All Hail King James

***Special Editors Note: Contribution provided by resident analyst Dave Bone***

I had to wait to lunch to write this because it was too late yesterday, but I definitely needed to do it. Last night I went to the Jays game with some guys from work, and it turned out to be a 1 hr, 50 min masterpiece by Doc, which put me at home by about 10:45pm. As I was packing to go to the cottage, I threw the Pistons – Cavs game on and there was about 5:00 minutes left in the 4th Quarter and the Cavs were down by about 5. Pretty standard, Pistons looked to be well on their way to winning game 5 and booking a spot in another boring Spurs – Pistons final. Little did I know that I was about to witness one of the greatest individual sports performances of my relatively short lifetime.

I’ve followed this series a bit by listening to the ESPN Radio Game Night commentary on my drive home from baseball the last couple weeks, as well as catching bits and pieces of games. LeBron James (a meager 22 years old) has heard a lot of criticism for his late game performances in games 1 & 2 of the series, two games that Cleveland could have easily won if they had executed in crunch time. In the final minutes of those games, LeBron has passed up shots, not got it to the line, not made his free throws when he’s been on the line, not been aggressive enough, dished to inferior teammates who’ve missed jumpers, driven to the hoop only to get denied, and has simply not got the job done. Down 2-0 and moving to Cleveland, the Cavs put in two solid home performances which set the stage for yesterday’s critical swing game.

So the Cavs start to close the 5 point deficit, no thanks to the horrible cast of misfits surrounding LeBron, and are down by one with just under a minute left. Crunch time in Detroit. Again. They put the ball in LeBron’s hands, but this time, you could tell it was different. He blows by his guard and proceeds to throw a vicious one hander down the throat of the Pistons D. One of the sickest, most aggressive dunks you’ll see in a playoff game, let alone one as close as this and in the final minute no less. Billups comes right back and nails a stone cold 3 ball, putting Detroit back up by 2. Here we go again, the ball back in LeBron’s hands, and it’s déjà vu all over again as he cuts through the Pistons feeble attempt to stop him like a hot knife through warm butter and slams another one home! Time for OT, and the stuff legends are made of.

As the first OT period begins to develop, we begin to notice a trend. No one is touching the ball on Cleveland except the child prodigy himself. One group who are also noticing this are the Pistons who begin to do everything in their power to get the ball out of his hands, but their efforts are futile. LeBron fights through double teams, triple teams, heck, basically all 5 Pistons were coming after him, but they could do nothing. He was getting to the line, knocking down ridiculous shots, and putting his team on his shoulders.

The Pistons tie it up late on a couple of free throws and we move to a second OT where things really start to get out of hand. LeBron keeps scoring all of the Cavs points, and he is doing it with shots like an insane 20 ft fade away jumper from just inside the 3 point line with defenders draped all over him, and a behind the back dribble followed by a deadly pull-up jumper. Weak efforts from Pavolic and Varejo to give Cleveland some secondary scoring are easily denied by a professional defense like the Pistons. Ilgauskus fouls out with a couple minutes left after putting Webber on the line with chance for an old fashioned 3-point play, which he converts, putting the Pistons up by 3 and sending the Palace crowd into a frenzy. How does King James respond? He promptly comes off a screen and nails a three pointer in the Pistons grill while falling away. Throughout both OT periods, I was beginning to get the feeling that Cleveland, a team who really doesn’t have any business hanging with a team like Detroit, was going to win this game. LeBron had a look in his eyes that we’d never seen before, and may have not seen since another 23 exhibited dazzling playoff performances like the one I was witnessing. After a James steal on the defensive end followed by another stop on the defensive end for Cleveland, the game was put in LeBron’s young, capable hands once again. He promptly dispels any potential criticism by aggressively driving left, through the heart of Detroit’s defense, and putting in an extremely tough lay-up with his wrong hand, putting Cleveland up for what turned out to be the last time. A huge stop by the Cavs D with a few seconds left seals the huge 109-107 road win and a 3-2 series lead. The stat line for LeBron? 48 Points, 18-33 from the field, 10-14 from the line (a place where he has struggled, especially late in games), 9 boards, 7 dimes, and 2 steals. He ends up scoring the last 25 points for Cleveland and 29 of their final 30.

I hate comparisons, especially when it comes to comparing guys who have nothing but a lot of a skill, a massive upside, and the potential for greatness, being compared to the best players to have ever played a full career (see Crosby/Greztky). That being said, there was no question that yesterday’s performance wreaked of MJ. The fire and competitiveness which separated Jordan from the rest of the greats seemed to be there with LeBron, and he put forth one of the single greatest playoff performances in NBA playoff history. He has a long way to go, but he is one step closer to bringing a rag tag bunch of borderline NBA players to the finals at 22 years of age. All the while he is establishing his legend, building his reputation, and making our collective jaws drop.

I must say, it is a pleasure watching LeBron James come of age before our eyes.

- Dave Bone

Liddell (20-3-0) vs. Jackson (26-6-0)

In one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the year, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell will defend his 205lbs UFC light-heavyweight title against 'God's Street Soldier,' Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Liddell (20-3-0) has been on a mission to avenge the three losses that blemish his impressive record in a career spanning nearly 10 years, fighting at the elite level that is the UFC. First, it was hall of famer Randy Couture, then, long time MMA stand-out Jeremy Horn; now, Liddell seeks to complete the trio this saturday night from the MGM Grand in downtown Las Vegas Nevada, predicting a first round KO of long time PRIDE FC contender "Rampage" Jackson (26-6-0).

Because there is history here, the fight becomes all the more compelling. When these two squared off last, it was in Japan (a market that was familiar with, and embraced Rampage as a superstar of the sport), and under PRIDE FC rules. At that time, Rampage was just 24 years of age and at the time considered by most MMA authorities as being the #2 ranked LHW fighter in the world (behind long time Pride Monarch Wanderlei Silva). Jackson brought the heat to Liddell that night, pressing him from start to finish. As the bout wore on, it was evident that Rampage possessed the better conditioning, and under PRIDE rules, where the first round is 10 minutes in length, he was able to utilize that advantage. The second round of action saw Jackson take Liddell to the mat, and pummel him with blows until a referee stoppage roughly 2 minutes into the round.

Expect this contest to play out differently though. Liddell has been pushing his conditioning hard, found new confidence in capturing a long sought after UFC title, and at 37 years of age, he hasn’t appeared to lose even the slightest step defeating his last 7 opponents by way of TKO/KO. The first round is only 5 minutes, and simply getting Chuck pressed up against the cage, does not by any means guarantee a takedown is inevitable. If there’s one aspect of his game that Chuck has mastered, it’s commanding the octagon and ring generalship.

The timing of this fight makes me believe that the odds are stacked slightly in Liddell’s favor for the following reasons; a) confidence b) activity, and c) awareness. Liddell’s streak of late has been impressive and confidence for him is at an all time high. Rampage has only had two fights in the past year, and just one inside of the UFCs octagon which is where awareness might play a factor. Regardless, expect sparks to fly, and expect excitement on all levels because neither of these guys are interested in squeaking out a decision.

Keys to the Fight

Liddell has to keep Jackson on the outside with constant jabs, and stay away from focusing only on the one big shot. Liddell is however, a former US National kickboxing champion, so needless-to-say, he knows how to throw em’. His takedown defense is among the best in the world, and this will again be a major key to his success. He cannot allow Jackson to get a body lock on him, because what goes up, must come down and slams are Rampage’s forte. Neither guy has a great submission game, but both are able to defend well against submissions, so don’t expect that aspect of the game to play a major factor in this one. Rampage is well versed in strikes, but he’s not as crisp as Liddell. Explosiveness, athleticism, and quickness has to go to Jackson, so pushing the pace will be a necessity in finding success.

“The Natural”, Randy Couture put himself out there this past week by declaring that he’s predicting the upset this weekend, with a belief that Rampage has all the tools to dethrone the reigning champ, but I’m going to lean in the opposite direction with this one. Although my heart will be with Rampage, my head says that the current circumstances under which this fight is taking place are favoring Chuck, and for that reason (timing), I’m going to predict a Chuck Liddell TKO victory via Ref stoppage.

DD

Forza Milano

On the morning after the UEFA Champions League final, we sit back and reflect on the game that brought millions across the globe to their feet once more. The rematch from 05’s final promised excitement, and for the most part, it delivered just that. Out of the gates, it looked as though the Italian giants – AC Milan – were determined to leave their mark convincingly on this years European campaign, however, after a short burst early it was the breakout speed and quick passing of Liverpool that dictated the pace of the first half.

Several chances early were squandered by England’s most successful club at the European level, but it appeared as though eventually they would find the mark. Kaka, who was the talk of the tournament leading into the final match-day was silenced through much of the first half, but alas, in the 45^th minute with the ball just 22 yards from the goal the inevitable finally happened; Xabi Alonso of Liverpool FC, in the final seconds before the whistle sounded made an ambitious effort to tackle Kaka and end the threat that he poses each and every time he touches the ball.

As their legs every so slightly brushed up against one another, the Brazilian international hit the turf with agony on his face leading to a free kick from Andrea Pirlo, one of the world’s best free-kick takers. The ensuing kick ricocheted off of teammate Filippo Inzaghi and past a helpless Reina into the back of the net. It was a tough one to swallow, but Liverpool pressed on in the second half, narrowly missing chances from both Riise and Gerrard.

I think if the tables were tilted to the Milan side in any aspect, it would have been in the coaching decisions by Rafael Benítez who left Harry Kewel sidelined while a sluggish Zenden struggled to keep up to pace down the left side for the better part of the game. Another questionable call concerned the usage (or lack of) of Peter Crouch who emerged from the bench after the 80^th minute of play. Liverpool, who attempted far more crosses and added 6 more corners connected with very few of them, and could have used the services of 6’7” Peter Crouch at many points. Regardless, the Italian side prevailed victorious, and deservingly so; for the day…. Forza Milano

A Day of Champions

On the day when UEFA’s most covenant club prize will be awarded to Europe’s, and arguably the world’s best football club, we sit back and wait in anticipation of a rematch of the 2005 final that promises nothing short of world class soccer. These clubs boast 11 Champions League titles between them; for Liverpool, this will give them a chance to pull even with the Italian giants at 6 cups a piece, for Milan, this will be an opportunity to avenge the devastating come from behind loss suffered at the hands of the Merseyside Reds just two seasons ago.

It is without question that both clubs, although extremely deep and talented, will give the reigns to their greatest talents in the midfield. The outcome of this game could very well be dictated by the play of opposing stars, Steven Gerrard and Kaka. Kaka, the tournaments leading scorer (10) will certainly be the focus of attention at kick-off, however, Liverpool coach Rafael Benítez assures his supporters that they will do nothing out of the ordinary, sticking with a zone defensive tactic, rather than man-marking the Brazilian international. Luis Garcia, although sidelined with an injury, is confident that his team will prevail in Athens and has traveled there with Liverpool to show his support.

AC Milan, seeking their 7^th Champions League title will go into today’s match-up the favorite, but once the game is off and started, you may as well throw the money-line out the window; if Greece can remind us of anything, it’s that this is football and anything can happen on any given day.

The Ultimate Fighter 5

Here we go again… Get ready fight fans The Ultimate Fighter is back, with the launch of season 5 Thursday night on Spike TV. This seasons initiative is to focus entirely on the LW division, in order to resurrect what once was perhaps the most exciting weight class in the UFC.

The coaches this season are former LW Champion “Little Evil” Jens Pulver, and none other than “The Prodigy” BJ Penn. The season begins with the emergence of a major theme, already witnessed by TUF fans in season 3, Ortiz vs. Shamrock; these two guys do not like each other the least bit. Their history goes back to a title fight in early 2002, the conclusion of which saw a seemingly overmatched Pulver come back to win the final three rounds, and take a majority decision to successfully defend his title. The Prodigy has wanted to avenge that loss ever since, and with the completion of this season he will get his opportunity to do so.

Now to the fighters… these guys are lean, fast, and promise excitement. Notables include; Nate Diaz (brother of WW contender Nick Diaz), Cole Miller, Cory Hill, and Joe Lauzon, who funny enough, KOed coach Jens Pulver in his UFC debut not 8 months ago. These guys are mostly young talent, with a ton of built up energy that piece by piece is beginning to leak out around the house as fighters start to anticipate match-ups and get on under each other’s skin.

The Fight

Our first fight of the season saw Cole Miller from Team Pulver call out Allen Berube of Team Penn; once this fight hit the ground, less than 2 minutes in, it was not difficult to see the mismatch. Miller, although on his back, immediately started to work for the triangle. As Cole moved his legs up around the shoulders of Berube, the Boston native had no answer, eventually giving up the triangle, and tapping half way into the first round. No one on either side was particularly surprised by the result, and even BJ himself joked to his fighter afterwards that he was doing fairly well! (based on expectations). Allen Berube is the first fighter eliminated in season 5.

Next weeks preview looked very heated as an unknown fighter appears to push Nate Diaz too far, provoking a challenge at the house while roommates scramble to keep things in order. Tune in Thursday April 12 at 10pm for your weekly fix of TUF season 5.

DD

MLB Season Preview - AL Edition

It’s been a long time since there has been any sort of hope for baseball fans in Toronto. Not since Joe Carter leapt around the base paths, circling a devastated mullet-wearing closer, was this city in jubilation over their boys of summer. That all should change this year though, finally the pieces are in place for a wild summer. Let’s take a closer look at how the American League will play out and who the eventual winners will be.

AL East

In arguably the most competitive division in baseball, things just don’t come easy in the AL East. This off-season was a little different than years past, not as many big names packed their bags and headed to the East Coast to dawn the pinstripes, become an idiot or take a huge tax hit, but still, the sense that the eventual champion will have to roll through one of the cities that comprise the American League East stands true.

One team who will soon be able to play with the big boys again will be the Baltimore Orioles. They have built a strong team over the past few years but are still a few pieces away from really contending with the likes of Toronto, Boston or NY. The addition of Aubrey Huff, who will spend time both at first base and in left field, was a nice move. Huff will be able to provide some pop from the left side and play solid defense at first base. The evolution of the Orioles young players will be the most rewarding thing to watch for the crab-loving O’s faithful. Right fielder Nick Markakis showed the league what he was capable of last year, as he hit 20 HR and played remarkable in the second half of the season. He’s got big pop in his bat, showed good plate discipline and should fit nicely in the middle of the O’s lineup for years to come. The real coming out party however should be reserved for Baltimore ace-in-the-making Erik Bedard.

Bedard showed that he had the stuff to solidify his stance as the team’s ace and will need to be just that for the O’s to stay in contention. Assisting him in their quest to regain respectability will be youngsters Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen. Cabrera and Loewen aren’t much alike, Cabrera throwing sizzling hot, razor sharp fastballs and sliders, while Loewen slings as a southpaw and combines a power fastball with a big hook. Look out for these two to finally take that big step forward everyone has been predicting, especially after a full year of tutelage under Leo Mazzone.

The other team who will be fun to watch will be the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Once they can build on their uber-athleticism and freak abilities this team will be in contention for years to come, that is, if they can keep their home grown talent. It’s been a long time at the bottom of the standings for the Rays and although the influx of top-tier prospects will help, this team is still a few strong arms and a couple years of learning the ropes in the Bigs away from the top of the division. It looks as though B.J. Upton won’t have to be the super-utility guy Chone Figgins has become as Jorge Cantu was sent down for assignment with the Tripe-A affiliate. His progress, and everyday job, will be dependent on his ability to play solid defensively and show us why he was a top pick. Also, make sure to keep an eye on the one player from Japan who’s been flying under the radar. Akinori Iwamura is a very foundamentally sound third baseman who can hit for great average like many Japanese players, but does possess pop and can snag a bag if need be. Where things get really fun is in the outfield.

Delmon Young is up for his first year with the big club and should not disappoint. If he can keep his emotions intact he’ll be a star. One situation to keep an eye on will be the health of Rocco Baldelli. He was almost sidelined again near the end of the spring, but did start the year on the Rays 25-man roster. If Rocco goes down, look for another star prospect to take his place. Elijah Dukes has that rare combination of speed and power and has been scouted as having more plate discipline than Young. If Dukes gets a shot, he could churn big dividends for the Rays not only this year but for many years to come. Either that, or him and Young get caught up in the limelight and end up on the front page of the newspaper after being detained and arrested outside a club in Miami, like I said, things will be interesting.

When trying to predict who will come out of the East, it invariably comes down to three clubs; New York, Boston and Toronto. For the first time in over ten years the Blue Jays were able to leapfrog the Red Sox for second in the division and make claim to being legitimate contenders. What this race will come down to is pitching. All three teams have lineups that can mash, where games will be won is on the mound.

When looking at the projected pitching rotations there are many questions to be answered. Will Mussina, Pettitte and Pavano stay healthy? What’s to expect of Kei Igawa and how much weight can be put on the shoulders of an aging bullpen? Were the Red Sox crazy to pay all that money for Dice-K? How will Schillings body hold up this year? Will Josh Beckett be able to find the form that made him such a hot commodity only a few years ago? Will Jonathon Papelbon’s arm stay in socket while he throws sporadically out of the bullpen? And then you have the Blue Jays who are wondering; Will AJ Burnett stay healthy and show what he can do over a full season? Who will step up and take over the fourth and fifth starter roles? How will Gustavo Chacin bounce back after an injury riddle sophomore season? Well here are a few projections:

The Yankees staff will suffer. They will fall ill to the injury bug and be searching for a savior, who, will fittingly come in the likes of Roger Clemens. This is why I hate the Yankees. Igawa will be solid as a fourth or fifth starter and should provide some stability at the back end of the rotation. And if things go exceedingly well, we’ll see the highly touted Phil Hughes pitching in Yankee Stadium sooner rather than later, but don’t hold your breath on that one, the Yankees will make sure he’s fully ready before throwing him to the wolves.

Dice-K will live up to the hype. With his deceptive delivery and competitive nature, he will be everything the Red Sox hoped for. It also helps that I was able to snag him in the first round of my Fantasy Keeper League second year draft, for me to look at him in the most positive of light. Schilling should be able to curtail any decline that may be forthcoming as he should look to rest and mend to any injuries (both big and small) in the most efficient manner. Beckett will show that his homerun rates are still too high and that he is still only a #3 starter on a good team, at best, especially in the slugging AL East. And as for Papelbon, well, the kid has got everything you’d want in a closer. He loves to take the ball with everything on the line, he showed he’s capable of dominating at this level and has the desire to close games burning inside of him. He’ll be solid coming in the ninth and is vital to the Sox chances.

Burnett will finally show everyone why there is always so much hype built up around him. He was electric in the spring this year and now has added a nasty change up to his arsenal. Teamed with Halladay at the front of the rotation, the two should make-up one of the best 1-2 punches in the Major Leagues. Chacin will have some problems, but should be able to work through them and if he can continue to deceive hitters with his jerky motion to the plate, should fit in nicely in the middle of the rotation. Tomo Ohka, Josh Tower and Victor Zambrano will all vie for the fifth starters gig and if any of them falters there are Scott Downs, Shawn Marcum and Casey Janssen looking to come in and make their mark.

Overall I think that the Yankees have the most complete lineup top-to-bottom, but those kinds of things happen when you spend over $200M. This years winner of the AL however, will come from north of the border. The Jays should come out of the gates running and have the lineup to compete every night. If the pitching isn’t there, then the bats will take precedence lead by a monster year from Vernon Wells and Alex Rios. The Jays play the type of ball that fans can appreciate and as the temperature starts to climb in TO, fans will finally start pouring into Rogers Centre the way the did when we were calling it the Dome.

AL East Winner: Toronto Blue Jays
AL East Fantasy Sleepers: Alex Rios (Tor), Nick Markakis (Bal), Daniel Cabrera (Bal), Adam Loewen (Bal), Delmon Young (TB), James Shields (TB), Elijah Dukes (TB), Phil Hugues (NYY), Roger Clemens (NYY??)

AL Central

The Central is going to be a very competitive division again this year. With the Twins sneaking out the division over the Tigers in the last week of the season last year, both teams will be looking for the same destination again this fall. They’ll get stiff competition from the White Sox and Indians. As for the Royals, well they’ll be better, but still not very good.

The Tigers have a very well rounded line up to begin with, then went and added a huge slugger, although an aging slugger, in Gary Sheffield. Expect Shef to come out swinging. He’s a veteran who was cast out of the Bronx after the Yanks went and picked up Abreu late last season and will be playing with a chip on his shoulder. Correction: a HUGE chip on his shoulder. He’s the type of player who doesn’t take being let go lightly, especially when he feels he has a lot still left in the tank. Look for Shef to add a very potent piece to the middle of the Tigers already well balanced lineup.

Jeremy Bonderman should take the final step in becoming the true ace the people in Motown already know he is. Remember, he is only 24 years old. That’s some major experience to have under your belt and still be one of the youngest guys in the clubhouse. Bondo has been through everything, literally, and that will only help him take the next step in his career, look for big things from this young-vet. With Rogers out until the middle of the season, much will be asked of both Justin Verlander and Nate Robinson, yah, again. As long as both pitchers are monitored well and kept at reasonable pitch counts, they should be solid, especially with the help of a full healthy Mike Maroth. Look for Detroit to once again be heavily in the mix of teams battling for one of the coveted playoff spots out of the Central.

One team that really has worn old on me are those other guys in Chi-town. After hearing Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen continually talk smack, or as either the media or they themselves like to put it, with heart and passion, I have got to the point of hoping the next time they open their mouths it will be as if I pushed the mute button and I’ll only see their lips move. That would be refreshing. Unfortunately, we’ll be in store for more smack talk. The White Sox return many of the same old faces and that’s why they’ll be in things near the end of the year.

Williams has brought in a few young arms through the McCarthy and Garcia deals in the likes of John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Sisco. Somehow he’s able to continually find teams who want to deal top pitching prospects away and there is no doubt that one of the four will turn into a main-stay within the White Sox organization. I do have to give credit where credit is due, and Kenny Williams is a very good talent evaluator and has a knack for getting things accomplished. The White Sox will be in the hunt, but may find themselves on the outside as the Central is stacked with high quality teams.

The Tribe will be a very fun team to watch this year. A few storylines to follow include the evolution of Grady Sizemore into one of the games top all-around players, Cronk’s chase of the MVP award and his mission to dismiss any notion that a designated hitter cannot win the award, how laser eye surgery should bring Jhonny Peralta’s game back to what it was only two short years ago, watching CC dominate and take a run at the top pitching honours in the AL, newly acquired Josh Barfield run wild on the base paths, and how Jeremy Sowers and Andy Marte will show why they have starting spots on the big club at such a young age. This should be a big bounce back year for the Tribe as they can put up runs with any other team, not only in the Central, but in all of baseball. If a newly stacked bullpen, and healthy starting staff can be consistent, look for the Indians to be the odds on favourite to take the division.

Having the league batting champion, a Cy Young pitcher and the AL MVP all on one team, you’d expect me to be a little more excited, but alas, I can’t get too worked up over the Minnesota Twins. Joe Mauer, Johan Santana and Justin Morneau are all out-of-this-world ball players who will continue to carry this team until their current contracts that amount to peanuts runs out and they hit the free-agent market looking to stabilize their grandchildren’s financial status. The Twins area of concern, like many teams, is with their starting pitching. With rookie sensation Fransisco Lirano sidelined for the entire season and Brad Radke retiring, the likes of Ramon Ortiz, Boof Bonser, Carlos Silva and Sidney Ponson will need to fill the void. Relying on old, name changing, over-weight pitchers is not usually a promising proposition, however, Twins brass seems to always find a way to build a winner so you can expect the Twins to hang around long enough to give the Metrodome faithful something to cheer about. If any of these pitchers slips up though, look for top-prospect Matt Garza to get the call and make an impact.

Rounding out the highly competitive Central Division are the Kansas City Royals. The Royals made a lot of headlines in the off-season, first by spending $55M on Gil Meche, who will silence his critics and show that he’s got fantastic stuff, and then by promoting the Minor League Player of the Year up to the Show. Alex Gordon has all the tools to become a very good pro; he works diligently, has got phenomenal athletic gifts, and has dominated the competition at every level. He, along with Ryan Shealy, Tony Pena Jr. and Mark Teahen will make the Royals a team you should keep an eye on, if not for this year, then definitely in the very near future. Another young stud working his way up the ranks is Billy Butler. Butler has been touted as a better pure athlete than Gordon and if he comes to fruition will make the Royals a very dangerous team, something that hasn’t been said in far too long.

AL Central Champs: Cleveland Indians
AL Central Fantasy Sleepers: John Danks (Chi), Josh Fields (Chi), Jhonny Peralta (Cle), Andy Marte (Cle), Ryan Shealy (KC), Alex Gordon (KC), Tony Pena Jr. (KC), Mark Teahen (KC), Octavio Dotel (KC), Torii Hunter (Min), Boof Bonser (Min), Matt Garza (Min)

AL West

In a division with only four teams, you would expect rivalries to be heated and that’s exactly what we get from the AL West. The reigning champs LA Angels have added to their already explosive bullpen and look to make claim to once again being the best there is to offer from the West Coast. Baseball is played with more of an old school feel out West. Games are kept tight by supreme pitching, managers using more of an NL-mind set when crafting their game plans, and by the end of the game many jerseys are dirty from running hard on the base paths and playing solid defense.

The Angels look to have one of the top clubs out of the four again this year. They’ll start the season with Colon and Jared Weaver on the disabled list but will still expect strong outings from their men on the hill. John Lackey will continue to evolve into one of baseballs most reliable front line pitchers and open more people’s eyes during the process. He may not be the flashiest, but he gets the job done with extreme efficiency and continually gives his team a chance to win. If the starters are able to get to at least the 5th or 6th innings in games, the superb Angels bullpen newly restocked with Justin Spier and Darren Oliver parlayed with Scot Sheilds and Frankie Rodriguez will keep teams shut down in the latter parts of games.

A major hole the Angels weren’t able to fill was to provide Vladdy with a partner in crime to slug balls into the rock façade in centre field. They did acquire alleged-HGH culprit Gary Matthews Jr. from Texas, but didn’t land the Soriano or Carlos Lee they were hoping to get. The Angels do however possess some of the best young talent in all of baseball. First basemen Casey Kotchman will try and become more consistent in his second full season in the big leagues. Second baseman Howie Kendrick will try and live up to all the batting-champ hype that has been circling around the young man’s head for the past four months. Then the slick middle infield combo of Erick Aybar and Brandon Wood is set to make their mark in the Show. Both will start in a reserve role or down with the Triple-A affiliate, but look for them to make their call up and produce at the big stage sometime later this summer. Over the past two seasons Wood hit a combined 67HR at two levels of the minor leagues, and for a short stop, has immense potential. He may however be moved over to third base to accommodate Orlando Cabrera, but no matter where he fits into the mold, should produce big numbers.

The Oakland Athletics lost the final piece of the Big-3. Barry Zito finally priced himself out of Oakland’s cheque books, packed his bags, and headed a few miles away to San Francisco. The move will be viewed at as a last ditch effort by Giants management to try and sugar coat a season that will be marred with Bonds questions and the deeply rooted and often discussed crisis of performance enhancing drugs and their place within sports. Oakland was smart to let Zito walk. All of his performance-telling stats have declined. His walk rates are up, strikeout rates are down. He’s letting up more homeruns than ever in his career and has seen his velocity continually dip. This will be the season in which Rich Harden has a coming out party. Harden is a true ace, but needs to stay in the rotation. If he can make 30-35 starts this year, look for his name to be there with Santana’s and Halladay’s when we’re giving out Cy Young awards. Another big time performing will be Dan Haren who, like John Lackey, doesn’t get much of the attention but continually goes out, does his job, and leaves his team in a great spot to win.

Shannon Stewart was added to the outfield, and should put up decent numbers as he has over his entire career. One player to keep an eye on for a monster year is Milton Bradley. With no other primetime bat in the A’s lineup, well, other than a resurgence year from Mike Piazza similar to Frank Thomas and unless Eric Chavez can find his stroke again, Bradley will be the man to step up. Oakland should be competitive as always, but may fall just short of another post season birth.

The Texas Rangers will be looking to their franchise players to lead by example. Teixeira, Young and Blalock will need to have strong seasons from April to the end of September if this Rangers team is going to be in the mix of things at the end of the year. They should also get a very nice surprise from young second basemen Ian Kinsler who has pop in his bat and will be a very nice compliment to the big three. Look for a breakout season from him.

The Rangers added hard throwing right hander Brandon McCarthy to the staff from Chicago and are expecting very good things from the youngster. McCarthy will finally get a shot to do what Ozzie Guillen didn’t allow him to do, start games, this year, and should have a nice campaign if he can keep the ball in the yard. The Rangers will also look to the injury plagued Eric Gagne for security late in games. Gagne was signed this off-season after missing almost two full seasons with the Dodgers due to arm problems. He’ll start the season on the DL to get in a little more work and should be with the club after the first few weeks. Don’t expect much from this Rangers team however, as their Achilles heel has always been and will continue to be their staff.

Rounding out the West are the Seattle Mariners. The M’s went out and made some changes this off-season. Even with the influx of some new blood, this is still not a very deep or strong team. Jose Guillen will be the new right fielder and you can expect a melt-down by mid June. A lot of money was spent to try to and beef up the starting rotation and in the likes of Jeff Weaver and Miguel Batista, I wouldn’t feel to secure. Battista may however become more vital in another way. He and superstar-to-be Felix Hernandez have really hit it off and Battista is acting as King Felix’s defacto mentor. It should serve the youngster good to have someone to relate to, especially since they have the same roots, and somewhere to find guidance. Although if he keeps conversations focused strictly on pitching, Battista may not be the right guy for the job.

Seattle will face its biggest challenge this off -season however. That’s when Mr. Ichiro Suzuki will become a free agent, and the M’s need to prove this is not a wasteland and that Suzuki has a legitimate shot at winning a World Series, if not, we could see the star elsewhere come next April.

AL West Champ: LA Angels
AL West Fantasy Sleepers: Brandon Wood (LAA), Milton Bradley (Oak), Mike Piazza (Oak), Ian Kinsler (Tex)

AL Wildcard: Detroit Tigers

- JW

MLB Season Preview - NL Edition

It’s been over a month and it feels great to be back, but boy do we have a lot to cover. If you feel bitter for me leaving you in such despair, my time away also dipped into my personal life and accounted for some social depravation found in the deeply rooted, cult-like following that is fantasy baseball. I have spent countless hours in front of my laptop monitor, sitting with either the recent Baseball Prospectus or one of a few other “Insider” magazines in search for the answers that will allow some to rejoice later this year, and some to wonder what could have been. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the SportsNow Insider 2007 Major League Baseball Preview.

I won’t lie, I am an addict. I cancel appointments, screen calls, and watch what I say and how I act when around particular parties. I sleep late, put off work, and have been bound to a very irregular grooming pattern. At least I have a great group of buddies to be sex-starved with but, who still have the passion to sit and talk about how well youngster Chris B. Young will shape up in the youth invigorated DBacks outfield or how Tomo Ohka or Victor Zambrano could mean the difference, and possibly a playoff spot for the Jays (yes, you did read that correctly, cast-offs always seem to be the unlikely heroes before anything happens, but then the guy who everyone says “Well, obviously they were the ones who were going to make the difference, they had something to prove” after the fact). Most times these conversations are happening for the seventy-third time, and at odd hours of the morning, but still, we always find a new point to argue to the bitter end, and that is why I have been so hopped up for the past two months.

Baseball is a thinking mans game. True, it does require luck, but success on any level requires even a touch of luck. The great thing about baseball is how each play is a battle of wills, a test of both the body and the mind. The intricate relationship between the home plate umpire and the catcher is one that may pass blindly by the unobserving eye, but to those in the know, could mean the difference between the called third strike on the outside corner with the sacks juiced and two out in the ninth and walking in the tying run. Or the head games managers will play against each other; deciding to pinch hit to force a move to another pitcher, which all equate to why I love the game as much as I do. Some may find it crazy, but my fellow Grimsby Dynasty League General Managers and Fantasy connoisseurs everywhere are all blissful right now, because yesterday the stats started to pile in.

Let’s get right into the obviously biased, utterly judgmental but very insightful picks for the season upon us.

NL East

The East used to be a division that was an easy call. Go with the Braves and you’re set, or in recent years, pick the Mets and ride the 7 train into Flushing for some October baseball. Not this year though. The Mets will be in the thick of things, but not the hands down favourite of the bunch to take it all, not yet at least. With the young nucleus GM Omar Minaya has built (Reyes, Wright, Beltran) mixed with savvy vets (Delgado, Alou, Green, Valentine, Lo Duca, Glavine, Wagner) and a few rising stars who may come along the way (Pelfry, Milledge) this team brings just about everything to the table. Where they separate themselves from the pack is through that potent line-up, headed by one of the most electrifying players in the game. Where they will need to show some strength is in the starting rotation since Pedro will be down and out until the All-Star break, if not longer.

Glavine will need to play like the Glavine we have come to know over the past 20 years, holding onus to being the stopper who solidifies the staff and cuts losing streaks short. After that though, a lot is up in the air. El Duque should be solid, as he has been for the main part of his 35 year professional career. John Maine will look to show he’s got the gonads to be a quality pitcher not only in the post-season, but during the long haul of the regular season. Then there are two question marks in the likes of both Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey. Perez has shown glimpses of his dominant nature during his time with the Pirates, but those glimpses have been few and far between over the past two and a half years. He’ll need to show he belongs, and has the team behind him to do just that. The biggest surprise however could come from rookie Mike Pelfrey. Pelfrey is a daunting presence on the mound standing at 6’7 and can bring it (he was clocked at 98 and 99 over the spring). He’ll provide moments reserved for that guy who tried to make NYC his Daddy, but those should be very sporadic. This team will be fun to watch at any rate and be highly competitive.

Trying to oust the Mets from their perch atop the NL East will be the Phillies, Braves and Marlins. Sorry to any Nationals fans who may be reading this, you guys have a few long years ahead of you, take solace in the fact that Ryan Zimmerman should form nicely into the cornerstone of your franchise, there’s not much more there to get excited about. As for the Phillies, they’ll have a shot, just as Jimmy Rollins candidly went on the record to state early this spring.

Brett Myers should continue to be the ace he’s made himself into over the past three years, just as long as he can keep his misdemeanors to a minimum and stay healthy. Pat Gillick went out and added some depth and leadership to a depleted pitching rotation by adding the likes of work-horse Freddy Garcia (out to start the season with soreness in his bicep), the ageless Jamie Moyer and Texas cast-off Adam Eaton. Having a core group of guys who have been through just about every possibly situation imaginable will be nothing but gravy for the highly touted prospect Cole Hamels to add to his already impressive onslaught. The lineup is solid top to bottom and the NL will have to watch out for the new everyday right fielder Shane Victorino, who has speed and pop in his bat that will only add to the potency the Phils’ have.

One personal vendetta I’m hoping plays its course is at the catching position. After verbally agreeing to a deal with the Blue Jays, Rod Barajas got a little bug in his ear from a third-party agent, decided he liked what he heard, fired his agent at the time, hired the new guy with the master plan, then tried to re-nag on his original agreement because now his new agent thought he could get him more. Sorry for you to have to find out this way Rod, but just because the team is in Canada doesn’t mean its run by Canadians (known for being overly polite and very courteous and understanding). JP Riccardi was not standing for this lack of respect and unlike a friendly Canuck, told Barajas where to stick it. Now Barajas will be challenged to keep his everyday job by both Christ Coste and more favourably the young Carlos Ruiz. We’ll watch to see how things play out. Hopefully it will end with Barajas sitting in his east end Philadelphia condo, watching the Jays face off against the Indians in the ALDS.

Both the Braves and Marlins will also be in contention late; and both for complete opposite reasons. The Braves always seem to find a way to stay competitive and this year should be no different. With Andruw Jones in a walk-year, he should put up gaudy numbers and may price himself out of Atlanta. Jeff Francoeur should continue to see improvements as he grows and develops a better understanding of the term plate discipline. Look for Tim Hudson to have a bounce back year and for the possibility of Kelly Johnson to surprise a lot of people somewhat the same way Dan Uggla did last year. The key to the Braves success will undoubtedly be their pitching staff as always, but I see their bullpen being the strong point. By picking up Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez late last season, they have stacked their pen with quality arms and should hold leads handed off by the starters and close things down.

The Marlins are a young team full of potential….um, yah, again. They play with flair and under almost the minutest level of scrutiny any team in the league faces. They are a team always full of surprises, but may have burned one bridge too many after the dismissal of Manager Joe Girardi after last season. If nothing else, it will be fun to watch Miggy Cabrera make all the GMs sitting on a load of cash start adding the zero’s to the end of his upcoming MONSTER contract.

NL East Champs: New York Mets
NL East Fantasy Sleepers: Kelly Johnson (Atl), Rafael Soriano (Atl), Shane Victorino (Phi), Ryan Church (Wash)

NL Central

Unlike years past there’s reason to be excited about the Central. We’ve got the reigning World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, even though not many people remember their crowning last fall, and then a group of teams who have repositioned themselves nicely and should provide ample reason to tune into games between division rivals.

The Cards will be a strong team once again this year. They will however, need to rely on the almighty Puljos even more. With Jim Edmonds on the decline and never knowing how long Scott Rolen will be at your disposal, the Cards will once again rely on the backbone of the organization to pull them out of the woodwork. New additions Adam Kennedy and Preston Wilson should provide some relief to the offense but can’t be heavily relied upon under any circumstances. If Chris Duncan is able to start to hit lefties a little better this year and keep up his torrid homerun pace from last year (22HR in 280AB) he could turn out to be a nice tool used in front of Albert. Because he’ll be entering his first full season in the Show it shouldn’t be a surprise if he has a recession back to the mean and those Bonds-like HR rates lowered.

The Cards will be relying on their pitching and may run into some problems, but could come out looking like geniuses. Carpenter will be his usual self and anchor the rotation. Newly acquired Kip Wells is looking to have a renaissance year such as Carpenter did back in 2004 when he shed his bad habits that left him a .500 pitcher after six seasons with the Jays. Wells has looked very solid during camp this year and working with the staff employed by the Cards, could be in store for a big year. Anthony Reyes will get another shot at becoming the organizations crown jewel so many think he will become. After having an up-and-down rookie season, look for Reyes to solidify himself as a solid middle-to-top of the rotation guy. Rounding out the rotation will be Adam Wainwright who is making the move into the rotation somewhat similarly to what we thought would happen in Boston. Things on the East Coast never seem to work out quite as smoothly as planned but, in the Mid-Wes,t expect a strong year from Wainwright. If Isringhausen stays healthy expect the Cards to be in the hunt come the end of September, if Issy goes down, expect Wainwright to take on the duties and try and save the Cards season (no pun intended).

The team who people should really be taking notice of, are the boys out in Milwaukee. After dismal season after dismal season, there is finally hope in Cheesehead land that their baseball team might bring some notoriety to the area. GM Doug Melvin has done a great job at building this team through the draft and is now eyeing a possible playoff birth for the first time in...well...I can't even remember the last time I used the words Brewers and playoffs in the same sentence, so it's been a long time coming. The Brewers infield will be potent. Big Daddy's son Prince is entering his second full season and should continue to make Poppa proud while sending many souvenirs into the Milwaukee night. J.J Hardy and Rickie Weeks make a very good, and very young, combo to have at your middle slots. Both are only 24-years old entering the season and are looking to make a name for themselves amongst the NL middle infielders. Moving into the outfield this year was the slugging Bill Hall and a continued onslaught should be expected. The final piece of the puzzle could possibly be another 24-year old, Corey Hart. Hart will have the starting right fielders job and if he can continue his success from the minors, should turn out to be a very quality corner outfielder for years to come.

The pitching staff for the Brewers could easily be the best in the Central. Sheets will be back, hopefully fully healthy, and should be in store for a monster season. Capuano will look to become a bonafied number two man, but will be challenged by Dave Bush for those honours. Although Bush will be starting the season as the #5 starter, look for him to take to the mound and have some very solid performances in the early going which will only be to the Brewers advantage. Then rounding out the rotation will be newcomers Jeff Suppan and Claudio Vargas. This Brewers team will be one of the best in the Central, its just too bad no one knows it yet.

But where are the lovable Cubbies you ask? Well, unfortunately they went out and spent a lot of money in the wrong places. This was a team that struggled to get on base last year, mind you they were without perennial All-Star Derek Lee for the entire season, but areas of concern were not properly assessed. The Cubs will be able to put runs on the board with the likes of Soriano, Lee, and Ramirez in their lineup. It’s just too bad that they won’t be able to stop the other team on four out of five days. Re-upping Big Z for this year was very smart, he’s the workhorse every staff needs and is a fiery competitor. Now they'll have to make sure they can keep Carlos happy and get him to commit to a long-term deal with the club, if not, their futility could continue. After that though you’ve got about $110M wrapped up in mediocrity, aka Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Wade Miller. Miller still has the outside shot to turn into a more reliable starter than he’s shown in years past playing out in Houston, so he shouldn’t be lumped in with Lilly or Marquis just yet, but the time is coming. The one unknown bright spot will be Rich Hill. The Cubs farmhand will be looking to solidify his stance as the teams number 2 starter right behind Zambrano and shouldn’t disappoint. He’s got a very strong fastball and backs that up with great control. If the winds die down enough every fifth day and Hill avoids the long ball he should be solid. The team in general however, will fall short.

Cincinnati will have an interesting year in 07. If they band together they could be a sneaky team in the Central. If they get hit by the injury truck, it’ll be a long grind, either way though it will be interesting. The story out of spring training was that of the Rule-5 pick up Josh Hamilton that got sent to the Reds for cash considerations from the Cubs. Hamilton tore through the spring, hitting over .400 and showed the power and discipline that made him the top overall selection of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays a few years back. He’ll start the season on the bench, but barring some unforeseen anomaly, should be in the everyday lineup by the third week after Griffey Jr. pulls a hammy. Brandon Phillips and Edwin Encarnacion will be fun young players to keep an eye on and Aaron Harang should continue to show the masses that he is a legitimate number one starter. The bullpen, although full of arms, has no real direction with the closers job still up in the air. Certainty and an image are what this team desperately needs and it could come as soon as this year, or be put on hold once again, the jury is still out.

Rounding out the Central are the Astros and Pirates. The Astros should be decent, but don’t expect too much, especially since that weasel Roger Clemens will string Houstonians along until the last possible moment, when he announces that he will return to the game and that it will be with the damn Yankees. As for the Pirates, well, at least they have a nice ballpark and Jason Bay.

NL Central Champ: Milwaukee Brewers
NL Central Fantasy Sleepers: Rich Hill (ChC), Josh Hamilton (Cin), Corey Hart (Mil), Dave Bush (Mil), Kip Wells (StL), Anthony Reyes (StL), Chris Duncan (StL)

NL West

The way the West will be won will soon include treacherous stops for opponents who visit Coors Field and ChaseField (formerly known as BankOne Ballpark) and home to the Arizona Diamondbacks. These two teams are stacked with youth, and very talented youngsters at that.

The Rockies will be hitting the field this year looking to move up the standings and back into the race for a playoff spot, something that hasn’t been done since their inception. After an off-season where the franchise tag player, Todd Helton, was almost dealt to the Red Sox, the front office took a long and hard look at what was in front of them and decided against dealing the veteran and rather have his leadership, and plus .320 batting average around for a little while longer. Helton will be joined by the Murderer’s Row consisting of Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe. Complimenting the Rockies’ All-Stars will be hard working and very gifted rookie Chris Iannetta behind the plate and equally as impressive short stop Troy Tulowitzki (Tools’ for short). These two young players are exactly the type you want to go to battle with. They work at their craft extremely hard, play the game with the passion it was intended to be played with and are very knowledgeable. They’ve also got incredibly bright futures ahead of themselves along with many other Rockies. Willy Taveras was added for some speed at the top of the order and should fit in nicely with all of the big bats. One of the more under the radar moves was conducted late last season when Kaz Matsui was brought into the Mountains. Kaz looks as though he’s found a nice home in Colorado and could be on the verge, with less pressure and a set role, to become what most expected on his arrival in Queens a few years ago.

Pitching will be the only question mark entering the year. Gone is Jason Jennings which means Aaron Cook is the defacto ace. Look for Jeff Francis to take another step forward in his evolutionary process and be a solid number 2. Rodrigo Lopez, Byung-Hyn Kim and Taylor Buchholz round out the rotation which means runs will need to be scored, and they will be. With Jeremy Affeldt and LaTroy Hawkins in the bullpen followed by closer Brian Fuentes they should be stable come the 6th-9th innings, but getting there could be their only problem. This Rockies team should be a fun one to watch grow, and their coming of age could be a lot sooner than anyone expected.

As for those guys out in the desert the Arizona Diamondbacks will be tailored in new duds, which makes a lot of sense; this is not the Zona team we’ve come to know from the past. No longer do we see such names such as Gonzalez or…er…that’s about the only name you associate with Arizona, so thankfully we have some fresh new faces with bright futures to talk about. Conor Jackson will be entering his second full season at first base and more will be expected. Jackson has a sort of Troy Glaus look to him which should make DBack fans smile. He can swing a big stick and play a defensively solid first base. Of the new faces to dawn a DBacks jersey this year the most anticipated will be someone not yet up with the big club, Justin Upton. Upton is the crown jewel of their minor league system but has some competition as Stephen Drew, Chris B. Young, and Carlos Quentin are already up in the Show and ready to show their worth. Drew should shape into a very solid shortstop that can hit for both average and power and play very consistent defense at a premier position. As for Young and Quentin, well the sky is seemingly the limit. These two possess the rare combination of power and speed and have scouts around the league drooling. And don't forget, they have someone who may be just as good as Young and Quentin just one, very short step away from the big stage. His name is Carlos Gonzalez and played extremely well in Venezula during winter ball. I tried to find a YouTube video just to say I saw him before anyone...couldn't find anything. They'll be teamed with a starting rotation that has the likes of Brandon Webb and Randy Johnson at the front line and then Livan Hernandez, Doug Davis and either Edgar Gonzalez or Micah Owings rounding things out, the DBacks should give themselves a good shot most nights. Life has officially been restored in the desert.

If you’re looking for the front runner as who has all the ingredients to win the division you may not need to look any further than last years division champs the LA Dodgers. The Dodgers will be back with almost the same group who won them 88 games last year with a few very key additions. The first and one of the biggest free-agent signings over the off-season was that of Jason Schmidt. Schmidt will only make the Dodgers even better on the hill. He’ll be teamed with Randy Wolf, Derek Lowe, Brad Penny and Brett Tomko and the group should comprise one of the NL’s top rotations. Look out for Jonathan Broxton and/or Chad Billingsley coming out of the bullpen and setting up for the closer Takashi Saito during the latter part of the games this season as you can say you saw them when. Both Broxton and Billingsley are ranked very high on the Dodgers depth charts and for good reason, both displayed rocket arms and the ability to take over games. In due time Broxton should assume the role of closer while Billingsley should step into the rotation and quickly make his mark and solidify himself.

As far as their lineup is concerned, the Dodgers have speed and depth throughout. There will be some lack of power numbers that Jeff Kent and Luis Gonzalez will aim to mend, however, once the inevitable Nomar injury happens, look for James Looney to get time at first base and show his true colours. The Dodgers will be there when it matters; they’re too well rounded not to be.

The West could easily turn out to be one of the more competitive divisions in baseball if the San Diego Padres can duplicate last year’s success, and on paper, it looks as though there’s a very good possibility of that happening. On offense the Padres will be looking to Adrian Gonzalez to have a big year. He took big strides last year in his development and should continue to grow and progress as an everyday player. At the opposite corner of the infield will be the player returned in the Josh Barfield trade, Kevin Kouzmanoff. Kouz is a very solid hitter with plus power who can drive the ball to all fields. He also plays a very strong third base and hits for a very good average. It will be interesting to see how Petco dilutes his power, however. The Brother Giles’ hook up again, this time after Marcus was signed in lieu of the Barfield/Kouz deal. With the family back in tact watch for both to have bounce back seasons.

The strength for this club will be its rotation. Jake Peavy is looking to finally step into the role as one of the top pitchers in the game, which he’s been touted as for the past three years. He’s got some of the nastiest stuff in the Bigs but needs to find the consistency in order to be included with the likes of Santana, Webb, Halladay, Carpenter and Oswalt. The addition of Hall of Famer Greg Maddux should be a very big help to the young pitchers in the rotation and to expect 15 W’s out of Maddux is not unforeseen. The Padres have a very nice mix of veterans and youngsters to compete and anything is possible when discussing the West.

The team who may be left out of the festivities come the end of the season could easily be the San Francisco Giants. Although there will be a media hoard surrounding the club until Barry Balco hits his 756 dinger, things should cool off fast in San Fran. After going out and landing one of those mediocre free-agent pitchers this off-season the Giants did little else. Barry Zito should fit well in the power deprived National League, and a renewed sense of desire and small chip on his shoulder should ensure he’ll be back to the Zito of old, if only on occasion. Following him in the rotation will be youngsters Matt Cain and Noah Lowry. Both should evolve into front-line starters, Cain more quickly than Lowry. They provide a very nice mix of hard and soft, left and right and will be a mainstay within the Giants organization for years to come. The lineup however is very old and not getting any younger. With the likes of Bengie Molina, Rich Aurilia, Omar Vizquel, Barry Bonds, Dave Roberts and Randy Winn this team needs to stay healthy in order to compete.

NL West Champ: LA Dodgers
NL Fantasy Sleepers: Chris Iannetta (Col), Kazuo Matsui (Col), Troy Tulowitzki (Col), Stephen Drew (Ari), Chris B. Young (Ari), Carlos Quentin (Ari), Jonathan Broxton (LAD), Wilson Betemit (LAD), Chad Billingsley (LAD), James Looney (LAD), Adrian Gonzalez (SD), Kevin Kouzmanoff (SD), Clay Hensley (SD), Matt Cain (SF)

NL Wild Card: Arizona Diamondbacks

- JW