The NBA and NFL are in their off seasons, and I refuse to write about the overblown Brett Favre soap opera unless he ends up in a Jet Uniform. {If this happens a potential article could be in the works}A preview of the USA Olympic basketball team could have been expected, but there is nothing new and captivating to report. USA is expected to and should win gold. Anything less is failure. The players know it and so do the fans. The Nadal vs. Federer Wimbledon final was compelling to watch, but did you really expect a tennis article from me. Sorry to disappoint, though it was an amazing match to watch, especially when John McEnroe calls it the greatest tennis match he has ever seen. Tiger Woods is injured so there goes the relevance of watching golf. ESPN has tried to make things interesting by having their own Title Town Tournament which focused on choosing the best sport cities in all of America. You will never guess what won the best sports town in the entire country… Valdosta. Huh? Does anyone even know if this place exists or better yet what state it is in? {Here is my famous fun fact of the day- Valdosta is in Georgia} Well at least one thing is reliant for fans during the hot summer days, The MLB season also known as a marathon is still trotting along.
The AL East has by far been the most compelling division in baseball with drama at its premium. The Rays are young and talented and this whole notion of inexperience I am not buying. All teams with a core consisting of young talented players will eventually climb over that hurdle of being labeled inexperienced, similar to the 2003 Champion Marlins, 2005 White Sox, or last year’s Colorado Rockies. This season's Rays team is still in first place in their division as August approaches, and does not look close to letting this lead slip away. The Bronx Bombers will squeak into the wild-card spot thanks to surprisingly good starting pitching from Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, and Joba Chamberlain. The Yanks lineup is just too deep and with the additions of Xavier Nady and Pudge Rodriguez to the everyday lineup, they are just that much more dangerous for opposing pitchers. Being a part of Red Sox Nation, it also must be hard to justify that they are a better team after losing Manny plus two prospects. Jason Bay is a fine player, but how can he replace a future Hall of Famer in left field after “Manny being Manny” helped deliver them 2 World Series. With the loss of production and slight struggles in the bull pen they seem to have the greatest chance of falling just shy of the post season.
Many people are suddenly joining the Angels bandwagon and rightfully so. They have the best record in baseball and acquired the 2nd biggest name during the trade deadline {behind Manny} in Mark Teixeira. He is a perfect fit for a team that has lacked incredible power and RBI numbers. With great starting and relief pitching, plus now a more formidable lineup, look for them to be representing the American League in the World Series.
As good as the Angles are, my pick to win it all might come as a surprise, but the Chicago Cubs after 100 years of disappointment will finally come through. The reason is simple; starting pitching. The formula for winning come October, revolves around quality pitching. The Cubs are deep with two legitimate CY Young Candidates in Carlos Zambrano {12-4} with a 2.80 ERA and Ryan Dempster {12-4} with a 2.90 ERA. The newly acquired Rich Harden is not half bad either with 39 strikeouts in his first four starts for the Cubs, and Ted Lilly also provides quality depth to their rotation. Besides their excellent pitching, they are the most complete team in baseball with more all-star selected players than any other team in the majors. They have star power throughout their lineup led by Alfonso Soriano at the top followed by Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, and Geovany Soto. They have a proven winner in Lou Piniella managing the team and the confidence to finally come over distractions if a Bartman incident were to occur. The Cubs just faced their biggest test of the season and responded by posting a four game sweep over their division rival Brewers in Milwaukee. These Cub players are ready to break the curse of not winning a championship similar to the Red Sox and White Sox. It has been a 100 years! Theodore Roosevelt was the president for crying out loud since they last held up a World Series banner. Once October rolls around, look for the cursed Cubs to finally turn their luck around in the form of a World Series Championship.
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