AL EAST
N.Y. Yankees
Boston Red Sox
T.B. Rays
Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays

AL CENTRAL
Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Cleveland Indians

AL WEST
LA Angels
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
Oakland Athletics

**Notes:
AL EAST- New York’s Nick Johnson gets hurt more than Evel Knievel did, but he’ll be able to JOG around the bases most of the time; don’t think Beltre and Ortiz will give Boston the ‘pop’ they desperately need to overtake NY. Longoria may be the league’s MVP, but will B.J. Upton rebound? Orioles could finish at .500 as young pitchers like Bergesen and Matusz develop; Toronto won’t get enough outfield production, may lose 100 games, and should hand out handkerchiefs to fans every time Halladay starts for Philadelphia.
AL CENTRAL- Hudson helps Twins A LOT and–even without closer Nathan–Gardenhire will find a way to win the division. White Sox’ starting pitching will keep them near the top of the division, but which Alex Rios will show up? Tigers will score enough but overall team health may be a concern. Royals lack power and just won’t get around the bases; Tribe’s pitching is the reason they’ll occupy the cellar as EVERYONE becomes trade bait in September.
AL WEST- Angels still have enough talent and the best manager in the league while Matsui is a great clubhouse addition; I question the back end of Seattle’s rotation and how much Griffey has left in the tank. Texas has some good young arms, can score, and may challenge Seattle if Josh Hamilton stays vertical. Oakland simply won’t score runs and no player will SNIFF the 100-RBI mark–putting way too much pressure on a decent, young staff.

NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
N.Y. Mets
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals

NL CENTRAL
St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates

NL WEST
Colorado Rockies
S.F. Giants
L.A. Dodgers
Arizona D’Backs
S.D. Padres

**Notes:
NL EAST- A good Philadelphia team got better, but will Lidge be closing come October? Don’t know if Atlanta can score enough although their pitching looks decent; I have more questions about the Mets pitching staff than I do about Obama’s health-care plan. Florida will have trouble closing games and their defense is suspect. Nats’ closer Capps had an ERA close to SIX last year–and guess what? He’ll probably be closing AGAIN in 2010.
NL CENTRAL- Third base could be a concern for St. Louis, but Holliday adds some needed power; I question the bridge to Marmol in Chicago and Piniella’s best managing days may have passed. A better-than-average Aaron Harang could be the key to the Reds’ success; I don’t like the Brewers’ pitching staff OR Hoffman closing games in the clutch. Astros need Oswalt to be better but their bullpen still won’t get it done; the Pittsburgh PR people could offer MAJOR incentives/prizes at EVERY home game if the team scores five or more runs–simply because they WON’T.
NL WEST- A high team on-base percentage–along with a healthy Jeff Francis–get the Rockies to the playoffs; lack of team speed–along with a low on-base percentage–will hurt the Giants. Dodgers won’t pitch as well as last season and Manny’s #’s will continue to decline; a non-healthy Brandon Webb seals D’Backs’ fate. San Diego will have trouble pitching on the road and won’t score at ANY stadium in which they play.

*Postseason: Yes, my friends–a replay of last season’s Fall Classic as the Yanks and Phils emerge from their respective leagues. Yankees’ core players get to enjoy a repeat as the edge goes to the NY closer–making all the difference as frigid fall temperatures arrive. Enjoy the season, everyone.

Now we have David Ortiz standing up and making a bold statement, not about anything concerning his own steroid use, but baseball players in general. Speaking at the Red Sox spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida, Big Papi told reporters that if a player tests positive for steroids even once, “Ban ‘em for the whole year.”

Not exactly what you would call a physical specimen, Ortiz does possess great power and some of the names that have come out over the years as steroid users wouldn’t be mistaken for bodybuilders, either. Case in point, Mo Vaughn, who could pass for Ortiz with their similar girth and Boston uniform. Big Mo was named in the Mitchell Report and was also spoken about in Kirk Radomski’s new book, “Bases Loaded.”

Vaughn was the caliber of player that thought merely using performance-enhancing drug was all it takes to benefit. He did not exercise and was inconsistent with using the substances, which Radomski described as the reason why Vaughn looked the way he did.

Hypothetically, let’s say Ortiz realized that he needed to make a decision to save his career after being cut by the Minnesota Twins in December of 2002. Although he had decent numbers that year (.272, 20, 75), his numbers went way up his first year at Fenway, with not only his batting average being higher, but his home runs and RBI jumped to 31 and 101, respectively.

He then became a legitimate superstar and hit a career-high 54 bombs in 2006. His numbers have declined since, and he also missed some time last summer due to injury.

It isn’t impossible that Ortiz dabbled into the use of steroids at one time and may now be clean, so it’s easy to step up and make a statement like he did. He was going yard and in a big way during the period that has been proven to be the so-called ‘steroid era.’

By stepping up and saying,”Hey, come and test all of us and throw us out if we’re stupid enough to do it,’ Ortiz deflects any doubt that may have been lingering over him.

Similar to what Pameiro did. Get my drift?

AL EAST
Boston Red Sox
N.Y. Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Rays
Baltimore Orioles

AL CENTRAL
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins

AL WEST
L.A. Angels
Seattle Mariners
Oakland A’s
Texas Rangers

**Notes:
AL EAST- Yanks relying just a bit more on young pitchers than Boston while Manny Ramirez bounces back from a sub-par ‘07 season–giving Boston even MORE offense; it could go either way but a pitcher like Delcarmen may prove to be the difference. Talented staff keeps Toronto very competitive, but will closer Ryan stay healthy? Rays strictly shooting for a .500 record; Orioles won’t be able to close games–and may have a legitimate shot at this division when Britney Spears becomes a great-grandmother.

AL CENTRAL- Tigers may BANG their way to 90+ wins, but RHP Bonderman MUST pitch better and I still question Jones as a “lights out” closer. Tribe’s bullpen is shaky; White Sox are improved but are simply stuck in a tough division. K.C. will have trouble scoring and closing games; questionable starting pitching and the loss of Hunter in the outfield seals the Twins’ last-place finish.

AL WEST- Torii Hunter gives L.A. some desperately-needed offensive punch along with terrific defense. Mariners bolstered by LHP Bedard, but they need better offensive seasons from Lopez and Sexson. A’s starting pitching can surprise if Harden remains healthy–but they lack overall power. Rangers’ team ERA approached SIX last season–and won’t be much better.

NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies
N.Y. Mets
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals
Florida Marlins

NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
St. Louis Cardinals
Pittsburgh Pirates

NL WEST
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
L.A. Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

**Notes:
NL EAST- I just flipped a coin between the Mets and Phillies and the Phils won (yes, it’ll go down to the wire)–but closer Lidge MUST capture some past glory and avoid the gopher ball; LHP Santana obviously helps Mets, but they’ll be too injury-prone. Braves’ staff is too old and they’ll miss the OF play of Andruw Jones; Nats fans excited about a new ballpark, but that doesn’t help improve a bad starting rotation. The number of youngsters on the Marlins squad reminds me of an old episode of “Wonderama.”

NL CENTRAL- Cubs lack a legitimate leadoff hitter, but should score enough; the club might be wise to let Marmol AND Wood share closing duties to keep both fresh/healthy. Brewers lack left-handed hitting, but will be in the wild-card hunt; Astros rely too much on Oswalt’s arm and newly-acquired “steroid boy” Tejada may prove to be a distraction. Reds improved their bullpen and Dusty’s motivated team could beat out Houston. Mgr. LaRussa will wish he pursued a legal career as the season unravels in St. Louis; Pirates have some decent, young pitchers, but we must remember that they are–ummmmm–the Pirates.

NL WEST- A toss-up; RHP Haren–a Cy Young candidate–helps Arizona a lot, but Rockies’ power is tough to dismiss. Torre to miss the luxury of a $200+ million payroll in L.A.; Padres outfield (Jim Edmonds?–sheesh) will not produce enough. Good news and bad news for the Giants: Good news is that many players are relieved to be distanced from the “freak-show” known as Bonds over the past few years. The BAD news is that the team generated only 89 RBI’s from the clean-up position last year and they have NO bench; case closed.

*Postseason: Ah, SO many scenarios to be played out during a very long season–and going out on the yearly limb is always a crapshoot. I’ll say that a truly battle-tested Red Sox team makes it (possibly limping very badly) to the Fall Classic once again. The Cubs and Lou Piniella somehow emerge from an inferior National League. Will the Cubbies FINALLY erase a heartbreaking, century-long championship drought? Nahhh–Red Sox in 6.

Enjoy the season, baseball fans.