By The Continuous News Desk

Published: March 26, 2008

You know the baseball season has started when you hear the magic words, “J.D. Drew was scratched at the last minute with an injury.“
And although our chilly weather most of March tells a lie, it’s time for baseball season. So without wasting further time, here’s some intrepid predictions for 2008:
Division Races
NL East—1. Mets, 2. Phillies, 3. Braves, 4. Nationals, 5. Marlins.
NL (Comedy) Central—1. Cubs, 2. Reds, 3. Brewers, 4. Cardinals, 5. Astros, 6. Pirates.
NL West—1. Rockies, 2. Padres (wild card), 3. Diamondbacks, 4. Dodgers, 5. Giants.
AL East—1. Red Sox, 2. Blue Jays, 3. Yankees, 4. Rays, 5. Orioles.
AL Central—1. Tigers, 2. Indians, 3. White Sox, 4. Royals, 5. Twins.
AL West—1. Angels, 2. Mariners (wild card), 3. Rangers, 4. Athletics.
October’s Darlings
NL Playoffs—Padres over Mets, Rockies over Cubs, Rockies over Padres for NL title
AL Playoffs—Red Sox over Mariners, Tigers over Angels, Tigers over Red Sox for AL title
World Series—Tigers beat Rockies in six games in the highest-scoring World Series in MLB history. Even with humidor baseballs, the Tigers’ lineup in Coors might be illegal.
MVPs—National League: Ken Griffey, Jr. turns back the clock with 50 homers and the Reds barely miss the playoffs. American League: Miguel Cabrera drives in 150 runs as Detroit is baseball’s only 100-win team.
Cy Young—National League: Padres’ Chris Young wins 20 and beats out teammate Jake Peavy. American League: Seattle’s Erik Bedard leads MLB with 22 wins and carries his team to the playoffs.
Boom of the Year—Dusty Baker wears down pitching staffs over a period of years, but in the short term, his teams score runs and win more than they should. Don’t be shocked if the Reds, playing in a mediocre NL Central, push the Cubs for the division title and narrowly miss beating out the Padres for the wild card. Also don’t be surprised if in 2010, Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo are both undergoing Tommy John surgery after each works close to 250 innings the next two seasons.
Bust of the Year—The Dodgers hired the wrong Joe to manage this season. Joe Girardi would have been a better choice for this underachieving team which exhibited little fire, other than catcher Russell Martin, under Grady Little. Joe Torre has never consistently won without a $200 million payroll and his strategy is mediocre at best. In a division where low-run games require a deft touch at the wheel, Torre isn’t the answer. In fact, one could make the argument he might be the worst strategist in this division.