MLB PREVIEW SPECIAL 2014

Or Not-So-Special.  And a little late to boot.  I didn’t buy a preview guide this year.  I’m not going to be able to watch the Cubs and White Sox on WGN since my folks canceled their cable.  Fox has moved their Saturday afternoon baseball over to Fox Sports 1, which I don’t have access to either.  Local sports radio isn’t going to be broadcasting the Dodgers or probably ESPN’s games this season so they can broadcast the new Triple A team.  (At least the other El Paso sports station is still broadcasting Ranger games.)  I even missed out on getting the Sports Illustrated Wrigley Field 100^th anniversary issue.  Frankly, I’m a bit depressed this season. 

Given how well my carefully studied picks did last year, I’m just going with uninformed guesses, gut instincts, and wishful thinking.  No apologies will be forthcoming at the end of the season for these.

National League East: Philadelphia Philles.  I have this sudden vision of anyone reading this doing a spit-take, whether they were drinking anything or not.  Well, I’m not picking the Nationals again after the way they disappointed me.  I also think the Braves are going to have a disappointing year, though they’ll get a Wildcard spot.  The Mets are going to suck.  Somebody has to win the division.

National League Central: Pittsburgh Pirates.  Yep, this is their year.  The Reds, Brewers, and even the Cardinals are going to have a down year.  The rejuvenated Cubs are going to come out of nowhere to get a Wildcard spot.  (And I won’t get to see it.)

National League West: Los Angeles Dodgers.  Booooo!  Hisss!  This is going to be more due to the lack of competition in their own division than their exorbitant, expensive roster.

American League East: Boston Red Sox.  Now that everyone is picking them this year, watch them go right back into the cellar, but they do look good.  The Blue Jays’ talent will finally start paying off, and they’ll get a Wildcard spot.  “What about the Yankees?”  What about them?  It’s another memorial season, this time for Derek Jeter.

American League Central: Detroit Tigers.  And this is last time I’m picking this current group to win, so they’d better do it this time.  Everyone else in the division is irrelevant.

American League West: Texas Rangers.  I said there’d be some wishful thinking here.  Prince Fielder could not escape his destiny to play for the Rangers.  Let’s hope the Right Field jetstream picks up for him this year.  I’m picking the Mariners as the other Wildcard.  Yeah, the Angels and A’s could also be really good this year, but I think Cano and the M’s and an energized Seattle fanbase (remember they won the Superbowl) will make them contenders.

Alright, let’s play this unlikely scenario out.  Pirates shock the Dodgers in the NL championship.  ESPN refuses to cover the World Series in protest.  Tigers beat the Red Sox in the AL and go on to win it all.