Rob Neyer on Tony Muser's firing. "If you want to feel sorry for somebody, feel sorry for the baseball fans in Kansas City. They've not only had to put up with 431 losses since July 9, 1997, but now there's a very real danger that their team won't even exist a year or three from now." (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan on Tony Muser's firing. "The teams that have dumped their managers this month have three of the worst-run organizations in the game (and you can debate whether the Rockies should be on that list), and that's not surprising to me. An organization with a plan and the confidence to execute it doesn't make a decision on the basis of one month's worth of results. If a manager was the right man for the job in November, and in March, than it stands to reason he's the right man for the job in May, irrespective of April results." (Baseball Prospectus)

José Miguel Romero on Ruben Sierra, enjoying a rebirth with the Mariners. (Seattle Times)

Paul Lukas on team colors. "[I]n baseball's early days, team colors often had less to do with aesthetic choices than with which fabrics were being offered at a discount by the local sporting goods manufacturer. In fact, the Giants went through over a dozen uni designs, most grounded in either red or blue, before arriving at orange and black in 1947. Likewise, Dem Bums didn't start wearing Dodger blue until 1938, and had actually worn green the previous season." (Village Voice)

Joe Sheehan: "One of the first places I look now when a "surprise" team gets my attention is at the defense. This, I guess, is the big lesson from last year's Twins and Mariners, and a good thing to think about going forward." (Baseball Prospectus)

The Week in Quotes from Baseball Prospectus.

Sean McAdam: "Beyond the pure pleasure of watching baseball -- in any setting, at any level -- too many American League teams offer too little incentive to the ticket-buying public. It's a tough sell to get fans in New York, Boston and Seattle to pay top-shelf prices to watch the bargain-basement talent sprinkled throughout the rosters of the bottom-feeders." (ESPN.com)

Joe Sheehan: "Each league goes through high and low periods, dating back to the 1950s and 1960s, when the NL was ascendant. The AL caught and passed the Senior Circuit in the late 1970s, and held that place for most of the next decade. After a period of relative equality, the NL now has the upper hand." (ESPN.com)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for April 23-24. "As it turns out, Jung Bong only had to make one start...The only thing we really know is that Bong got major leaguers out and didn't do too shabby, and that Chipper Jones doesn't seem comfortable in left field just yet." (Baseball Prospectus)

Doug Pappas had a conversation with Bud Selig. Selig tried to rebut some of the things that Pappas wrote in his March 20 column. Pappas re-rebuts. (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan on proposed rule changes designed to speed up games: "[T]he one factor that has increased [game] length the most is greater time between innings and during pitching changes to accommodate television commercials. The fixes currently in place do nothing to address the extra ten to 15 minutes of dead time added over the past 15 years as a way to generate more revenue. Blaming the players or managers for the added length of games is silly when they would probably be just as happy with tightening up that break, especially in the postseason when it can stretch past three minutes." (Baseball Prospectus)

Baker's Dozen: The week in preview. "I argued last year that contracting the debt-heavy Diamondbacks would be better for baseball than exterminating the Expos. Preposterous? No way! And why not, you ask? They won it all. It doesn't get any better than that. Go out on top, I say." (ESPN.com)

Rob Neyer on Ted Lilly, who was stolen by the Yankees from the Expos for Hideki Irabu. (ESPN.com)

Vizquel: Belle's bats were corked. (ESPN.com)

Belle: Were not! (ESPN.com)

Pedro dominates Orioles. (ESPN.com)

Diamondbacks dominate Maddux. (ESPN.com)

Avoiding Dissonance. Excellent article by Jonah Keri on understanding (not necessarily excusing) the seemingly irrational moves that GMs often make. (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan watched a Royals/Tigers game, and enjoyed it. "By the way, anybody who thinks the Royals' problem is Kauffman Stadium is nuts. That is one beautiful ballpark, arguably the best one to open in the 20-odd years between Dodger Stadium and Camden Yards. I guarantee you that if the Royals put a good team on the field, they'll be among the AL leaders in attendance, and the people at the games will have very little to complain about." (Baseball Prospectus)

Bong not bad, Schilling better. Cool! A pitcher named Bong. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Clutch Hits thread full of fabricated Bong headlines. "Bong Lit Up Early, Fans Flock to Concession Stand." "After good hits off Bong, Braves unconcerned with loss." (Baseball Primer)

Bong goes back to Greenville. Does anyone else have REM's "Don't Go Back to Rockville" stuck in their head after reading this headline? (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Chat wrap with Rob Neyer. "One of the great baseball myths of the early 21st century is that the Seattle Mariners were built on 'pitching and defense,' which of course ignores the obvious-to-anybody-who-pays-attention fact that they've got the best hitters in the game." (ESPN.com)

John Bonnes: "Is the [Twins'] hitting hot right now? Yes. Can it continue? Maybe not, but we aren't going back to 2000 here. I'll be surprised if the Twins aren't in the upper half, and maybe in the top 5, of American League teams in hitting. (Twins Takes)

Another weblog to check out: Baseball Blog 2002.

And another: BunkoSquad SportsBlog.

Turn down the music! Paul Shuey says that the Indians' clubhouse is happier now that Kenny Lofton isn't there, playing awful music. Rob Neyer retorts: "If one is searching for actual evidence that the Indians are better off without Lofton because he was disruptive in the clubhouse, one will have a tough chore, considering that they won all those division titles even with him and his crappy music." And the White Sox are winning this year, too, despite having to listen to Yanni and Enya and Korn (or whatever it is that Lofton plays). (ESPN.com)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for April 18-20. "Dean Taylor's comment that firing [Davey] Lopes demonstrates the [Brewers'] commitment to winning is some of the most meaningless window dressing to be uttered by a non-Selig in the organization's history, counting Sal Bando and Harry Dalton. Comments about how 'with some different direction and some different leadership in the dugout and in the clubhouse...this club will play better' should be completely unacceptable coming from the man who has more to do with the shape of today's Brewers--and the results this team generates than Lopes ever could. It reflects a deeper unwillingness to publicly accept that he's the guy who brought in Eric Young and Jeffrey Hammonds." (Baseball Prospectus)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for April 21-22. "At this rate, Cordero can probably be a Red Sox or a Met in another three years. He won't have a position, but I'm sure we'll be told that he's tan, rested, and ready, with a new appreciation for all sorts of things that involve getting paid." (Baseball Prospectus)

Not harsh, not dated: A&W Cream Soda
Harsh, not dated: Jack Daniel's
Not harsh, dated: Pepsi Clear
Harsh, dated: Expired orange juice

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for April 16-17. "As for John Rocker, well, among John Hart's missteps, I wouldn't hold Rocker too much against him. He didn't take much to get, and you're talking about a lefty who pumps gas in the mid-90s. Why not take a flyer? It didn't work out in the early going, but little ventured for nothing gained isn't the end of the world." (Baseball Prospectus)

Headline of the year: Groin strain knocks out streaking Cox. (St. Petersburg Times)

'Village idiot' lays groundwork for Bud to fold up Blue Jays. Unbelievable. This is a team that has won two World Series in the last 10 years, and used to draw 4 million fans a year. Who's next? The Dodgers? (Toronto Star)

Rob Neyer on pitchers over the age of 45. Jesse Orosco turns 45 this week. (ESPN.com)

Bill Simmons: "Believe me, when I heard Disney was making a baseball movie starring Dennis Quaid, I thought the same thing you did: 'That's gonna stink.'… But when my dad called me just to say, 'Go see The Rookie,' that was the final straw. I relented. And now I'm telling you this: Go see The Rookie." (ESPN.com)

Peter Travers: "Doh! I dodged The Rookie, thinking: Disney, true story, G-rated, Dennis Quaid playing a codger (he's thirty-five) who tries out for the majors and makes it. No thanks. Now I have seen it and I'm glad I did. John Lee Hancock's heartfelt movie scores a solid hit." (Rolling Stone) (No need to follow the link. That's the whole review, right there. I just thought it was funny how similar his and Simmons's reactions were.)

Rob Neyer ranks Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux as the fifth-best starting-pitcher combo in baseball history. (ESPN.com)

Benes elects to retire, citing knee. Andy, not Elaine, who has no plans to leave J. Peterman just yet. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Cards Notebook: La Russa is now 10th in games as a manager. The Genius just passed Joe McCarthy, and he's catching up with Walter Alston and Bill McKechnie. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for April 14-15. "As [Mike] Trombley illustrates, public perception of your value hinges on whether or not they think you're a closer or you're short the 'c.' Trombley was never really either of those things, and it's an open question about whether either really exists in baseball. He was, and is, a useful big-league reliever. He'll help the Twins at the minimum." (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan: "OBP is Life. The Mariners, more than any team in the game--even the A's--exemplify this concept. Last year, they rode it to 116 wins and an easy divisional title. If early returns are any indication--and I have to acknowledge that we're talking about 15 games here--they have the pieces in place to do just as much damage this year." (Baseball Prospectus)

Dan Shaughnessy: "Bud Selig was right: contract, contract, contract. Clearly, there is not enough pitching talent to stock 30 major league teams." This is the kind of stuff we get from the prestigious Boston Globe. Meanwhile, the Providence Journal has Art Martone, Dan McLaughlin and Sean McAdam.

Bob Halloran: "My parents went to a couple of spring trainings, and my mom gave me a baseball that has the signatures of Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Jim Rice and Bob Stanley on it. If I could somehow get Stanley's name off it, the ball might be worth something." (ESPN.com)

John Bonnes looks at the Indians' hot start from a Twins fan's perspective. (Twins Takes)

After latest blown save, Rocker sent to minors. (ESPN.com)

Yankees' bullpen blows it again as O's win. Hey, Cashman, maybe John Rocker is available. (ESPN.com)

'Fearful' Finley files for divorce from wife Kitaen. Hey, Tawny, maybe John Rocker is available. (ESPN.com)

Berkman hits three of Astros' five homers. (ESPN.com)

Baseball Prospectus Player of the Day: Lance Berkman. "Strap in for an incredible four-year run, and if you hear Berkman can't do something, don't believe it."

Ray Kerby on 3-homer games in Astros history. There have been nine. Three by Jeff Bagwell ('Ouch!' say Red Sox fans), two by Glenn Davis ('D'oh!' say Orioles fans), one each by Jim Wynn, Lee May, Vinny Castilla, and Berkman. (Astros Daily)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for April 11-13. "In terms of losing a player, I don't know if there's a tougher loss to take for the Mariners than losing Edgar Martinez." (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan: "Giants not named Barry Bonds are hitting .239/.306/.340. Heck, it's actually worse than that, because Giants' pitchers are hitting .385/.448/.577. The Giants open a 12-game road trip [Monday night], and by the end of it, we should have a better idea of how good they're going to be this season." (Baseball Prospectus)

Rany Jazayerli on Tigers pitcher Adam Pettyjohn's battle against ulcerative colitis. (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan: "Last night's Braves/Mets game…is the latest in a fairly disturbing early-season trend for the Braves: the bullpen fails, and the lineup rolls over and dies." (Baseball Prospectus)

Rob Neyer on Burt Hooton's no-hitter, 30 years ago today. (ESPN.com)

Phil Rogers on the Indians's hot start. "We have just as good of a team as Seattle did last year," Bob Wickman says. (ESPN.com)

Barry Bonds: The Greatest LF Ever? Excellent article by Ryan Wilkins. (baseballjunkie.net)

Joe Sheehan: "As much as I love watching Pedro Martinez pitch, I just cannot believe that he will give the Sox enough this season to push them over the top. In fact, given that his contract expires after the 2003 season, I believe the Sox would be best served to shut him down, allow him to undergo surgery, and try and bring him back a year from now." (Baseball Prospectus)

Gary Huckabay has another report from the Baseball Prospectus Pizza Feeds. "If you pick the Rangers to finish third, and you pick Alex Rodriguez to win the MVP, you're predicting a sudden wave of enlightenment to wash over the voters, and for them to suddenly realize that it's Most Valuable Player, not Most Valuable Player On A Really Successful Team."

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for April 9-10. "I'm not claiming that Julio Zuleta is about to become the next Cliff Johnson or something, but he's a power source who can do some good thumping in a part-time role. I'm genuinely surprised that nobody would take a flyer on him." (Baseball Prospectus)

ESPN.com has greatly improved Rob Neyer's home page.

Baker's Dozen: The week in preview. "Consider this: not only has [Bruce} Chen played with four teams in less than two years, they're all in the same division. What is more, he is moving in a sort of south-to-north pattern. This got me to wondering if there isn't some grand conspiracy afoot to have him play for every major-league team by the time his career is done." (ESPN.com)

Boston 4, NY Yankees 3. Hillenbrand draws walk (with bases loaded). (ESPN)

Rob Neyer on Bill James's Win Shares book. (ESPN)

Here's a Clutch Hits thread on the topic, with input from Neyer. (Baseball Primer)

Taiwan's baseball cleans up its game. "Around 6,000 screaming fans crammed into a compact stadium on the outskirts of Taipei last Saturday to watch a baseball match. It is a scene that would have been barely possible just a few years ago, after a series of match-fixing scandals rocked what is considered Taiwan's national sport to its very foundations." (BBC)

The Thinking Fan: Baseball rulebook riddled with errors. "The first sentence of rule 1.01 says, 'Baseball is a game between two teams of nine players each, under the direction of a manager ...' Nine players? The designated hitter has been in use for the past 29 seasons. Isn't that long enough to insert a phrase about the 10th player?" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for April 7-8. "Losing Danny Patterson is a blow to [Detroit's] bullpen, especially considering his elbow has been hurting for weeks, and the Tigers are using high-falutin' jargon like 'he's got a hot nerve in his elbow.' Break out the leeches, I guess they need to get the evil humors out of that joint." (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan: "Take this with a grain of salt, but it certainly appears to me that the changes to the strike zone that we saw last year have disappeared." (Baseball Prospectus)

The Week in Quotes from Baseball Prospectus.

Baker's Dozen: The week in preview. "On Thursday, September 26, the Yankees host Tampa Bay for the final home game of the season. That night, I want everyone who booed [Jason Giambi last week] and chanted for Tino to go out to Yankee Stadium and chant 'Sorry! Sorry!' every time Giambi steps to the plate. I will bet any Yankee fan who booed him on Friday that, at the end of the 2002 season, Giambi's OPS will be at least 125 points higher than that of Tino Martinez." (ESPN)

Chris Jenkins (San Diego Union Tribune): "[Pedro] Martinez won two Cy Youngs with very little meat on that 5-foot-11 frame. But he also tended to fade badly in late August and September, and it's in October that you have to beat the Yankees."

Martinez's ERA, 1999-2001, by month: April 1.77, May 1.30, June 3.09, July 2.66, August 2.36, September 1.59.
ERA vs. the Yankees, 1999-2001: 2.14
Postseason ERA (3 starts, 1 relief appearance, 1998-99): 1.12
Postseason ERA vs. Yankees (1 game, 1999): 0.00

(Stats source: ESPN and Baseball-reference.com)

Presenting the Most Useless Orioles of All Time. "Some were bad everywhere they played; some were bad only in Baltimore. Many of their performances testify to organizational stupidity; a few testify only to the perversity of fate. What they have in common is that the Orioles invested resources, hope, and/or playing time in them--and got burned." (Baltimore CityPaper)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for April 4-6. "Here's hoping that the Cubs somehow wind up with their best roster and keep [Mario Encarnacion] as a reserve outfielder. An outfield with the starting three of Sosa, Alou, and Corey Patterson, with Brown and Encarnacion on the bench, would be one of the best groups of five in the majors." (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan on players who have changed positions during their careers. (ESPN)

Gary Huckabay reports from the Baseball Prospectus NorCal Pizza Feeds. "One thing that was consistent among attendees: most are rooting for the Marlins, and everyone thinks they have far and away the best pitching in the division, but few actually think they have enough to overcome Atlanta." (Baseball Prospectus)

Chat wrap with Chris Kahrl. "Uribe looks good, Pierre looks good, and as long as the Rockies do a better job developing young hitters instead of drafting football players, things will be fine." (ESPN)

Ward's 12th-inning homer dooms Cardinals. A great argument in favor of the unbalanced schedule: More Astros-Cardinals games. (ESPN)

Chavez returns to help A's hold off M's. And A's-Mariners games. (ESPN)

2002 All-Haiku Baseball Preview Spectacular from Ken Goldstein. A sample:

Boston Red Sox
Not quite another
Spahn and Sain and pray for rain.
Try Pedro and floods.

Rangers end A's 20-game home win streak. They scored 5 runs in the 6th after A-Rod was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game. (ESPN)

Thomson, Rockies hold Cardinals' bats at bay. Andy Benes continues to struggle. (ESPN)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for March 31 – April 3. "The Orioles aren't loaded enough to bleed talent, but Syd Thrift can find a way to do it anyway. If the Orioles are really rebuilding, they need to be in the business of trading Buddy Groom for stuff they can use, players who will be part of the next worthwhile Orioles team, and turning John Bale into the next Buddy Groom." (Baseball Prospectus)

fenwayfaithful dot com is a new Red Sox group blog.

Chat wrap with John Sickels. "I like [the Alfonseca] trade for the Cubs. They didn't give up anyone in their top prospect group, and they got Clement in return...I think pitching for a better team will help him, and the Cubs don't need or expect him to develop into an ace. Even if he just remains the way he is now, he is a decent fourth starter." (ESPN)

Joe Sheehan: "Over the past three seasons, the National League West has been a royal pain to project…In that time, the teams that have had the most success--the Diamondbacks and Giants--have been those with a few great players and a bunch of guys who appear to be better suited to bench roles or coaching jobs or accounting." (Baseball Prospectus)

Little Ball yields big breaks. Tim Sullivan praises Bob Boone. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Bill Peterson has a dissenting view: "Reds fans and Boone detractors are looking for signs the manager will tame his strategic virtuosity with a club that has no business pretending to an endless store of weapons. The Reds don't have the speed for it, they don't have the bench for it and they don't have the pitching for it. The Reds need to play to their strengths -- a solid, everyday batting order and accomplished relief pitchers." (Cincinnati CityBeat)

Michael Wolverton opposes the body-armor ban. (Baseball Prospectus)

Finley's wife arrested on spousal abuse charges. "Actress Tawny Kitaen, wife of Cleveland Indians pitcher Chuck Finley, was charged Wednesday with spousal abuse and battery for allegedly attacking her husband…If convicted of the two misdemeanor counts, she faces up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine." (ESPN)

Countdown to the 40th anniversary of the 1962 Colt .45s. Former Astros broadcaster Gene Elston has been writing a series of daily updates to commemorate the upcoming 40th anniversary reunion for the 1962 Colt .45s. There is a section on "Houston Baseball History - 1888-1962," and there are thumbnail sketches for some of the players (and more to come). (Astros Daily)

Astros All-Time Roster. A great feature at Astros Daily. Each player has his own page, with "This Date in Astros History" entries, stats, and a photo gallery (including baseball cards). A good place to look for pictures of rainbow uniforms (and Afros, and funny glasses). Sample pages: Jose Cruz, Ken Forsch, Mike Scott.

Joe Sheehan: "[Montreal] isn't going to win anything this year, but they're not the hopeless cases they've been presented as. The core--Guerrero, Vidro, Vazquez, Armas, Orlando Cabrera--compares favorably with many teams that haven't been threatened with extinction. I hope I'm right, and that the people of Montreal show up and cheer their hearts out for a group of ballplayers who deserve their fervor." (Baseball Prospectus)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for March 26-30. "At this point in his fabled career, Matt Mantei has pitched in all of 85 games over his two-and-a-half seasons as a Diamondback…[T]he decision to hand Mantei a four-year contract in January of 2001 is one of the worst decisions in franchise history. Mantei is the epitome of why closers aren't commodities to trade for, they're what you develop and pawn off on the other guy for good stuff." (Baseball Prospectus)

Rany Jazayerli: "[Doug Henry's release] sends out two signals regarding [Allard] Baird, both of them positive. The first is that he finally realizes where the Royals lie on the Success Cycle…The second is that Baird is willing to admit that he made a mistake when he signed Henry in the first place, even if it means eating a seven-figure salary. The same man who six months ago thought Neifi Perez was as valuable as Jermaine Dye has mastered the concept of sunk costs." (Baseball Prospectus)

The Week in Quotes from Baseball Prospectus.

Power players: Plenty of young pop in NL Central. Andy Latack on Lance Berkman, J. D. Drew and Adam Dunn. (ESPN)

Chris Kahrl on today's class of third basemen. (ESPN)

Chat wrap with Rob Neyer. "Bobby Hill's going to be a good major leaguer, but he spent last season in Class AA and his stats there weren't that good. So a few months in Triple-A wouldn't hurt." I can't read or hear the name 'Bobby Hill' without getting a mental picture of Hank and Peggy's son. Does this happen to anyone else? (ESPN)

Paul Lukas on this year's uniforms. (Village Voice)

Mac Thomason analyzes the 2002 Braves' hitters and pitchers. "How many 37-year-old baseball players are still in the majors? Very few. How many who were never stars, or even regulars? Very very few. Keith Lockhart is the only one, to my knowledge, who still has a chance at a job after ripping his manager for not giving him enough playing time after declining for years and during a season in which he posted an OPS below .600." (Braves Journal)

Glenn Dickey: "If Miguel Tejada wants to prove he belongs in the top tier of AL shortstops, it's up to him. Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra have plate discipline and give 100 percent effort all the time. Tejada doesn't." (SF Gate)

Joe Kay: "When the Reds narrowly missed the NL playoffs in 1999, they were a running team, stealing an average of more than one base per game. Now, they're more content to stand on base and wait for a homer — more like an American League team." The 1970's are over, Mr. Kay. The American League in 2001 had 152 homers and 73 stolen bases per 100 games. The National League had 203 homers and 56 stolen bases. (Cincinnati Enquirer) (Stats source: Baseball-reference.com)

Pedro gives up eight in return; Jays win slugfest. Hillenbrand draws walk. (ESPN)

Clemens hit hard as Orioles pound Yankees. He lost his command after he tried to bare-hand a grounder. "I thought it was the BALL! And it WAS! And it HURT!" (ESPN)

Baseball Prospectus Player of the Day for April 1: Garret Anderson. "Consistent? Check. Run producer? Check. Good in the clubhouse? Check. Garret Anderson is basically everything you want in a ballplayer. He's become an RBI machine in the last couple of years, driving in 117 and 123, proving himself as one of the AL's clutch left-handed bats. Pencil-necked stat geeks complain he doesn't walk enough, but they should watch a real ballgame once in a while--what matters is the RBIs, and Anderson gets those in bunches. He's a legitimate MVP candidate."

More April 1 stuff from Baseball Prospectus: The Week in Quotes, Aim for the Head, and Daily Prospectus. Past the expiration date, but still good for a laugh.

NL East preview from Craig Calcaterra. "You have to wonder whether Mets GM Steve Phillips saw Ocean’s Eleven this past winter…If Hollywood has taught us anything, it's that whenever career criminals get together for 'one last score,' their supposedly foolproof plan usually falls apart halfway through. The team Phillips has assembled (aging, expensive, and nearly washed-up) looks like it might be able to break into the vault; after that, you can expect the cops to move in." (Bull)

NL Central preview from Craig Calcaterra. "[I]f the Reds had not traded infielder Pokey Reese, they could have had the an infield consisting of Corky, Pokey, and Gookie this year. Why this wasn't an organizational goal is beyond me. They'd only be a Mookie and a Dummy away from being the best-named team since the dead ball era." (Bull)

AL predictions from the Prospectus staff. Chris Kahrl: "The White Sox really should win [the Central], going away. But then Kenny Williams gets you to thinking, and you have to wonder about the decisions to bring in Todd Ritchie or Royce Clayton or Sandy Alomar, and you're left with a GM who just won't get out of the way of letting the division's best collection of talent just win the damned thing."

AL predictions from Joe Sheehan. "For all the nonsense that was written and broadcasted this winter, the potshots taken at John Hart for bringing in talented players with controversial histories like Carl Everett and John Rocker, I'd love to see the Rangers succeed, to disabuse people of the idea that chemistry is something we can know before the fact." (Baseball Prospectus)

NL predictions from the Prospectus staff. Derek Zumsteg: "It pains me to put the Cardinals [atop the Central], but though the Genius will find a way to shred arms, get Placido Polanco 400 at-bats, screw J.D. Drew out of more playing time and generally flail about ineffectually, his competition is Jimy Williams--not known for his lineup or pitching-staff acumen--and Don Baylor, who is a total moron who won't even find a way to get Roosevelt Brown into a lineup regularly (and would make him bunt even if he did)."

NL predictions from Joe Sheehan. "[D]oes this Mets team look like anything more than the tenth anniversary of the Bobby Bonilla/Vince Coleman Mets of 1992? I can't see this team finishing third or fourth; they either stay in the race to the end, or they fall apart and win 69 games. The latter, I'm afraid, just seems more likely to me. Remember Vince Coleman." (Baseball Prospectus)

Baseball Musings is another good new weblog.