Thursday April 1, 2004
Discussion Question #1 - Your responses to these questions will be posted on Friday.
Discussion Question #2 - Your responses to these questions will be posted on Monday.
FANTASY TEAM #3
In past weeks, I have discussed two of my fantasy teams, including their drafts (Fantasy Team #1 and Fantasy Team #2). Today, I will discuss a third fantasy team. Last night, we held our draft at the golf course. It is a lot different from the previous leagues that I have discussed. Those were 5x5 roto leagues. This is a head-to-head, performance-based league. Here are the point values:
Offense: Run=1 pt, RBI=1 pt, SB=1 pt, Single=1 pt, Double=2 pts, Triple=3 pts, HR=4 pts
Pitching: Win=10 pts, CG Win=12 pts, CG Shutout=15 pts, CG No-Hitter=18 pts, 6 innings/No Decision=3 pts, CG Loss=3 pts, Save=5 pts.
It is a head-to-head league, but it only runs on weekends. We need to put in a lineup every Friday morning for each weekend. We play essentially a 3-game series against an opponent. Each day is a different "game." So, for a weekend, you could go 3-0, 2-1, 1-2 or 0-3. There are 20 weeks in the season, and then the top 6 teams in the league make the playoffs.
A lineup consists of: Three Outfielders, Two Middle Infielders, Two Corner Infielders, One Catcher, DH, Five Starting Pitchers, and One Closer. (This is quite a bit different too. You don't need a SS and a 2B; you could have two SS. Same on the corners, it is OK to have two 1B.)
So, enough background, let's just see the results of the draft. There are 10 teams and 24 rounds. A team must consist of: Five Outfielders, Three Middle Infielders, Three Corner Infielders, One Catcher, Nine Starting Pitchers, Two Relief Pitchers, and One Extra Player (who can be a hitter or pitcher). There is one more thing that I should mention (although, you will notice it right away). Because of how the pitching rules are set up, pitchers go pretty late. In the two years I have been in this league, even the top pitchers don't start getting drafted until the 5th or 6th round.
I suppose I need to tell you one more thing. Last year, the league needed one more team, so my friend Tyler and I decided to co-own a team. We were planning on doing the same thing this year. However, we got to the draft, and only nine teams were represented. So, I volunteered to own a second team. Tyler and I are still sharing a team (we drafted 3rd in the first round), and I own one team by myself (I had the 8th pick). It may get confusing at times, and I'm sure that we will be careful if we ever make trades with each other. But, it will work, and I love it, so I don't mind doing it.
My strategies in this format are somewhat different than in other drafts. I think that you take the best available hitter the first four or five rounds. I wanted to get at least two top notch aces. I wanted to get at least one top middle infielder in the first couple of rounds. In the middle rounds, I just wanted to continue taking the players I felt would give me the most production, whether pitchers or hitters. I didn't want to reach just to fill a position. In other words, if I felt there were a number of middle infielders all about the same level, just keep putting off drafting a middle infielder until that group is low. Also, because "Wins" are what matter for pitchers, it is most important to get quality pitchers from teams that will win a lot. So, those are just some of my strategies.
FIRST ROUND
1 - Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
2 - Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
3 - Alfonso Soriano, Texas Rangers
4 - Vlad Guerrero, Anaheim Angels
5 - Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies
6 - Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs
7 - Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox
8 - Jason Giambi, New York Yankees
9 - Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants
10 - Gary Sheffield, New York Yankees
SECOND ROUND
11 - Jim Thome, Phildelphia Phillies
12 - Carlos Delgado, Toronto Blue Jays
13 - Miguel Tejada, Baltimore Orioles
14 - Richie Sexson, Arizona Diamondbacks
15 - Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
16 - Jeff Bagwell, Houston Astros
17 - Carlos Beltran, Kansas City Royals
18 - Magglio Ordonez, Chicago White Sox
19 - Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays
20 - Eric Chavez, Oakland A's
THIRD ROUND
21 - Scott Rolen, St. Louis Cardinals
22 - Troy Glaus, Anaheim Angels
23 - Edgar Renterria, St. Louis Cardinals
24 - Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
25 - Preston Wilson, Colorado Rockies
26 - Mike Lowell, Florida Marlins
27 - Nomar Garciaparra, Boston Red Sox
28 - Brian Giles, San Diego Padres
29 - Bret Boone, Seattle Mariners
30 - Shawn Green, Los Angeles Dodgers
FOURTH ROUND
31 - Aubrey Huff, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
32 - Mike Piazza, New York Mets
33 - Jorge Posada, New York Yankees
34 - Derrek Lee, Chicago Cubs
35 - Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs
36 - Jeff Kent, Houston Astros
37 - Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox
38 - Javy Lopez, Baltimore Orioles
39 - Jose Vidro, Montreal Expos
40 - Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves
FIFTH ROUND
41 - Andruw Jones, Atlanta Braves
42 - Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
43 - Bobby Abreu, Philadelphia Phillies
44 - Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers
45 - Jason Varitek, Boston Red Sox
46 - Garrett Anderson, Anaheim Angels
47 - Carlos Lee, Chicago White Sox
48 - Hank Blalock, Texas Rangers
49 - Mike Sweeney, Kansas City Royals
50 - David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
SIXTH ROUND
51 - Luis Gonzalez, Arizona Diamondbacks
52 - Jim Edmonds, St. Louis Cardinals
53 - Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox
54 - Richard Hidalgo, Houston Astros
55 - Mike Mussina, New York Yankees
56 - Pedro Martinez, Boston Red Sox
57 - Ichiro, Seattle Mariners
58 - Javier Vazquez, New York Yankees
59 - Jeromy Burnitz, Colorado Rockies
60 - Reggie Sanders, St. Louis Cardinals
SEVENTH ROUND
61 - Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds
62 - Tim Hudson, Oakland A's
63 - Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros
64 - Kerry Wood, Chicago Cubs
65 - Kevin Brown, New York Yankees
66 - Bartolo Colon, Anaheim Angels
67 - Esteban Loaiza, Chicago White Sox
68 - Mark Prior, Chicago Cubs
69 - Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks
70 - Eric Gagne, Los Angeles Dodgers
EIGHTH ROUND
71 - Josh Beckett, Florida Marlins
72 - Matt Morris, St. Louis Cardinals
73 - Billy Wagner, Philadelphia Phillies
74 - Barry Zito, Oakland A's
75 - Miguel Cabrera, Florida Marlins
76 - Andy Pettitte, Houston Astros
77 - Mark Mulder, Oakland A's
78 - Greg Maddux, Chicago Cubs
79 - Kevin Millwood, Philadelphia Phillies
80 - Joel Pineiro, Seattle Mariners
NINTH ROUND
81 - Freddy Garcia, Seattle Mariners
82 - Jose Guillen, Anaheim Angels
83 - Mark Teixeira, Texas Rangers
84 - Jason Schmidt, San Francisco Giants
85 - Dmitri Young, Detroit Tigers
86 - Rafael Palmiero, Baltimore Orioles
87 - Phil Nevin, San Diego Padres
88 - Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees
89 - Orlando Cabrera, Montreal Expos
90 - Rafael Furcal, Atlanta Braves
TENTH ROUND
91 - Randy Wolf, Philadelphia Phillies
92 - Woody Williams, St. Louis Cardinals
93 - Derek Lowe, Boston Red Sox
94 - Marcus Giles, Atlanta Braves
95 - Jose Valentin, Chicago White Sox
96 - Kazuo Matsui, New York Yankees
97 - Ray Durham, San Francisco Giants
98 - Ryan Klesko, San Diego Padres
99 - Alex Gonzalez, Chicago Cubs
100 - Placido Polanco, Philadelphia Phillies
ELEVENTH ROUND
101 - Russ Ortiz, Atlanta Braves
102 - Jamie Moyer, Seattle Mariners
103 - Mike Hampton, Atlanta Braves
104 - Matt Clement, Chicago Cubs
105 - Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs
106 - Jarrod Washburn, Anaheim Angels
107 - Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins
108 - Jose Contreras, New York Yankees
109 - Wade Miller, Houston Astros
110 - Mike Lieberthal, Philadelphia Phillies
TWELFTH ROUND
111 - Hideo Nomo, Los Angeles Dodgers
112 - Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox
113 - Jacque Jones, Minnesota Twins
114 - Roger Clemens, Houston Astros
115 - Kelvim Escobar, Anaheim Angels
116 - Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins
117 - Shea Hillenbrand, Arizona Diamondbacks
118 - Kyle Lohse, Minnesota Twins
119 - Dontrelle Willis, Florida Marlins
120 - Ken Griffey, Jr., Cincinnati Reds
THIRTEENTH ROUND
121 - Keith Foulke, Boston Red Sox
122 - Jason Kendall, Pittsburgh Pirates
123 - Octavio Dotel, Houston Astros
124 - Shannon Stewart, Minnesota Twins
125 - Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
126 - Matthew Lecroy, Minnesota Twins
127 - Sidney Ponson, Baltimore Orioles
128 - Juan Gonzalez, Kansas City Royals
129 - John Smoltz, Atlanta Braves
130 - Vicente Padilla, Philadelphia Phillies
FOURTEENTH ROUND
131 - Kaz Ishii, Los Angeles Dodgers
132 - Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks
133 - Eric Milton, Philadelphia Phillies
134 - Brad Radke, Minnesota Twins
135 - Rich Aurilia, Seattle Mariners
136 - Jay Gibbons, Baltimore Orioles
137 - Brad Penny, Florida Marlins
138 - JD Drew, Atlanta Braves
139 - Rich Harden, Oakland A's
140 - Horacio Ramirez, Atlanta Braves
FIFTEENTH ROUND
141 - John Thomson, Atlanta Braves
142 - Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis Cardinals
143 - Austin Kearns, Cincinnati Reds
144 - Arthur Rhodes, Seattle Mariners
145 - Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox
146 - John Lackey, Anaheim Angels
147 - Pat Burrell, Philadelphia Phillies
148 - Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres
149 - Geoff Jenkins, Milwaukee Brewers
150 - Angel Berroa, Kansas City Royals
SIXTEENTH ROUND
151 - Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners
152 - Al Leiter, New York Mets
153 - Odalis Perez, Los Angeles Dodgers
154 - Michael Young, Texas Rangers
155 - Brett Myers, Philadelphia Phillies
156 - Moises Alou, Chicago Cubs
157 - Mark Redman, Oakland A's
158 - David Wells, San Diego Padres
159 - Tom Glavine, New York Mets
160 - Jon Garland, Chicago White Sox
SEVENTEENTH ROUND
161 - Bobby Crosby, Oakland A's
162 - Roberto Alomar, Arizona Diamondbacks
163 - Bernie Williams, New York Yankees
164 - Kip Wells, Pittsburgh Pirates
165 - Kevin Millar, Boston Red Sox
166 - Miguel Batista, Toronto Blue Jays
167 - Jermaine Dye, Oakland A's
168 - Brian Lawrence, San Diego Padres
169 - CC Sabathia, Cleveland Indians
170 - Jay Payton, San Diego Padres
EIGHTEENTH ROUND
171 - Brian Anderson, Kansas City Royals
172 - Jeff Suppan, St. Louis Cardinals
173 - Morgan Ensberg, Houston Astros
174 - Eric Hinske, Toronto Blue Jays
175 - Ted Lilly, Toronto Blue Jays
176 - Gil Meche, Seattle Mariners
177 - Pat Hentgen, Toronto Blue Jays
178 - Tim Redding, Houston Astros
179 - Steve Finley, Arizona Diamondbacks
180 - Paul LoDuca, Los Angeles Dodgers
NINETEENTH ROUND
181 - Rodrigo Lopez, Baltimore Orioles
182 - Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
183 - Vinny Castilla, Colorado Rockies
184 - Ben Sheets, Milwaukee Brewers
185 - Jason Johnson, Detroit Tigers
186 - Troy Percival, Anaheim Angels
187 - Kurt Ainsworth, Baltimore Orioles
188 - Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres
189 - Corey Patterson, Chicago Cubs
190 - Cris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
TWENTIETH ROUND
191 - Shane Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks
192 - Jerome Williams, San Francisco Giants
193 - Junior Spivey, Milwaukee Brewers
194 - Jorge Julio, Baltimore Orioles
195 - Armando Benitez, Florida Marlins
196 - Bill Mueller, Boston Red Sox
197 - Luis Castillo, Florida Marlins
198 - Alex Cintron, Arizona Diamondbacks
199 - Joe Crede, Chicago White Sox
200 - Kirk Reuter, San Francisco Giants
TWENTY-FIRST ROUND
201 - Bret Tomko, San Francisco Giants
202 - Ramon Ortiz, Anaheim Angels
203 - Carlos Silva, Minnesota Twins
204 - Trot Nixon, Boston Red Sox
205 - Todd Walker, Chicago Cubs
206 - Josh Towers, Toronto Blue Jays
207 - Livan Hernandez, Montreal Expos
208 - Milton Bradley, Cleveland Indians
209 - Larry Walker, Colorado Rockies
210 - Jeff Weaver, Los Angeles Dodgers
TWENTY-SECOND ROUND
211 - Carl Everett, Montreal Expos
212 - Doug Mientkiewicz, Minnesota Twins
213 - Byung-Hyun Kim, Boston Red Sox
214 - Eddie Guardado, Seattle Mariners
215 - Ramon Hernandez, San Diego Padres
216 - Steve Trachsel, New York Mets
217 - Corey Koskie, Minnesota Twins
218 - Darrell May, Kansas City Royals
219 - Mike MacDougal, Kansas City Royals
220 - Johnny Damon, Boston Red Sox
TWENTY-THIRD ROUND
221 - Erubiel Durazo, Oakland A's
222 - Jose Cruz, Jr., Tampa Bay Devil Rays
223 - Kenny Rogers, Texas Rangers
224 - Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins
225 - Jae Seo, New York Mets
226 - Alex Gonzalez, Florida Marlins
227 - Victor Zambrano, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
228 - Edwin Jackson, Los Angeles Dodgers
229 - Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies
230 - Joe Borowski, Chicago Cubs
TWENTY-FOURTH ROUND
231 - Mark Loretta, San Diego Padres
232 - Matt Mantie, Arizona Diamondbacks
233 - D'Angelo Jiminez, Cincinnati Reds
234 - AJ Pierzynski, San Francisco Giants
235 - Kenny Lofton, New York Yankees
236 - Braden Looper, New York Mets
237 - Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
238 - Robb Nen, San Francisco Giants
239 - Carl Pavano, Florida Marlins
240 - Danny Graves, Cincinnati Reds
So, how do I feel about my teams? Here they are:
Analysis - Seth's Team:
OF - Brian Giles, Hideki Matsui, Jacque Jones, Juan Gonzalez, Milton Bradley
MF - Miguel Tejada, Junior Spivey, D'Angelo Jiminez
CF - Jason Giambi, Hank Blalock, Morgan Ensberg
C - Jorge Posada
SP - Curt Schilling, Mark Prior, Derek Lowe, Jose Contreras, Eric Milton, Jake Peavy, Odalis Perez, Brian Lawrence, Byung-Hyun Kim, Edwin Jackson
RP - Billy Wagner, Trevor Hoffman
I like my outfielders, all could put up huge numbers, and I won't have to count on the oft-injured Juan Gonzalez, but if he's healthy, that could be a good pick. I got Tejada early, but then waited until the late rounds to get a couple more Middle Infielders. Spivey could return to All-Star form, and Jiminez hit 16 homers last year. I like my Corner Infielders. Giambi should have an even better year in 2004 with a better batting average. Blalock hopefully will continue to improve on his All-Star 2003 level. Ensberg hit 25 homers in part-time play last year. He could duplicate or increase that number now that he should be playing full time. Posada is the best catcher in baseball. I normally don't like drafting a top catcher, but it made sense where I got him. I love my starting pitchers. Schilling could win 25! Prior dropped because he is out a month. It is a risk, but one I was certainly willing to take. I'll take pitchers from winnings teams any time. Lowe, Contreras and Kim would be examples of that. I think Milton will have a good year with a strong lineup supporting him. Jake Peavy and Brian Lawrence are San Diego's best pitchers and the Padres lineup is stacked. I wanted Billy Wagner. Normally I wouldn't take a second closer until the last round because we only use one. But, everyone needed to take their second yet, and I figured I might as well get a good one from a potentially very good team. To be brutally honest, at this point, I feel this team is unbeatable. But, that's why we play the games, right?
Analysis - Seth and Tyler's Team:
OF - Magglio Ordonez, Bobby Abreu, JD Drew, Austin Kearns, Bernie Williams
MF - Alfonso Soriano, Edgar Renterria, Alex Cintron
CF - Mark Teixeira, Ryan Klesko, Vinny Castilla
C - Javy Lopez
SP - Javier Vazquez, Roy Oswalt, Greg Maddux, Mike Hampton, Kyle Lohse, David Wells, Tim Redding, Carlos Silva, Darrell May, Kenny Rogers
RP - Octavio Dotel, Robb Nenn
It was hard to be active with both teams. I kept forgetting that I needed to concentrate on both teams. However, I think we came to a near-consensus on all of the picks. I think the Outfielders could be a strength. As you can guess though, injuries are a concern with three of them. I love our middle infield. Getting Sorians and Renterria is exciting, and Cintron hit 15 homers in a partial rookie season. The corner infielders may not seem exciting, but Teixeira is such a good hitter and could hit 40 homers. If Klesko is healthy, he'll do well in that Padres lineup. And, Vinny is back in Colorado. Can Javy Lopez duplicate his 2003 season? Probably not, but he should still be one of the top 3 catchers in baseball. Vazquez, Oswalt and Maddux. How's that for a top of the rotation. Hampton had flashes of his former 20-win former self in the second half last year. Lohse and Silva will be important to the Twins success this year. David Wells lost weight and should do fine in his hometown San Diego. Redding may be a hidden name in that Houston rotation, but he will do well. And, if the Royals really are going to contend with the Twins this year, Darrell May will have to be a big reason for that. I think this team may have more injury risk, but may have as much, or even more, upside.
So, there you have it. My two new fantasy teams. What do you think? Any questions or comments? Do you enjoy seeing the results of these drafts? I have one more draft, on Saturday, and then I can sit back and watch the games and my teams! E-mail me.
WEDNESDAY - Twins 4, Phillies 2
Yesterday, the Twins defeated the Kevin Millwood and the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2. The Twins started a standard lineup and then brought in a group of Class A prospects to finish the game. Four Twins players had two hits. Shannon Stewart went 2-3 with a double. Alex Romero, who played low-Class A ball last year and really was impressive in winter ball this year, went 2-2. (You guessed it, he is an OF too!) Matthew Lecroy went 2-5 with a solo home run, his second of the spring. Michael Cuddyer, playing 3B, went 2-3 with his 5th home run of the spring. Another Twins prospect, another OF, James Tomlin hit a double.
But I think the story of the game was the performance of Joe Roa. I don't think that he is applying for 5th starter job, but is working to hold down the long reliever spot on the roster. In 3 innings, he gave up just 1 hit, with no walks or runs, and one strikeout. Such a performance, against a very good Phillies lineup, could have wrapped up a roster spot for Roa. Carlos Pulido, vying for the same roster spot, went three innings as well. He gave up 5 hits and 2 earned runs. Joe Nathan pitched one inning, giving up just one hit and striking out two.
Supposedly the final roster will be announced today. It should be interesting to see which pitchers fill the back end of the rotation. Do you have any thoughts on who they should be? If so, e-mail me.
THURSDAY - The Twins (18-9) take on the Red Sox (15-11) at noon today. It will feature quite a pitching matchup, Johan Santana versus Pedro Martinez.
Yesterday's Jim Souhan article discusses the leadership abilities of Shannon Stewart. If you read the first couple of paragraphs, it is like Mr. Souhan is reading my mind. Why re-sign Stewart instead of pitching, since the team has a billion OF and believes in winning with pitching and defense? Well, Terry Ryan answers those questions.
We all know the AL Central will be weak this year, probably the worst in baseball, but this isn't new. Aaron Gleeman discusses the history of the AL Central since its inception in 1994. It's not pretty!
Check out this new site, Against the Grain. I see that it is primarily a Brewers site. However, Bryan discusses a wide array of baseball topics. Add it to your favorites! And don't forget to check out all the other great sites I have linked to on the left.
Be sure to check out this week's Discussion Questions. Feel free to answer all or some of the questions for me. Just send me an e-mail and your thoughts will be heard later this week.
Here are how former Twins players did for their new teams on Wednesday:
Mike Lincoln, RP, St. Louis Cardinals (1 IP, 0 R)
Chad Moeller, C, Milwaukee Brewers (0-2)
LaTroy Hawkins, RP, Chicago Cubs (1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
Quinton McCracken, CF, Seattle Mariners (0-2)
Bobby Kielty, LF, Oakland A's (1-3)
Chris Gomez, SS, Toronto Blue Jays (2-3, RBI)
Brian Buchanan, RF, San Diego Padres (0-1)
Mike Jackson, RP, Chicago White Sox (1 IP, 0 R)
David Ortiz, 1B, Boston Red Sox (1-3, 2 RBI)
David McCarty, 1B, Boston Red Sox (1-2)
Matt Lawton, LF, Cleveland Indians (1-4)
Casey Blake, 3B, Cleveland Indians (0-3)
Denny Hocking, SS, Colorado Rockies (2-4)
Dustan Mohr, RF, San Francisco Giants (0-3)
AJ Pierzynski, C, San Francisco Giants (0-1)
Greg Swindell, RP, Kansas City Royals (1 IP, 0 R)
Last night, the Wolves hosted the Seattle Supersonics at Target Center. The team won 90-83 for its 52nd game of the season, more games than any team in franchise history.
Kevin Garnett led the way with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Latrell Sprewell knocked down 6 three-pointers on his way to 27 points. No one else had more than Wally Szczerbiak's 9 points. With San Antonio beating Sacramento handily, things are interesting not only in the Midwest Division race, but also in the hunt for the top record in the Western Conference. Here is how the standings look at this moment:
Team W L GB
Sacramento Kings 52 22 ---
Minnesota Timberwolves 52 24 1.0
Los Angeles Lakers 51 23 1.0
San Antonio Spurs 50 25 2.5
Memphis Grizzlies 48 26 4.0
So, what do you think will happen? Can the Wolves hold off the Spurs? Can they overtake the Lakers and Kings? Send me an e-mail.
OK, apparently sometimes "America" just doesn't get it right. How was LaToya London in the Bottom 3? How were John Stevens and Camille Velasco not in the Bottom 3? In my opinion, Stevens, Velasco, Amy Adams, Jon Peter Lewis and Jennifer Hudson are decent, but really none of them should finish in the Top 2. So, it shouldn't really matter which order they are eliminated in. But last night's results were a travesty. Simon Cowell said it right that "when America votes, these things happen." Amy Adams was eliminated, and I have no problem with that. I just really have to question the voting. I know some people vote many times, up to hundreds of times for one contestant. Some people maybe vote for really bad singers in an attempt to make a point. I don't know. All I know is that LaToya London is the best singer in the whole group and for her to be in the Bottom 3 is ridiculous.
What did you think of last night's American Idol show? E-mail me.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK - Part 1
This week, there will actually be dual questions of the week, but both will be similar. On Friday, I will post your thoughts on the upcoming baseball season. It's that time of the year, and predictions need to be made. I will post my thoughts and predictions that day as well. SO, PLEASE HAVE YOUR PREDICTIONS TO THIS SET OF QUESTIONS TO ME BY TONIGHT (THURSDAY). Here are the questions:
1.) Who will win each of the six divisions??
2.) Who will win the AL and NL MVP Awards?
3.) Who will win the AL and NL Cy Young Awards?
4.) Who will win the AL and NL Rookie of the Year Awards?
5.) Name one team that you think will surprise people the most (positively)?
6.) Name on team that you think will be the biggest disappointment the year?
7.) Who will win the AL and NL Batting championships?
8.) Who will win the AL and NL Home Run championships?
9.) Who will lead the AL and NL in Wins/Saves?
10.) Who will play in and win the World Series?
11.) Are there any storylines that are really exciting to you as the season begins? What headlines are you looking forward to reading (Example - Yankees Lose 100, The Boss Fires Himself)
So, I guess that is 11 Questions of the Week. Your responses will be posted on Friday (with you permission, of course), so please, simply send me an e-mail with your answers to the above questions. Be as specific or general as you want to be.
DISCUSSION QUESTION OF THE WEEK - Part 2
The results of Part 2 will be posted next Monday. The Twins will be opening their season next Monday night against Cleveland, so it seems like an appropriate time to talk about the Twins. Please answers these questions by sending me an e-mail by Sunday.
1.) How will Joe Mauer do in his rookie season?
2.) Who will lead the Twins in (and how many):
a.) Batting Average
b.) Home Runs
c.) RBI
d.) Stolen Bases
3.) Who will lead the Twins in (and how many):
a.) Wins
b.) ERA
c.) Saves
4.) Will Jacque Jones stay with the team all season?
5.) Which minor leaguer(s) do you think will have the most impact on the Twins season?
6.) What, in your opinion, is the X-Factor for the Twins this year?
7.) How many games will the Twins win, and what place will that be in the AL Central?
8.) What storylines will you be following throughout the Twins season (example - Rivas Wins HR Title, or Bartlett Replaces Guzman)
There you have it. Eight Twins related questions for you to answer for next Monday. Again, be as specific or general as you'd like. If you want to project the stats for each Twins player, feel free to do so. I will post these thoughts on Monday, so please think about an answer and get back to me by Sunday. I can't wait to read your responses, so, e-mail me.
That's it for today. I hope you enjoy what you have read. If you have any questions or comments, suggestions or opinions, E-mail me.