals
(4) Dallas over (1) Detroit, 4-2
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
" My Season"
The end of March Madness only means one thing for sports fans...the beginning of Major League Baseball. Opening day is an exciting time for fans, especially for me, being a Texas Rangers fan. You see, your typical Yankees, Red Sox, or Cardinals fan is also excited about the concept of opening day, the beginning of the new season, but not so much the actual outcome of the first game of the season. This is where a fork in the road emerges and I along with a select group of fans, such as Devil Ray fans, Royals fans, and Pirates fans wave goodbye to most of the other teams in the league as we travel on the "less desired" side of the road...one in which our season ends seemingly seconds after it begins.
For fans like us, the probability of our teams experiencing success seems less likely than being given the chance to join August National. No? Let these facts settle into your stomach: Texas has won zero, yes zero, playoff series since the franchise was moved to Texas in 1972. In Tampa Bay's eight year existence, the best they have ever placed is 18 games out of first place in their division. Brewers fans haven't even experienced post-season play since President Reagen's first team. While it is hard to cope with the realization that winning consistently throughout the season is just a pipe dream, at times we are forced to trick ourselves into believing things that really aren't logical. For myself, it is believing that Millwood, Eaton, and Padilla is a solid core, that has the potential to anchor the team into the playoffs and hopefully beyond that.
Also, because "our" seasons are so short, we try to fit the wide ranged emotions experienced by normal baseball fans into a microcosm of about two or three games. This became so truly manifested when after Kevin Millwood pitched three shutout innings in Texas' opener versus Boston, I began talking trash to a Red Sox fan not only insisting that last year's AL ERA leader was still unhittable in the hitter's park in Arlington, but I also proclaimed after 1/3 through the first game of a 162 game season that "the Rangers are going to the playoffs!" Literally moments later I was throwing the squeaky wooden table in my ridgewood across the room as Boston scored three runs in the fourth and then two more in the fifth. At the end of the 7-3 shellacking let's just put it this way, my table couldn't function as a table anymore but at least it no longer squeaked.
Did I believe the season was over? Well I will let my actions speak for themselves: I tried to cancel my mlbtv subscription after the first game. Unfortunately mlbtv is non-refundable or at least that is what the lady operator told me. By the next morning I came to realize my actions were silly and premature. I vowed that I wouldn't pull an Adam Morrison and give up before the season is over. That evening newly acquired Vincente Padilla outdueled knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and as the Rangers' offense came alive, scoring 10 runs, so did my competitive spirit and optimism about the team.
More than a week later, Texas is now 2-7 and it seems this feeling I experienced after the team's first victory of the year will serve as this season's high point. I hope the Rangers can turn it around, but they are already in a 3.5 game hole out of the lead in the AL West!
Throughout this first week of the major league season I have experienced optimism and pessimism, cockiness and humililty, happiness and sadness. So sports fans, if you have encountered a baseball fan lately who appears to be a little bit crazy or even possesses bipolar characteristics please let it be. While your season may have just begun, ours has just ended.
For fans like us, the probability of our teams experiencing success seems less likely than being given the chance to join August National. No? Let these facts settle into your stomach: Texas has won zero, yes zero, playoff series since the franchise was moved to Texas in 1972. In Tampa Bay's eight year existence, the best they have ever placed is 18 games out of first place in their division. Brewers fans haven't even experienced post-season play since President Reagen's first team. While it is hard to cope with the realization that winning consistently throughout the season is just a pipe dream, at times we are forced to trick ourselves into believing things that really aren't logical. For myself, it is believing that Millwood, Eaton, and Padilla is a solid core, that has the potential to anchor the team into the playoffs and hopefully beyond that.
Also, because "our" seasons are so short, we try to fit the wide ranged emotions experienced by normal baseball fans into a microcosm of about two or three games. This became so truly manifested when after Kevin Millwood pitched three shutout innings in Texas' opener versus Boston, I began talking trash to a Red Sox fan not only insisting that last year's AL ERA leader was still unhittable in the hitter's park in Arlington, but I also proclaimed after 1/3 through the first game of a 162 game season that "the Rangers are going to the playoffs!" Literally moments later I was throwing the squeaky wooden table in my ridgewood across the room as Boston scored three runs in the fourth and then two more in the fifth. At the end of the 7-3 shellacking let's just put it this way, my table couldn't function as a table anymore but at least it no longer squeaked.
Did I believe the season was over? Well I will let my actions speak for themselves: I tried to cancel my mlbtv subscription after the first game. Unfortunately mlbtv is non-refundable or at least that is what the lady operator told me. By the next morning I came to realize my actions were silly and premature. I vowed that I wouldn't pull an Adam Morrison and give up before the season is over. That evening newly acquired Vincente Padilla outdueled knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and as the Rangers' offense came alive, scoring 10 runs, so did my competitive spirit and optimism about the team.
More than a week later, Texas is now 2-7 and it seems this feeling I experienced after the team's first victory of the year will serve as this season's high point. I hope the Rangers can turn it around, but they are already in a 3.5 game hole out of the lead in the AL West!
Throughout this first week of the major league season I have experienced optimism and pessimism, cockiness and humililty, happiness and sadness. So sports fans, if you have encountered a baseball fan lately who appears to be a little bit crazy or even possesses bipolar characteristics please let it be. While your season may have just begun, ours has just ended.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Overtime Show MLB Predictions
MLB Predictions for the Overtime Sports Show:
Mini Me
NL West- San Francisco Giants
NL East- Atlanta Braves
NL Central- St. Louis Cardinals
NL WC- Milwaukee Brewers
NL Cy Young- Jake Peavy
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
AL West-Oakland Athletics
AL Central- Chicago White Sox
AL East- New York Yankees
AL WC- Toronto Blue Jays
AL Cy Young- Felix Hernandez
AL MVP- Alex Rodriguez
Young Daniel Katzman
NL West- San Diego Padres
NL East- Atlanta Braves
NL Central- St. Louis Cardinals
NL WC- New York Mets
NL Cy Young- Chris Carpenter
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
AL West- Oakland Athletics
AL Central- Chicago White Sox
AL East- New York Yankees
AL WC- Toronto Blue Jays
AL Cy Young- Rich Harden
AL MVP- Miguel Tejada
Easy E
NL West- San Diego Padres
NL East- Atlanta Braves
NL Central- St. Louis Cardinals
NL WC- Philadelphia Phillies
NL Cy Young- Roy Oswalt
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
Al West- Anaheim Angels
Al Central- Cleveland Indians
AL East- New York Yankees
AL WC- Oakland Athletics
AL Cy Young- Roy Halladay
AL MVP- Vladmir Guerrero
Intern Nate
NL West- San Francisco Giants
NL East- Atlanta Braves
NL Central- St. Louis Cardinals
NL WC- New York Mets
NL Cy Young- Jason Schmidt
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
AL West- Oakland Athletics
AL Central- Chicago White Sox
AL East- New York Yankees
AL WC- Cleveland Indians
AL Cy Young- Randy Johnson
AL MVP- Travis Hafner
Mini Me and Young Daniel bet $5 bucks as to who would win more games...Mini Me took Paul Byrd and Young Daniel took Jason Johnson.
Please Post your predictions!!!!
Mini Me
NL West- San Francisco Giants
NL East- Atlanta Braves
NL Central- St. Louis Cardinals
NL WC- Milwaukee Brewers
NL Cy Young- Jake Peavy
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
AL West-Oakland Athletics
AL Central- Chicago White Sox
AL East- New York Yankees
AL WC- Toronto Blue Jays
AL Cy Young- Felix Hernandez
AL MVP- Alex Rodriguez
Young Daniel Katzman
NL West- San Diego Padres
NL East- Atlanta Braves
NL Central- St. Louis Cardinals
NL WC- New York Mets
NL Cy Young- Chris Carpenter
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
AL West- Oakland Athletics
AL Central- Chicago White Sox
AL East- New York Yankees
AL WC- Toronto Blue Jays
AL Cy Young- Rich Harden
AL MVP- Miguel Tejada
Easy E
NL West- San Diego Padres
NL East- Atlanta Braves
NL Central- St. Louis Cardinals
NL WC- Philadelphia Phillies
NL Cy Young- Roy Oswalt
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
Al West- Anaheim Angels
Al Central- Cleveland Indians
AL East- New York Yankees
AL WC- Oakland Athletics
AL Cy Young- Roy Halladay
AL MVP- Vladmir Guerrero
Intern Nate
NL West- San Francisco Giants
NL East- Atlanta Braves
NL Central- St. Louis Cardinals
NL WC- New York Mets
NL Cy Young- Jason Schmidt
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
AL West- Oakland Athletics
AL Central- Chicago White Sox
AL East- New York Yankees
AL WC- Cleveland Indians
AL Cy Young- Randy Johnson
AL MVP- Travis Hafner
Mini Me and Young Daniel bet $5 bucks as to who would win more games...Mini Me took Paul Byrd and Young Daniel took Jason Johnson.
Please Post your predictions!!!!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
The Easy Minute
Padres officials have announced they will beef up security after a syringe was thrown on the field during one of Barry Bonds' at bats Monday night. According to Bonds, the security increase is useless because the syringe wasn't from some renegade fan, it was Victor Conte trying to get Bonds his dosage for the day.
Documents from Derek Lowe's divorce case have revealed that Lowe takes Adderral to combat his ADD. Adderral is on baseball's list of banned substances, but Lowe has received an exemption and is allowed to take it. While many opponents believe Lowe is using Adderral as a substitute for banned amphetamines, Lowe insists he needs it to take manager Grady Little's legendary pre-game exams about Dodger opponents.
The NBA reportedly plans to ban the tights that have been worn this season by numerous players, because the league does not like the "look" of the players wearing the tights. Even if they issue a ban, the leage is considering making an exception for Kobe Bryant with the hope that the extra layer of clothing around his genitals will cut down on his rape attempts.
Documents from Derek Lowe's divorce case have revealed that Lowe takes Adderral to combat his ADD. Adderral is on baseball's list of banned substances, but Lowe has received an exemption and is allowed to take it. While many opponents believe Lowe is using Adderral as a substitute for banned amphetamines, Lowe insists he needs it to take manager Grady Little's legendary pre-game exams about Dodger opponents.
The NBA reportedly plans to ban the tights that have been worn this season by numerous players, because the league does not like the "look" of the players wearing the tights. Even if they issue a ban, the leage is considering making an exception for Kobe Bryant with the hope that the extra layer of clothing around his genitals will cut down on his rape attempts.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Another ticket giveaway!
Tune in all this week to WBRS 100.1 FM in Waltham or www.wbrs.org starting tonight (4/2) for a chance to win tickets to the New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins on Saturday, April 8th at 2 PM. Every show will be giving out a pair so tune in to find out how to win. For more questions, e-mail sports@wbrs.org
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Baseball '06 Predictions
Baseball starts tomorrow. My Predictions below.
AL East AL Central AL West
1. Red Sox 1. Indians 1. A's
2. Yankees 2. White Sox(WC) 2. Angels
3. Blue Jays 3. Twins 3. Mariners
4. Devil Rays 4. Tigers 4. Rangers
5. Orioles 5. Royals
Surprise teams: Devil Rays, Detroit Tigers
Biggest Dissapointments: Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers
Breakout Player: Grady Sizemore
Brakeout Pitcher: Ervin Santana
Disappointing Player: Magglio Ordonez
Disappointing Pitcher: Curt Schilling
NL East NL Central NL West
1. Braves 1. Cardinals 1. Dodgers
2. Mets 2. Brewers (WC) 2. Diamondbacks
3. Phillies 3. Pirates 3. Padres
4. Nationals 4. Astros 4. Giants
5. Marlins 5. Cubs 5. Rockies
6. Reds
Surprise Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks
Biggest Dissapointments: New York Mets, Chicago Cubs
Breakout Player: Matt Holliday
Breakout Pitcher: Chris Young
Disappointing Player: Barry Bonds
Disappointing Pitcher: Mark Prior
AL East AL Central AL West
1. Red Sox 1. Indians 1. A's
2. Yankees 2. White Sox(WC) 2. Angels
3. Blue Jays 3. Twins 3. Mariners
4. Devil Rays 4. Tigers 4. Rangers
5. Orioles 5. Royals
Surprise teams: Devil Rays, Detroit Tigers
Biggest Dissapointments: Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers
Breakout Player: Grady Sizemore
Brakeout Pitcher: Ervin Santana
Disappointing Player: Magglio Ordonez
Disappointing Pitcher: Curt Schilling
NL East NL Central NL West
1. Braves 1. Cardinals 1. Dodgers
2. Mets 2. Brewers (WC) 2. Diamondbacks
3. Phillies 3. Pirates 3. Padres
4. Nationals 4. Astros 4. Giants
5. Marlins 5. Cubs 5. Rockies
6. Reds
Surprise Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks
Biggest Dissapointments: New York Mets, Chicago Cubs
Breakout Player: Matt Holliday
Breakout Pitcher: Chris Young
Disappointing Player: Barry Bonds
Disappointing Pitcher: Mark Prior
