So who’s going to win it all next October? Hmmm. No clue. And let’s be honest -- anybody who says otherwise is a big fat prevaricator. I mean, we all had the Angels last spring, right?
| SI.com's Power Rankings |
|---|
| Rank |
LW |
|
Team |
| 1 |
NR |
 |
Oakland Athletics
They’ve lost three straight Game 5s in the first round, it looks as if Miguel Tejada will follow Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi out of town because of budget problems, and new manager Ken Macha is untested. But, oh, that pitching. |
| 2 |
NR |
 |
St. Louis Cardinals
We’re not saying they’re blessed, but Albert Pujols wears custom-made shoes with the letters "WWJD" printed on them. Yep, that’s right: "What Would Jesus Do?" |
| 3 |
NR |
 |
New York Yankees
David Wells talks too much, Jose Contreras stinks, and Mariano Rivera is on the DL. But the deal to finally get his YES network carried on Cablevision ought to keep George Steinbrenner happy for a couple of days. |
| 4 |
NR |
 |
Anaheim Angels
Can they repeat last year’s magic? With third baseman Troy Glaus (right wrist), left-hander Jarrod Washburn (left shoulder) and center fielder Darrin Erstad (right hand) all playing hurt on Opening Day, you have to wonder. |
| 5 |
NR |
 |
Minnesota Twins
Eric Milton is out three to five months with a knee injury, and Joe Mays' right elbow is still hurting. But it shouldn’t make a bit of difference against the likes of the Indians, Royals and Tigers. |
| 6 |
NR |
 |
San Francisco Giants
Barry Bonds is 38. So is Benito Santiago. Andres Galarraga is 41. Marquis Grissom is 35. So is J.T. Snow. And manager Felipe Alou is 67. Geez, the postgame spread should include oxygen. |
| 7 |
NR |
 |
Boston Red Sox
How about Pedro Martinez invoking the Evil Empire in his contract negotiations with the Sox? "The Yankees and Pedro?” he wondered aloud last week. “It would be great for George Steinbrenner, not for the Red Sox." Let the Boston suicide watch begin. |
| 8 |
NR |
 |
Arizona Diamondbacks
Owner Jerry Colangelo has ordered the players and coaches to spend 10 minutes signing autographs before every game. Just wait till Donald Fehr hears about this. |
| 9 |
NR |
 |
Atlanta Braves
First, Tom Glavine signs with the Mets. Then Kevin Millwood is given away to the Phillies. And now AOL/Time Warner has dropped Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren from TBS broadcasts. What’s next, no sweet tea? |
| 10 |
NR |
 |
Los Angeles Dodgers
Watch out for them. Jim Tracy patched together 92 victories a year ago, and now Kevin Brown and Darren Dreifort are healthy. |
| 11 |
NR |
 |
Philadelphia Phillies
Jim Thome could be huge in the Vet – if that rock-hard infield doesn’t play havoc with his ever-iffy back. |
| 12 |
NR |
 |
Houston Astros
You have to wonder how much they’ll miss veteran Shane Reynolds, whose release caught just about everyone by surprise. “Nobody saw that coming,” says Roy Oswalt. “ … I'm speechless. It's the craziest thing I ever heard of.'' |
| 13 |
NR |
 |
Seattle Mariners
New manager Bob Melvin has some awfully big shoes to fill. And the M’s aren’t getting any younger. Edgar Martinez and Jamie Moyer are 40, Mark McLemore is 38, and Dan Wilson and John Olerud are 34. It’s a shame I already used that oxygen gag. |
| 14 |
NR |
 |
Chicago White Sox
Mark Buehrle and Bartolo Colon are a nice one-two punch, and the lineup is solid. Just one question: Is Frank Thomas whining yet? |
| 15 |
NR |
 |
Chicago Cubs
Last year, Darren Baker carried bats. This year, the 4-year-old son of manager Dusty Baker may be carrying a tune. The Cubs want him to sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the seventh-inning stretch. "He knows the words to it," says Dad. "But I told them to go ask my wife." |
| 16 |
NR |
 |
New York Mets
Hey, is that David Cone? It is! "I was a self-proclaimed long shot coming in," said Cone, who took a year off before making the rotation at the age of 40. "But I think everybody probably gave me longer odds than that, almost a no shot." |
| 17 |
NR |
 |
Montreal Expos
Is it just us, or did manager Frank Robinson sound less than excited about picking up Livan Hernandez? When someone described Livan as an "innings eater," Robinson replied, "That's like saying a girl's not pretty, but she has a great personality." |
| 18 |
NR |
 |
Toronto Blue Jays
They took out an ad in the Sunday paper urging fans to come out and boo the Yankees’ newest free-agent acquisition, Hideki Matsui. New York manager Joe Torre called it tasteless. No comment from David Wells. |
| 19 |
NR |
 |
Texas Rangers
Sure, he hit a home run in the opener, but should the Rangers be worried about that bulging disc in Alex Rodriguez’s neck? We would be. |
| 20 |
NR |
 |
Florida Marlins
A.J. Burnett, Brad Penny and Josh Beckett are terrific pitchers, but as long as Jeffrey Loria is running the show, it’s hard to take the Fish very seriously. Giving $10 million to the increasingly brittle Ivan Rodriguez is Exhibit A. |
| 21 |
NR |
 |
Cincinnati Reds
So far, reviews of the Great American Ball Park aren’t so great. ''There's so much of that building that is cosmetic. So much is heavy-handed,” sniffs retired architecture professor David Niland. “To me it's the Tammy Faye Bakker Stadium.'' |
| 22 |
NR |
 |
Colorado Rockies
They may have needs, but bail money isn’t one of them. When the team was offered a three-game stay in Las Vegas, manager Clint Hurdle said no way. “[That] would defeat everything we've tried to accomplish throughout spring training. In 72 hours, Rome would have been burning as far I was concerned." |
| 23 |
NR |
 |
Baltimore Orioles
The O’s lost 32 of their last 36 games last season, and their biggest free-agent signee of the winter was B.J. Surhoff. And the Washington, D.C., area shouldn’t get a major league team because … ? |
| 24 |
NR |
 |
Cleveland Indians
How much turnover has the Tribe undergone in the past year? Starter C.C. Sabathia, at age 22, is third on the club in seniority. |
| 25 |
NR |
 |
Pittsburgh Pirates
You’d think a 1.93 ERA would be good enough to make the Bucs’ Opening Day roster. Uh-uh. Despite a stellar spring, Matt Herges was cut last week because they didn't want to guarantee his $825,000 contract. Ah, baseball in 2003. |
| 26 |
NR |
 |
San Diego Padres
Have we ever noted how nice it is to be left-handed? Jesse Orosco, who will turn 46 on April 21, is beginning his 24th major league season this year as San Diego’s de facto closer. |
| 27 |
NR |
 |
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Joe Kennedy goes 0-4 with a 10.43 ERA in spring training, then turns around and allows the Red Sox one earned run on eight hits in seven innings on Opening Day. Go figure. |
| 28 |
NR |
 |
Kansas City Royals
After losing Saturday to the Rockies, they finished with a 20-9 exhibition record -- the second-best spring training in team history behind the 1999 squad (22-9). Of course, those Royals finished 64-97 in the regular season. |
| 29 |
NR |
 |
Milwaukee Brewers
Ten consecutive losing seasons, 20 years since the playoffs, 106 losses last season. There’s really not much else to say. |
| 30 |
NR |
 |
Detroit Tigers
Their starters are young and … well, young. The rotation of Mike Maroth, Jeremy Bonderman, Adam Bernero, Nate Cornejo and Gary Knotts owns a combined record of 13-27 as big-league starters. |
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