Baseball Predictions '06

It sure feels like Spring today, and right on cue the start to the baseball is just days away. Usually, I send out my predictions via e-mail, but I figured I’d take a rare break from being a proud father and post them here. I’ll admit that still I’m a lifelong Orioles fan, although I spent last year paying more attention to the third incarnation of the Nats. As a fan, I’d like to make the case for both local teams making it to the World Series for a pie-in-the-sky “Beltway Series”. Unfortunately, I can’t ...on paper, there are three teams(Braves, Mets and Phillies) better than the Nats in their own division. While they’ll score more runs, with the addition of Alfonso Soriano, Washington won’t be able to improve much on last year’s 81-81 record. Unless, Livan Hernandez and John Patterson can each win 30 games, Washington just doesn’t have enough pitching. Even though the Braves lost pitching coach Leo Mazzone to the O’s and “past performance is no guarantee of future results”, after 14 straight division titles how can one bet against them? The Mets always wilt under the bright lights of New York and the Phillies have been perpetual underachievers for over a decade.

As for the rest of the National League, the Cardinals are still the team to beat in the Central. Although, any team that sticks former-Oriole Sidney Ponson in their rotation is bound to have a drop-off. Expect the young and energetic Brewers to compete(they remind me of the ‘89 O’s) and end up with the wild-card for their efforts. The Dodgers(where Nomar Garciaparra makes his case for comeback player of the year) could become the first below-.500 team to make the playoffs by winning the West, which appears to be the worst division in the Majors.

While I’ve always considered Ray Miller to be one of the best pitching coaches in baseball, Leo Mazzone is the gold standard and this year he’s wearing an Oriole uniform. His influence over a young pitching staff might be worth 15-games. Also, Baltimore managed to jettison every bad egg(Palmeiro, Ponson and Sosa) in their clubhouse from last year, so if Peter Angelos would just go get lost in the wilderness, they might have the something in the making -- and while 89 wins might not win them the AL East(unfortunately, like the Nats, three teams in their division are better on paper), it will keep them competitive in the wild-card race. Boston will realize that their one shining moment has past, so as long as Johnson and Mussina don’t show their age all at once, expect the Yankees to keep the pennant.

As for the rest of the American League, the White Sox will prove to be a lucky fluke(Ozzie Guillen was already wearing on me last year). Detroit, under new manager Jim Leyland, will shock many by winning the Central. The Indians will miss Kevin Millwood and Scott Elarton just enough to fall back to being a middle-tier team. In the AL West, expect the A’s, Angels and Rangers to fight it out for two post-season spots. While the Rangers aren’t buiding a dynasty, they are built to win this year, assuming they stay healthy(a big "if"). The low budget A’s will have to settle for wild-card berth.

So, to re-cap, division winners: (NL) Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers, (AL) Yankees, Tigers, and Rangers. Wild-card berths to the (AL) A’s and (NL) Brewers. Just for fun, I’ll predict that both wild-card teams make it to the World Series, with the A’s winning in six -- a vindication of Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” ways. As for the various awards, I’ll be a true hometown fan: (NL) MVP - Alfonso Soriano, Cy Young - Livan Hernadez, Rookie of the Year - Ryan Zimmerman, (AL) MVP - Miguel Tejada, Cy Young - (former Oriole)Mike Mussina, and Rookie of the Year - Nick Markakis.

Lily at My Gym

Lily at My Gym #2
Originally uploaded by oldforest.

Heather had wanted to take Lily to Ballet Petite on Saturdays, but had to settle for a "Gymsters" class at My Gym(which is similar to Gymboree) when it turned out that Lily was still too young to be a little ballerina. For now, Lily only gets to watch others dance through the glass(there's a Ballet Petite just down the corridor from the My Gym at the Cabin John Mall), although sometimes at home she'll walk around the kitchen on her tiptoes.

Zoe in Swing at Norwood Park, 3/12/06

Zoe in Swing at Norwood Park, 3/12/06
Originally uploaded by oldforest.

Back in February, I took several adorable pictures of Lily and Zoe sharing a swing. A couple of weeks ago, not only did Zoe get another chance to swing with Lily, but she got to try it solo...

Another Set of Twins...

With Ian and Tyler Lee 2/18/06
Originally uploaded by oldforest.

I know it's just a coincidence, but this is the second set of twins(Jim Williamson's twins Rita and Natalie are pictured in the 10/6/05 blog entry here) born to one of my groomsmen(watch out Alan and Milo). In this case, Tyler and Ian were born on 1/10/06 and are the twins of Andre and Takako Lee.