So, while the hockey Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals go on concurrently on alternating nights, I'll take this time to do the only thing that makes sense: talk about the MLB Season that is about 2/5 of the way through.
= The Brewers are back!!!! Them forcing the Phillies to 7 in the NLCS was my second most daring prediction preseason (after the one to come later - the one that really made me look stupid, moreso than picking against the Packers in the title game and Super Bowl). My reason for picking them was that loaded offense and the addition of Zack Grienke and Shaun Marcum. Well, 2-3 on that one. Greinke has been a disappointment, but is getting stronger each start. Marcum is the big surprise. He has been amazing so far. Either way, the offense has been great, with both Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder putting up huge stats (not a surprise at all). Both have an OPS+ over 160. The Brewers, in my opinion, will pass the Cardinals for good come the all-star break.
= The other big prediction was the White Sox winning the world series. In my defense, they are 18-11 in their last 29 games, which is probably more close to their actual ability than their 11-22 record in the 33 before that. The White Sox aren't that far away from an Indians team that seems to have already fallen back to earth. I'm probably not going to see that prediction vindicated, but their offense has been better of late.
= The AL East is still really, really good. I think the Yankees are actually overachieving in a way. Sure, Texeira and A-Rod haven't had their usual great years, but A-Rod might never have those types of years again. He is 36. He's past his prime, and that's also why I think he might not reach Bonds' record. Their pitching is still relying on getting good production from Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon. Come on! That has a lower chance of lasting than Justin Bieber of staying relevant in 2020. The Red Sox are still my pick to win that division, and the Blue Jays are still lying around, just 4.5 games back. Should be fun.
= By the way, at what point does this Mariano Rivera thing end. The guy is 41, and you can make a case that his last 10 years were better than the first ten. I mean, over the last 9 years, he had one year with an ERA over 3, and then eight with an ERA under TWO!!! This is absolutely insane at this point. Fuck Jeter. Mariano is easily the greatest Yankee of this past generation of Yankee greatness.
= The two people that the Astros cast aside last year are both performing well. I guess the Phillies are trying to limit innings, because they've used Oswalt like he was 21, but he's still pitching great, with a 2.70 ERA, a 143 ERA+, and a higher than normal BABIP. His K rate is down, but Oswalt has been money for the Phillies, and has more than outpitched Cliff Lee this season. On the other side, Lance Berkman leads the fucking NL in SLG, OPS and OPS+ this season. Now, he's hurt, and his great start probably won't last anyway, but his resurgence has made me smile.
= What else has made me smile is that Albert Pujols has finally stopped being an automaton with the inability to play anything less than superhuman. Sure, he recently had back-to-back walk-off home runs, but he's still hitting below .280, and more than that he's OBP-ing .353 (his previous season low was .394). He's slugging .473 (previous low is .561). His OPS+ is 132, while his previous low is 151. Albert Pujols is still a very good to great player, but in my opinion, this is a harbinger of a slow decline for Pujols, something that honestly strengthens his "I never took steroids" stance.
= Derek Jeter has a 79 OPS+........................................................................................................... And that makes him the second worst major player on the team............................................ That is all. Actually, I will add this. If Derek Jeter gets a higher percentage of 1st ballot hall of fame votes than Mariano Rivera, the BBWAA should no longer vote for the hall of fame.
= The Diamondbacks make no sense. Their best hitter has an OPS+ of 126, but then again, only one of their regulars is worse than 100. They have only one starting pitcher with an ERA+ over 100 (Ian Kennedy, who is ironically much better at this point than Phil Hughes), but also have three bullpen guys above 240. I don't think they have the lasting power to keep up with the Giants, and the Rockies will make their annual run, but for a team that just four years ago had the best record in the NL and a host of young players, the Diamondbacks sudden rise seems a lot more real than the Padres last year.
= I love the Rangers. They make no sense. Nellie Cruz is having an off year. Josh Hamilton was hurt for 30 games. Mitch Moreland is their best hitter. That all said, they are #2 in batting, #4 in OBP and #2 in SLG in the AL. Then, they are #5 in pitching even though their best two pitchers are youngsters CJ Wilson and Matt Harrison. The Rangers are really a great organization, and remind me a lot of the Angels in the middle of the decade, with the team just good, even though everyone seems to be playing just okay to good.
= Then, there is that other team in Houston. To end this rambling baseball column, I'll talk about my team, the one who was recently sold to a guy who's debt envies the McCourts, and the team who just promoted a still too green Jordan Lyles probably just to sell tickets. The worst thing is I am sure that Hunter Pence will be traded midseason. He's been one of the most consistently good players in baseball. Did you know that Pence has the same career OPS+ as Robinson Cano, the man that the national media fellates daily. He's having a great year. Hunter Pence is the only reason to even think of the Astros at this point, and I'm really sure he'll be a Giant by August.
Baseball is just a grind, and there is still about 100 games to go for each team, which makes me love it all the more. So much is gone, so much is there to digest, and there is still so much left. It never ends, it's eternal, and that's why it is great.
