Baseball preview

Hear that sound? It's the sound of Tim Kurkjan's squeaky voice at high noon, the crisp voice of Jon Miller welcoming America to Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, it's the roar of that opening day crowd, we'll not hear another roar like that until the bone chilling months of October. The sound your hearing is the sound of another baseball season starting up and 30 teams believing full heartedly that they can, and will, win the World Series this year. It's the sound baseball fans hear from Canada all the way down to Miami, through the windy Midwest where there hasn't been a world title in 100 years [Chicago] and all the way out to the pacific waters of Southern California. It's time for baseball season, and it's the greatest time of the year.

It's also the time when the experts break out their stat sheets and try to pick who will come out of each division. Of course there is always the Detroit Tigers of 2004 or Florida Marlins of 2006 who no one thinks will win more then 60 games and they make startling runs, maybe even to the postseason. I'm about to attempt to do what Baseball Tonight does every spring, pick the divisions team by team, with grades and comments in each, and hopefully pick a world champion.It will limited to one division per post, so this could drag out, but for today, the AL East.

A.L East

1. Boston Red Sox

Rec: 98-64

It pains me to say that I think Boston will repeat, but offense wins regular season games. I don't think the staff is as strong as last year, as we have seen in spring, they have all gotten a year older. We all know that means that they will all be more prone to injury [hence Curt Shilling being out for a couple of months]. I've been saying it for years that I don't think Boston can keep up with the Yankees young pitching but that offense will have enough staying power to win games. This is still a wide open race and the Yankees will be in first place pro ably for a good portion of the season.

2. New York Yankees

Rec: 95-67

This could change, the pitching is invigorated with young, fresh prospects that balance out the experienced veterans. Phil Hughes is the next Roger Clemens, he has stuff that makes major leaguers cringe, and ice water in his veins. You will find yourself asking yourself, how old is that guy again? And proceed to answer yourself in astonishment with," He's only 21!" and that excites all Yankee fans from Yonkers to Fresno. The offense is not quite as fiery as Boston but it is not exactly a feather weight either.

3. Toronto Blue Jays

Rec: 86-76

The team that will always be the middle child of the A.L East. Still not enough talent to compete with Boston and New York but still not bad enough to be down in Baltimore and Tampa territory. The pitching has a great one-two punch in Halladay and Burnet, but after that the whole staff goes south quick, including the bullpen. The offense is average at best, when your biggest power threat is three or four years past his prime [Frank Thomas] but the rest is ok, you won't win in a division with two of the best offensives baseball has ever known.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

Rec: 78-83

By far the best season in franchise history, they will be the Detroit Tigers if this year. With so much young talent they can't make a huge move right now but will be right up there with Toronto by next year or so. Carl Crawford is already the best player the franchise has had since Wade Boggs or Tino Martinez. Scott Kazmir and the young pitching will also make noise but they need a little bit more punch in the back part of the rotation and bullpen before we can officially put them in the same group as Toronto.

5. Baltimore Orioles

Rec: 59-103

This will be ugly. They lost the only thing keeping them out of last place last year in Erik Bedard [who killed the Yanks last year] by sending him to Seattle. The other pitching, well, let's not go there. Same thing can be said about he "offense" or lack there of. They have a messy situation down in Baltimore and need some help fixing it, management change would be nice if the Orioles are to realize their glory days once again.

The A.L East is going to be a two team race once again, as both Boston and New York have stacked lineups and Toronto and Tampa Bay being a couple of years away, it looks like the dominance of this division is once again going to be between the greatest rivalry in sports.