February 18, 2006 Who Will Win The N.L. West? (By: Jaydawg) The N.L. West isn't as pathetic as '05, but it's still the weakest in the league. With all of the transactions by the Dodgers during the offseason, they have to be the favorite to win the pennant. One thing you can definitely bet on is that they'll do better than (82-80), which was the record of last year's division winning Padres. Here's their lineup--- Furcal Lofton ... ...[More] 3 comments >> Link   Last comment by: Jaydawg @ 10/22/06, 2:36pm

February 16, 2006 Who Will Win The N.L. Central? (By: Jaydawg) This topic was discussed in last week's Podcast #6. Reedster predicted the Cubs as the winner and FamilyMan said it will be the Cardinals. I'll agree with FamilyMan on this one. The Cards have the best all-around pitching in the majors led by Cy Young champ, Chris Carpenter. Their offense isn't too shabby either with the likes of Pujols, Rolen, and Edmonds. Besides the Reds, all of the teams in the N.L. Central have made improvements during the offseason. The Cubs should be the favorite for the Wild Card with the new additions of Juan Pierre and Jacques Jones. Houston added Preston Wilson, but they don't have a chance... ...[More] 7 comments >> Link   Last comment by: Jaydawg @ 10/22/06, 2:28pm

February 13, 2006 Who Will Win The N.L. East? (By: Jaydawg) The way I see it, the N.L. East won't be as competitive as last year and this should be the first time in a decade and a half that the Braves won't win the division. Leo Mazzone did a lot more for Atlanta other than chewing gum, rocking back and forth, and scratching his **** most of the game. He's an encyclopedia on the pitching aspects of baseball and I don't think there's ever been a better coach for pitchers. Mazzone's loss should have quite an impact this season. Also, Philly's loss of two star players, such as Jim Thome and Billy Wagner will not get them very far, plus their issues... ...[More] 5 comments >> Link   Last comment by: Jaydawg @ 10/22/06, 2:16pm

February 15, 2006 Who Will Win The A.L. Central? (By: Jaydawg) The A.L. Central will be a little more competitive than last year, but the White Sox should clearly be the favorite to win the division. After winning the World Series, GM Ken Williams has been busy this offseason. He acquired Jim Thome and Javier Vazquez and re-signed Paul Konerko, making the Chi-Sox even better than last year. It's a possibility that they could go back-to-back, as the Yankees have shown in the last five years that paying top dollars for players doesn't guarantee a ring. Other than K.C., the rest of the teams should be competitive as well. The Indians may have lost Coco Crisp, but they gained Jason Michaels, who's... ...[More] 3 comments >> Link   Last comment by: Jaydawg @ 10/22/06, 2:21pm

January 24, 2006 Who's The Greatest Dodger First Baseman of All Time? (By: Jaydawg) When you think about it, the Dodgers have had very underrated first basemen throughout it's history, particularly with Gil Hodges and Steve Garvey. For some reason, both of these guys have never been given a Hall of Fame plaque. Both of them are more deserving than several other first basemen honored in Cooperstown, like Tony Perez, for starters. I don't understand why Hodges has been kept out, but Garvey has been blackballed primarily because of his monthly paternity suits that he used to battle as a player. My vote for greatest Dodger first baseman goes to Steve Garvey because most people in the poll... ...[More] 6 comments >> Link   Last comment by: spikeshigh @ 1/27/06, 6:32pm

January 22, 2006 October 18, 2005: Barry Bonds promises that he will answer fans e-mails on his website during the offseason. To this day, he hasn't answered ANY (By: Jaydawg) Busted!! Just another example of Ba-Bo's hypocracy and narcissistic attitude. Here's exactly what Bonds said in "Barry's Journal" on his website: "During the offseason, I will be updating the site once or twice a month. However, I will be answering e-mails, giving shout outs, and selecting a winner each month." END OF QUOTE This letter was dated October 18, 2005 and it was the last time that Barry contributed to his own site. 4 comments >> Link   Last comment by: Jaydawg @ 1/24/06, 6:25pm

January 14, 2006 Should Mark McGwire be voted into the Hall of Fame? (By: Jaydawg) The Class of 2007 at Cooperstown should turn out to be one of the greatest of all time. It's fair to say that Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn are 100% shoo-ins, even if you don't follow the game much. But, there's a lot of controversy in store with the Mark McGwire nomination. Without a doubt, McGwire has the numbers to get in and what he and Sammy Sosa did during the summer of '98 was breathtaking. But, I can't forget his "I'm not going to talk about the past" testimony in front of the Congressional Committee. That sounds like he used steroids to me, so I'm not ready to say that... ...[More] 2 comments >> Link   Last comment by: Jaydawg @ 2/27/06, 7:11pm

January 07, 2006 Yankees Finished '05 Season With A Record $207.2 Million Payroll (By: Jaydawg) Here's the reason why a salary cap in baseball is a necessity. The way the system is set up now, Kansas City and Tampa Bay don't have a legitimate shot at putting out a contender. Every offseason, George Steinbrenner gets the best players money can buy and then some. But, does his team win it all every year? NO!!! The two teams in the '05 World Series (Astros & White Sox) were ranked 12th and 13th in payroll. A salary cap is a MUST in order to have an even playing field for all teams. Now that baseball has the steroid problem under control,... ...[More] 13 comments >> Link   Last comment by: ap_donovan @ 4/25/06, 3:45pm

January 03, 2006 Baseball Minimum Salary Jumps To $327,000 (By: Jaydawg) This is another reason why a salary cap should be a necessity in Major League Baseball. Why pay so much to guys who spend most of their time "ridin' the pine"? It doesn't look good to the average fan, who puts in a hard days work for a small fraction of the MLB minimum. Joe DiMaggio never made more than $150k in a season. More recently, Orel Hershiser earned $36k during his first season in 1983. According to Michael Jordan, the difference in professional sports now compared to when he started is that teams pay their players in terms of potential rather than proven performance. In the real world, you... ...[More] 0 comments >> Link