Bill Konigsberg, formerly with ESPN and now with the Associated Press, is writing our 2006 preview and he says neither the Yanks or Red Sox will make the playoffs.

Check out his overview, then go to his AL East preview. We will roll our a division a day.

Well, I believe that Toronto could take the East but I think the Yankees have a better shot.

Very interesting. A great read. I can't wait for the rest. I'm so excited that the new baseball season is right about the corner.

Anthony

The White Sox win ONE stinking World Series in 88 years, and suddenly they're the "Usual Suspects?"

Hey Spartan:
I needed a headline that would fit!

Uh oh, White Sox fans. We're doomed. The Sporting News predicted the ChiSox over the Cardinals in the World Series. No way we're going to repeat now that a national publication predicted we will. eek!

I have only vague awareness of moves other teams make, their up and coming players, pitching staffs, etc., but in the spirit of the bball NCAA tourney, let me be the first to proclaim the KC Royals as World Series champions in '06!

Take a World Series team, add Junior Vasquez to an already stellar starting rotation, add Jim Thome's bat to fill the one weakness we had last year, and yet everyone picks Cleveland to win....go figure...

And the last!

I'd love to see a team come out of nowhere and win it all. It would be nice to shake things up a bit!

Don't worry, Konigsberg was clueless when he was at the Eastern Seaboard Propaganda Network, he's clueless writing here. Nice to see he brought along his lack of intelligence. Cleveland actually regressed during the offseason, while the White Sox progressed. It is they who will do better than the Indians.

He cites the Sox's bullpen performance during spring training as evidence of their weakness. Huh? Does he even KNOW that Ozzie pitches his regulars a couple innings per game and uses a bunch of new guys and minor leaguers he likes to look at? Very few teams work this way during spring training.

Last year the Sox were 14-18 during spring training, with "their bullpen" equally poor in their performance. Guess how they did during the season and post-season, Bill?

The Sox could win the Series 10 years in a row, and idiots like that will still try to offer excuses.

[ March 28, 2006, 03:30 PM: Message edited by: MIB ]

The White Sox added Junior Vasquez? Wow, I guess they'll all be dancing with their hands above their shoulders at the next circuit party eek! . Oh wait, I just realized you meant Javier Vazquez.

Bill's World Series pick is NOT in the Eastern time zone.

Irrelevant. He worked for ESPN, which is all that matters.

Our own Bill Konigsberg is writing a weekly fantasy baseball column for AP. Pretty cool. A taste:

By BILL KONIGSBERG
Associated Press Writer

Manic fantasy baseball fans, here’s a strong suggestion after the first few days of the baseball season: Chill out.

Perhaps you bought a major league season package for your cable TV. Perhaps you’re watching games, or at least real-time box scores, online.
Perhaps I’m talking to myself here.

Regardless, it’s easy to get consumed with watching and analyzing every at-bat for each of your players.

Don’t overreact to the first few games of the season. It’s easy, after a long baseball-deprived winter, to give additional weight to those first few days.

That’s an impulse to ignore.

What, no one else made their own picks? Sometimes the first 8 games do show something -- Toronto can't win that division.

Scout's honor (and I was a Cub and a Webelo), I made these picks (with win totals) before Opening Day (some will be off, but no guts no glory):

NL: Atl 91, StL 91, LA 89, Mets (wc) 89
AL: Bos 93, Cle 92, Oak 95, Yankees (wc) 91

Jim Thome is not going to hit 140 HR, and the White Sox were lucky by about 10 wins last year, given their Runs Scored/Runs Allowed. I figure them for about 87 wins, and certainly wouldn't mind seeing them or the Angels beating out the Bronxers for the wildcard.