Baseball Struggles

So now that the baseball season is under full swing (ha get it!), I should be knee deep in MLB news.  I should be watching every highlight, whether it be Albert Pujols struggling at the plate or Yu Darvish dominating on the mound.  To be honest though, I don’t even know if Pujols is still doing poorly and if Darvish is even still any good.  Why the lack of interest in baseball at the moment?  Because my team is sucking!

That sounds awful right?  My love for baseball shouldn’t be conditional of my favorite team’s success (or lack there of).  I should be genuinely interested in the sport regardless of the record of my home team.  Sadly that’s not the case.

I try though, I really do.  I end up watching games that D’Backs are in (I grew up in AZ) but day in and day out I end up cursing myself for ever watching the sport.  Players I’ve grown to admire and endear have underperformed.  Some even have flat out sucked. 

It’s caused a desdain between myself and the game of baseball, because I am constantly reminded of mediocrity.  I’m not the only one that feels this way I’m sure.  I mean the head coach, Kurt Gibson has even spoke of using a Ouija Board to look for answers.  Whatever it takes I guess. 

It’s not just the 2011 division winning D’Backs who are struggling through.  I mean when the Baltimore Oriels are first in the AL East, you know baseball is having a wacky year so far.  Teams like the Red Sox, Phillies, Angles, Yankees, Braves, etc are all underperforming.  These organizations by the way, only consider a playoff spot as success (some only a WS ring).

I’ll keep putting myself through the pain of watching games and hope for a comeback like we saw last year.  Plus, soon the NBA playoffs will be over and I’ll have nothing else to watch.  I guess that’s just part of being a fan.  At least I’m not a Chicago Cubs fan.  Now they got it rough!

So that’s Sports: from the fan’s perspective. 

Oh, and I have a little something fun.  I enjoy giving players on my favorite team nicknames: so here are some from the D’backs.  Feel free to include your favorite nicknames from your team as well.

Kirk Gibson - Gibby
Trevor Bauer - Bauer Outage
Craig Breslow - Smartest Man in Baseball
Trevor Cahill - The White Rabbit
Josh Collmenter - The Tomahawk
David Hernandez - Hardball
Daniel Hudson - Huddy
Ian Kennedy - Captain Red Beard
Joe Paterson - Joe Pats
JJ Putz - The Big Guy
Joe Saunders - Bazooka Joe, or “Joe”
Henry Blanco - Hommerin Henry
Miguel Montero - The Microwave, The Refrigerator, Miggy
Willie Bloomquist - Willie Broomstick, Willie Ballgame, WFB
Geoff Blum - Gi-Off
Stephen Drew - Wolf
Paul Goldshmidt - Goldy
John McDonald - Johnny Mac
Lyle Overbay - Lyle Overpay, Lyle Doubleplay, etc
Ryan Roberts - Tat Man
Jason Kubel - Kubo
Gerardo Parra - The Rooster/El Gallo
Justin Upton - J-Up
Chris Young - C.Y.

2012 MLB Predictions

There are plenty of baseball rankings out there preparing for the freshly started season.  Here is how I think (hope) it’ll turn out this year:

AL EAST: Tampa Bay Rays 

I’m going to go out on a limb here and pick the Rays.  With the Red Sox continuing to have locker room issues and a huge hole at closer after the free agency loss of Papelbon to the Phillies and the injury of Andrew Bailey.  Not to mention Terry Francona will continue to rub people the wrong way.  The Rays score runs a variety of ways with a young and balanced attack.  They also keep games low scoring with pitching that starts with Shields and Price.  We’ve also seen a competitive nature in the Rays that is unrivaled after their come from behind race into the playoffs last year.  The Yankees are who I see taking one of the playoff spots.  They are offensively load and have enough pitching to keep them in games.  The Yanks will have to rely on improvements from Hughes and Nova, who will have step up their game since Joba’s trampoline incident.

1.  Tampa Bay Rays
2. New York Yankees (wild card)
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL CENTRAL: Detroit Tigers 

This will probably be the most lopsided division in baseball with the Tigers running away with it.  They have a pitcher with MVP type stuff in Verlander, a dominant closer in Valverde and probably the best corner infield in baseball with Cabrera and Fielder.  The Royals look to be the next Tampa Bay with the development of a lot of young talent such as Hochevar and Alex Gordon.  The Indians are still a few years away while the White Sox and Twins continue their decline and aren’t poised to make a big playoff push.

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Chicago White Sox

AL WEST: Los Angeles Angels 

This will be a two team race between the Rangers and the Angels.  The Angels, loaded up with TV money, signed an MVP candidate in Pujols to solidify an already potent lineup.  Then they ad former Ranger ace C.J. Wilson to add to a rotation that already includes Haren and Weaver.  The Rangers won’t be going down without a fight.  The lineup will continue to score runs behind Hamilton and Co. plus Yu Darvish may have comparable numbers to C.J. Wilson this season anyways.  Meanwhile the Mariners and Billy Beane’s A’s will continue to rebuild this season.

1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers (wildcard)
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Oakland A’s

NL EAST: Philadelphia Phillies 

The Phillies have been atop this division for quite a while now, and it seems it will remain the same this year.  They have one of the best starting rotations in the NL and proven stars that help fill a deep lineup.  The big factor with the Phillies are age and health.  Utley, Rollins and Howard have all had injuries that have caused them to miss substantial playing time.  When healthy this team is a powerhouse in the NL.  Behind them are the newly improved Marlins, the always competitive Braves and the surging Nationals.  The Marlins’ playoff hopes depend on Josh Johnsons arm and Jose Reyes’ health.  The Braves need consistency while the Nationals need their young ball club to mature quick.  Sorry Mets it’ll be a tough year.

1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Miami Marlins
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Washington Nationals
5. New York Mets

NL CENTRAL: St. Louis Cardinals 

Even with the loss of Albert Pujols the Cardinals will remain a threat.  With a healthy Carpenter they are balanced and experienced.  David Freese looks to continue his World Series run and Carlos Beltran hopes to take some of the load off the offense.  Meanwhile the Brew-Crew will try to rebound after losing Fielder to free agency.  Don’t be surprised if Braun’s output drops considerably.  This might be more because of the lack of Prince in the lineup, not because of Braun’s PED allegations.  The big competition in the Central I think are the Reds.  The Reds have been poised to make some noise the past two years and have underperformed.  After breaking the bank on Votto, Cincinnati needs to make a return on a massive investment.  Although the Pirates made strides last year, McCutchen simply isn’t enough to push this team into contention.  When looking at the Cubs there are far more negatives than positives, and Theo has his work cut out for him.

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Cincinnati Reds (wildcard) 
3. Milwakee Brewers
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Houston Astros

NL WEST: Arizona Diamondbacks 

The D-Backs surprised baseball last year with taking the NL West.  Don’t look for things to change.  The D-Backs rely on great pitching from their starting rotation and especially from their pen (3 different guys could close for this team).  The offensive production will be there with a more matured Goldschmidt, an MVP candidate in Upton and added depth with the addition of Kubel.  The rotation is deep and has the ability to put up a lot of innings.  This team even has talent in the minors such as Bauer, Skaggs and Corbin are all primed and ready for the big show.  Gibby has this team playing his style of baseball and they are set for a championship run.  The Giants aren’t going anywhere either however.  The Giants have a more talented starting rotation, and rely heavily on their performance.  With the additions of a healthy Posey and free agent Melky Cabrera, the offensive will improve.  They will make the race for the NL West close.  The Dodgers with “Magic” money paying for the team look to make a run as well.  They are definitely talented with MVP candidate Matt Kemp, all-star Andre Ethier and Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw.  I just don’t see the Dodgers having the depth and consistency to make a playoff run however.  There is a similar story out in Colorado, a talented lineup but lack of pitching will be their achilles heel.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. San Francisco Giants (wildcard)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

Personally I would like to see a D-Backs vs. Tigers World Series.