First there’s the Red Sox. As every sports fan knows, the Red Sox finally ended 86 years of pain, suffering, and agony and won the 2004 World Series. And they pretty much did it in the perfect way, doing something that has never been done in coming back from a 3-0 deficit, and doing so against their most hated rivals. Any true Red Sox fan will still get goosebumps thinking of all the memorable moments of those stressful October nights. You can still hear Dave Roberts sliding into 2nd, the roar when Big Papi hit another walk off hit, the voice of radio announcer Joe Castiglione saying “GRAND SLAM! JOHNNY DAMON!. And of course the famous “BACK TO FOULKE!” call of FOX’s Joe Buck. Any true Sox fan will remember these moments until they’re gray and old, and nothing will ever top it.

That would have been good enough, but in 2007, the Red Sox proved they weren’t one hit wonders and that the curse was gone for good. The Red Sox did nothing short of dominate the MLB in 2007 and even though they struggled in the summer months, they still were just too far away that not even the Yankees could catch them.  And minus the 3 game layoff in Cleveland, this team absolutely steamrolled though these playoffs to win their 2nd title in 4 years. The scary thing is, everyone is back and with amazing young homegrown talent in Youkilis, Papelbon, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Buchholz, dominating starting pitching in Beckett and Dice-K, and one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time, Ortiz,  this team will be scary for years to come.

 Then there’s the Patriots. After winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years, that would have been good enough. But instead this year, the Patriots rolled out what could be very well be the greatest football team of all time. 15-0 as we speak, and minus 3 games, have crushed the opposition. They will score the most points in a season that any team has ever scored, Tom Brady may break the season touchdown record, and Randy Moss may break the season receiving touchdown record. A Super Bowl would make it 4 titles in 7 years, which in this era of a salary cap in the NFL, is simply incredible.

 So for those keeping score at home, that’s 5 world championships in 6 years for Boston. That would be good enough, but then there’s the Celitcs. Already owners of the most NBA titles in history with 16, the Celtics rolled out what may be one of their best teams ever. As of right now, they have an amazing 23-3 record, good for best record in the league. And like the Patriots, they have not just won games, they have blown the competition into oblivion.

 Even the “awful” Bruins have a winning record, and should make the playoffs if all goes well.

It’s hard to imagine having what could be the greatest football team ever, having one of the best teams in one of the most storied franchises in all of sports in the Celtics, and having the World Series Champions ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!

No city in the history of sports has had this much glory at once. Not even close. Here’s a scary stat, since October 15, the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celitcs have a combined record of 45-3. I said 45-3.

We own the best team in the MLB, the best team in the NFL, and the best team in the NBA. And seriously, does the NHL even count anymore??

So New York, Chicago, Detroit, Washington, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and all the cities in between,  bow down to the kings of sports, because I guarantee no city will EVER have this much success at one time for all of eternity. Welcome to sports heaven Bostonians, let’s enjoy it while it lasts!

AL East- Red Sox (knock on wood)

Even though I still have this feeling that the Yankees will catch us, the Red Sox are a better overall team. The Sox have a very easy schedule in September with a lot of home games, and with Beckett, Dice-K, Schilling, and Wakefield leading the staff, they, hopefully, will be tough to beat.

AL Central – Tigers

Just like the Red Sox, the Tigers staff is what’s going to put them over the top. Detroit has both a better staff and offense than the Indians, and I know the Tribe will fade come October.

AL West- Mariners

The upset of my picks, I’m probably the only one in the world saying this, but I just don’t see all the hype about the Angels. Their pitching isn’t that good, John Lackey being their only real “ace”. After that, an inexperienced Jered Weaver, Kelvim Escobar, and Ervin Santana? And yes, they can run, they can play small ball, but I see them fading (just like their other pitcher, Joe Saunders) in September as I’m not a fan of their offense at all.

AL Wild Card – Yankees

Unfortunately, they will get in. Their offense is just too damn strong, and like the Red Sox, they just basically play the Blue Jays, Orioles, and D-Rays all September. Their pitching is not as bad as I hoped it would be, which should be enough to get the Skanks, I mean Yanks, into the postseason.

NL East – Mets

Many people are saying they don’t have the pitching to win the division. But do the Phillies have the pitching? Do the Braves have the pitching? Uhhhh, no. The Mets do however have the best offense, with Reyes, Wright, Beltran, and Delgado in their order.

NL Central – Cubs

Well the Cubbies have decent pitching and have a decent offense, but guess what, decent is all you need to win this pathetic excuse for a division. Moving on…

NL West- Diamondbacks

This team reminds me of the 2003 Marlins. A young team full of guys that no one’s ever heard of until this year, and a good pitching staff lead by the dominate stuff of Brandon Webb. Repeat of 2001 maybe??

NL Wild Card- Braves

I don’t really like the Braves, but I had to pick some one, the NL sucks balllllllllssssss.

PLAYOFFS:

Red Sox defeat Mariners in 4

Tigers deafeat Yankees in 4

Mets defeat Cubs in 5

Diamondbacks defeat Braves in 4

Red Sox defeat Tigers in 7

Diamondbacks defeat Mets in 6

World Series-  Red Sox defeat Diamondbacks in 6

AWARDS:

AL MVP- Gay-Rod, I mean A- Fraud, sorry, Alex Rodriguez

NL MVP- Prince Fielder

AL Cy Young – Josh Beckett

NL Cy Young – Brandon Webb

AL Rookie of the Year – Dustin Pedroia

NL Rookie of the Year – Ryan Braun

AL Manager- Mike Hargrove/John McLaren (don’t know how that’s gunna work lol)

NL Manager- Bob Melvin

That’s it, those predictions are probably god awful and I probably sound like Eric Young on Baseball Tonight, but oh well, I can say what I want.

In my opinion, this is what baseball is all about. No steroids, no players complaining about contracts (and to think Gary Sheffield played in the LLWS, haha), just players giving 200% every game and playing like there’s no tommorrow. The crazy superstitions, the chants, the energy of the crowd, it’s awesome. As someone who played Little League, it brings back memories of some of the best times of my life (anyone that played in our Little League could tell you the intense games between the Red Sox, Yankees, Devil Rays, White Sox, and Indians lol). These games are flat out intense as well. One game a few years ago, between Mass. and Texas, was one the most intense baseball games I’ve ever watched in my life, (Mass has like a 10-3 lead in the last inning, Texas scored 10 in the 6th, to make it 13-10, then Mass scored 4 to win 14-13.). Every game means something, and it gives us a break from the somewhat boring August MLB games.

As I said before, I probably starting watching this tournament around 8 years old. It’s funny, I remember thinking back then “Wow, these players are so old and tall! They’re so good!”. Now it’s like “God, these kids are freakin babies, I coulda hit that!” (sadly, half of them are still taller than me lol). Anyway, one thing people probably don’t realize is how hard of a road it is just to get to the LLWS. As someone who has played in a regional final before (2004 16 year old Babe Ruth New England runner up! chea!), you have to win three different tournaments, the districts (6-8 teams), states (8-10 more teams), and your region (6-8 teams). It took us a good month just to get the regional title game, and this is in the 6th smallest state in the country. I can’t imagine how many games you need to win in California and Texas to get to the finals. The tournament eats up your summer, and just like the pros, you’re always on the road. And every game pretty much is win, or go home. That just shows you how good these teams are.

I love how the tournament is set up though, with 8 teams from both the US and the World. Pool play gives everyone at least 3 games, and the people that work there seem to make the Series more of a vacation than a baseball tournament, making the games seem less important to the players than what they really are. Which brings me to a somewhat unfair thing about this tournament (this goes for high schools and colleges as well.) If you’ve watched this thing the past 10 years, it always seems like a Florida, Texas, or California team is in the world title game. These guys get to play 12 months a year, while the northern teams would be lucky to get 6 months of playable weather. But hey, unless you ban baseball in the South during the winter, nothing you can do about it.

But of course there’s things about this tournament that I have to complain about as well (did you really think I could go a post without complaining? come on now). First of all, volunteer umpiring? I’m sorry, but if I worked my ass off all summer to get to this point, I don’t want my national title shot being judged by some joe schmoe off the street. For the most part, they’re terrible, and unless the ball hits the back stop, it’s a strike. Secondly, the fences need to be moved back. I know they did this last year, but do it again, at least 250 feet away. These are the best players in the country, and with the speed of the pitches being thrown, good contact seems to go out of the yard with ease. And finally, to the ESPN commentators, I know you don’t want to insult kids on national TV, but god, stop the babying of them. It seems every routine ground ball or fly out ends with a “WHAT A PLAY!!!” being yelled by the commentators. Uhh hello? They’re here for a freakin’ reason.

But other than that, everything about this tournament is right. As a 12 year old, it would have been the most memorable experience of my life, no doubt about it. Who knows? Maybe one day a future son of mine gets there and I’ll be there rooting him on as a parent, or even better, a coach. I can always dream.

Until then, go Walpole, win it for New England!

So it finally happened. Barry Bonds hits his 756th home run to pass Hank Aaron on the all time home run list. Big deal? Well, yea it is. The people that say that it was no big deal, that it was not a big moment in baseball history, you couldn’t be more wrong. 

First, let me give you my opinion on Bonds. Do I like him? No, not at all, there is substantial evidence that he did use steroids, and although I am not 100% sure that he did it, there’s a good chance he did. Secondly, the guy is an asshole. He is to the media, is to some of his teammates (not as much as now as in the past it seems), and to the fans for the most part. He is the complete opposite of Hank Aaron and it’s a shame that the Hammer is no longer on top. However, do I think Barry Bonds is a Hall of Famer? Absolutely, 1st ballot, steroids or no steroids. He is still one of the greatest players to ever pick up a baseball bat, period.

Now let’s get to 756. Overall, I can’t believe I’m saying this, the moment was pretty cool. Although it wasn’t the OH MY GOD, HE BROKE THE RECORD!!! moment that I was hoping to see growing up, it was not the awful moment that I was expecting to see. I knew it was gone as soon as he hit it, and I didn’t clap or cheer, I kind of just stood there. But I did get goosebumps, cause let’s be honest, it’s still the all time home run record. The moments that followed were awesome in my opinion. Hank Aaron’s video message just showed the class act that he is, and he said all the right things. Barry Bonds also said the right things in his speech. He thanked everyone that he should have and when he thanked his father and looked to the sky, I don’t care if your the biggest Barry Bonds hater, you had to feel just a little emotion inside of you.

There are very few baseball moments that I remember where I was when it happened (McGwire’s 62nd, Bonds’ 71st, Boone’s home run, every game of the 2004 playoffs) and even though it’s tainted, I’ll probably remember 756 for the rest of my life as well. Alex Rodriguez is next in line for the mark, and I quite frankly don’t care if he makes it, because I may hate him even more than Bonds. And not just because he’s a Yankee, he just doesn’t play the game right (slapping balls, sliding out of the way to knock a player down, calling “MINE!” to cause a dropped fly ball), so w/e. Why did Ken Griffey Jr. ever have to get injured???

The biggest story is obviously the trade for Kevin Garnett. Being born in 1988, I have yet to see the Celtics win an NBA title and besides the 2002 run to the Eastern Conference Finals, they have been pretty much been irrelevant throughout my life. To get a player like Garnett, along side Ray Allen (U-CONNNNN!!!) and Paul Pierce, 3 future Hall of Famers, is absolutely amazing. For a team coming off their worst season in their long, storied history, to come right back with this is mind boggling. If you told me after the final Celtic game last year, that they would be a contender this year, I would’ve laughed in your face. But it’s a reality now. Seeing Pierce, Allen, and Garnett holding their Celtic green jerseys side by side today made me say “Am I seeing things? Is that really Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce all holding Celtic green?? Ho-ly $#it!” Yes, we basically gave up our whole team for KG, but were the Celtics really going to contend with those guys ever?? I don’t think so. We (I haven’t said the words “we” and “Celtics” in a longggggggggggg time, feels good lol) still have some holes to fill, but if we do, this team is a top 2 team in the Eastern Conference, no question about it. Remember, KG took Minnesota to the WESTERN Conference finals with Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassel. Imagine what KG can do with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen in the far inferior Eastern Conference. I’ve said in this blog how I generally dislike the NBA, but I have NEVER been more excited for Opening Night at the Garden and the Celtics. This is going to be a hell of a season.

 But that’s only one of the Boston teams. How about those Red Sox picking up one of the most dominant closers ever? I understand he’s not the pitcher he was, but if you think Pierce, Allen, and Garnett are intimidating, how about Okajima, Gagne, Papelbon?? If the Sox offense can just be average, just average, and this team doesn’t blow the 7 game lead we now have on the Yankees, they will be unstoppable in October. That bullpen is now flat out scary. Man, it’s gunna be fun hearing Welcome to the Jungle (Gagne), Wild Thing (Paps), and Shipping Up to Boston (Paps) all in a row these next 2 (3, knock on wood) months.

And those 3-time Super Bowl Champion Patriots are one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl yet again. They can boast their own big 3 of Brady, Moss, and Thomas, as they have their best team on paper ever.

Can it be any better to be a Boston sports fan????

And the Bruins? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, the Bruins

Well, I guess I can’t complain about the team so far. We have the best record in baseball, 6.5 games up on the Yankees, and for the most part haven’t had any crucial, must-win, pressure filled games this season. But I still don’t feel great, I don’t know why. If you were to tell me that first sentence back on April 1st, I would’ve been jumping for joy. The situation IS  great, but I think the reason I don’t feel too good is that the situation isn’t as good as it was.

We once had a 14.5 game lead on the Yankees, meaning we’ve dropped 8 games to them in the past 2 months. Even though many people were saying the Yankees were done and cooked, I knew it wouldn’t be over. And sure enough, here they come right in our rear view mirror, the situation I feared all along. It’s still a big lead, the biggest lead that any division leader has at the moment, but as a Red Sox fan, how could you be so stupid as to count out the team that always finds a way to be right there with the Sox and as a fan of a team that always seems to blow huge leads, whether it be in games or the standings.  I know many Yankee fans, and I’ve tried to not once talk any trash or to make any over-confident statements, cause it would come back to haunt me. God only knows if I did what the lead would be lol.

Another thing that scares me is the offense of the Red Sox. They do not have the offense that they had in previous years this season, and I’m just so used to them scoring 15 runs a game that its frustrating when they don’t score as often. They also always have a habit of making bad teams look good, espcially for some reason the Kansas City Royals, who more or less own the Red Sox the past few seasons.

But the pitching I can’t complain. If there’s one team who’s pitching is set-up for a postseason series, its the Sox. With Beckett, Schilling, Dice-K, and possibly a Lester or Gabbard, not to mention Wakefield, they have so many weapons. Then with Okajima in the 8th and Papelbon in the 9th, this staff should be unhittable in the postseason. They just need to get there, which like I said, it’s not a done deal my any means.

6.5 game lead on July 26 is awesome, better than any other team can say right now. Maybe it’s the Red Sox fan in me, but I for some reason have this fear that they’re going to blow this lead. Maybe cause I’ve never heard “Boston Red Sox- AL East Champions” before (I was 7 the last time they actually won and don’t remember it at all). I’ve just accepted the fact in my childhood that the Yankees always won the division. But, we will see, still 2 months left, and anything can happen. All I know is that if the Red Sox DO end up blowing this lead, than I can’t see them ever winning this division. Although it would be interesting to see the Boston radio callers blow up in frustration, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

As far as baseball being a boring sport, there is no other sport out there that involves more drama. The one reason I can agree it may be boring is that there are 162 games in a season, and each game doesn’t mean as much. I guarantee you that if baseball were to play 16 games a season, like football, the ratings would be off the charts. The thing that gets me is when people say “oo, it’s 1 pitch, then you wait 30 seconds, 1 pitch, you wait 30 seconds”. Well guess what football does? 1 play, wait 30 seconds, 1 play wait 30 seconds. Out of the 60 minutes of an NFL game, the players are actually “playing” for only 8 of those 60 minutes. A baseball game can change in just 1 pitch, and to me, the waiting between pitches makes it that more exciting, especially in close games. And I don’t care who you are, a tied game in the 9th is 10x more exciting than an overtime football game (especially when they don’t even give both teams a chance to have the ball, realllll excitement there.) And there’s no more thrilling and satisfying play in any sport than seeing your team win on a walk off home run, not in football, basketball, hockey, soccer, or quidditch. Now don’t get me wrong, I love football, and I watch every single game of my Patriots. But I still get a hell of a lot more nervous and tense watching a close baseball game than a football game.

 Now the comment that really pisses me off, the “baseball players are not real athletes” quote. To the people that say that, are you that stupid or are you just mentally challenged?? The MLB players play 162 games, 10 times the games of football players, and double the games of basketball and hockey players. In a 7-8 month period, counting spring training and playoffs, MLB players probably get around 20 days offs. The all-star “break” is still half the break football players get just in between games.Constantly traveling on the road across country, players need to be in top shape, not only physically, but mentally as well. So many different injuries could happen, whether it be crashing into walls or other teammates, sliding into bases,  throwing pitches in a unnatural arm motion 120+ times a game. Not to mention, the occasional 95 MPH fastball being thrown at your head. And unlike football players, the only protection is a breakable helmet while hitting, unlike the suits of armour football players wear. 

Now getting to the skill part of baseball players. Without a doubt, hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports, period. I can start throwing out all the Ted Williams quotes, but I’ll spare you most of them. To hit a baseball, you first have to try and guess what pitch it is, whether it be a fastball, curveball, or changeup. Then you gotta decide where the ball is located- high, low, inside or, outside. Then you finally decide whether your going to swing or not. If it takes you more than 1 second to answer those questions, then you’ve failed this course. If you suceed 3 times out of 10, guess what, you’re one of the best. Imagine if all of life worked that way. Hitting is a science, even the best struggle at it. Barry Bonds, one of the greatest players of all time, steroids or no steroids, is still having problems from time to time on his swing. Derek Jeter, who will go down as one of the greatest hitters of all time, once had a 0-32 slump. And guess what? Hitting is half the game. Fielding is a whole other endevour. Baseball is the only sport where there are two (three if you count baserunning) completely different skills you have to master. Unlike football, you don’t just specialize in offense or defense, you play both (minus the DH). So for all you people that say baseball player’s aren’t athletes, grab a bat, step in a box, and just try to hit that 95 mph fastball, hell even an 80 mph. Then try to hit a curveball the pitch after, then come apologize.

Football may be higher in the ratings, but in my opinion, baseball is still America’s pastime. Excluding maybe Packer fans, there are no true loyalties to teams in football. In baseball, you got fans in Boston, New York, Chicago, and St. Louis that would go to hell and back for their team, and seeing them win a championship would be the greatest moment of their year, maybe even their life. The passion in baseball fans exceed any passion that football has or ever will have. Since when do you see a whole football stadium sing a song in unison, like baseball fans do with Take Me Out to the Ballgame, or (with Red Sox fans), Sweet Caroline. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Hearing Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” may pump me up before a football game, but I don’t care how many times I hear it, hearing John Fogerty’s “Centerfield” before a baseball game with the home team running out on the field still sends shivers down my spine and that’s why I know that baseball is the greatest sport in the world.

The seeding, for the most part, is absolutely terrible.  David Beckham, the most talked about athlete in the most popular sport in the world, is a 7 seed? Serena Williams, the most dominating women’s tennis player in the past decade, a 6 seed? Then you have the likes of Shaun White, in a sport anyone over the age of 15 could care less about, a 5 seed? And a UFC fighter, Chuck Lidell, who got knocked out in 38 seconds in front of the whole country last month, also a 5 seed? Give me a break.

They have 4 regions in the bracket, named after a past famous athlete:

Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, and Babe Ruth

Hmmmmmm, let’s see, which one doesn’t belong??

Well a 10 year old could answer that one. Now I’m not a sexist, but the story of King vs. Bobby Riggs is one of the most overrated sports stories off all time. Riggs was 55, 55!, when he played the 30 year old King who was in the prime of her career. Take Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, even Martina Hingis, against any 55 year old former professional tennis player, and the female would win everytime. Yes, King was one of the best tennis players ever, but to put her in the same breath as Jordan, Ali, and Ruth is, in the words of Celtics announced Tommy Heinsohn, “absoultely ridiculous!”.

Anyway, I personally think Tiger Woods will defeat Lebron James in the finals of this thing, because Woods CAN be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan, Ali, and Ruth.

Now let’s get into interleague play. This season, only 3 American League teams had losing records against the NL this year, the Orioles, Devil Rays, and White Sox. The Rockies had the best record against the AL this year, with a 10-8 record. 10-8, best record? Are you serious? Right now, the 5th best team in the AL, the Mariners, would be the best team in the NL. Hell, the Royals and Devil Rays would probably be .500 teams in the NL. And god, the Reds and the Pirates might be 2 of the worst teams in the history or baseball if they played in the AL.

In 2006, only 2 teams in the NL had winning records against the NL. Look at some of these NL records agains the AL last year: Mets (6-9), Phillies (5-13), Braves (5-10), Cardinals (5-10), Pirates (3-12), Cubs (4-11),  Dodgers (5-10), Diamonbacks (4-11). That’s pathetic.

The Cardinals won their divison last year with a 83-78 record. 4 teams in the AL (Blue Jays, Red Sox, White Sox, Angels) that did not make the playoffs had better records than the Cardinals.

GET RID OF THE PITCHER IN THE LINEUP! This would solve a big part of the NL’s problem in my opinion. Most pitchers struggle to hit .200, it’s a joke sometime when they’re up there. When they hit ground balls, they run half-ass to first because they don’t want to pull anything, so unless a pitcher hits a line shot into the outfield or a rare burst of power, it’s a guaranteed out everytime. Position players are drafted to hit and field, pitchers are drafted to pitch, not to hit. Put the DH in the National League and the game would be more entertaining and less people would be falling asleep in these NL ballparks.

American League 9         National League 4    – you heard it hear first

And I just want to point out a scary stat regarding Manny Ramirez, who does not belong in the All Star Game (Red Sox fan saying this):

The .197 hitting Julio Lugo has just 5 RBI’S less (40) than Manny Ramirez (45). Wow

San Fransisco Giants:

Definites:

Barry Bonds- Roids aside, he’s still one of the greatest players to play the game period and one of the most feared sluggers ever.

Maybes:

Omar Vizquel- 2539 hits and a phenomenal shortstop, but he will probably fall short.

Los Angeles Dodgers: No definites or maybes, Jeff Kent and Luis Gonazalez falling just short

San Diego Padres:

Definites:

Trevor Hoffman- The all time saves leader, with 507 saves. Also has 985 carrer strikeouts in 918 career innings, wow.

Greg Maddux- 340 career wins, uhhh, enough said?

Maybes:

David Wells- 243 career wins probably won’t cut it, as he also has a career ERA of over 4.

Arizona Diamondbacks:

Definites:

Randy Johnson- 284 career wins, 4616 career strikouts, and perhaps the most dominating left handed pitcher ever.

No Maybes

Colorado Rockies: No players over 30 have a shot at making the Hall, not even Todd Helton.