N a t i o n a l   L e a g u e      
          East       Central       West        Wild Card
Andrew    Braves     Cardinals     Padres      Marlins
Damien    Braves     Cardinals     Dodgers     Padres
Eric      Braves     Cardinals     Dodgers     Cubs
Jay       Braves     Cardinals     Dodgers     Mets
Jeremy    Braves     Cardinals     Dodgers     Phillies
Matt      Braves     Cubs          Dodgers     Phillies
Mike      Marlins    Cubs          Padres      Mets
OFF       Braves     Cardinals     Dodgers     Mets

Comments: The consensus is that, once again, the Braves will take the East. Mike goes out on a limb a bit by picking the Marlins. I’ve got the Marlins and Mets duking it out for fourth place. Honestly, I’m not sure why so many people are high on the Marlins: their rotation is very suspect, they’ve only got three plus hitters (Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Delgado, Mike Lowell), and the bullpen is nothing to write home about, either.

The Cardinals played over their head a bit last year, but they should take the Central easily again. Houston is going to lose a lot of games this year, and I just don’t see the Cubs pulling out the division title. If Mark Prior and Kerry Wood can start 60 games they will win the Wild Card. Otherwise, the Phillies could see post-season action for the first time since 1993.

Padres or Dodgers. Dodgers or Padres. If Barry Bonds misses significant time, the Giants could be out of it by June. I don’t think for a second he’ll miss the whole season or even half the season. We’re all playing the world’s tiniest violin for Barry and all of his hard luck. I think DePo will silence all of his critics and the Bums will take the West. The Pods have a good team, but somebody besides Peavy is going to have to step up if they’re going to win a lot of ballgames. Brian Giles for Jason Bay and Oliver Perez looks pretty foolish right now.

Mike and OFF begin their push for the coveted “Most Optimistic Mets Fan Ever” award by picking our favorite team to grab the Bud Selig special.

               MVP          Cy Young          Rookie of the Year
Andrew    Albert Pujols     Tim Hudson        Garrett Atkins
Damien    Albert Pujols     Pedro Martinez    Andy Marte
Eric      Albert Pujols     Ben Sheets        Chris Burke
Jay       Albert Pujols     Pedro Martinez    Gavin Floyd
Jeremy    Albert Pujols     Jake Peavy        Chris Burke
Matt      Albert Pujols     Mark Mulder       Gavin Floyd
Mike      Carlos Beltran    Pedro Martinez    J.J. Hardy
OFF       Carlos Beltran    Pedro Martinez    Yusmeiro Petit

Comments: Albert Pujols seems to be the favorite here, with Mike and OFF once again drinking the funny Kool-Aid.

Pedro is the popular choice for Cy Young, but my overbearing pessimism gets the best of me as I pick 2004 should-be Cy Young winner Ben Sheets. Jake Peavy could win a Cy Young eventually, maybe even this year. Mark Mulder might win 20 games with St. Louis’ offense, but I predict a 3.75 ERA at best.

Me and Jeremy both think Houston 2B Chris Burke will take home the ROY hardware, with OFF apparently thinking we’re picking AAA awards. Andy is banking on Garrett Atkins taking advantage of the low-carb altitude in Colorado, and Jay and Matt pick Gavin Floyd to pitch his way to the trophy.

            A m e r i c a n   L e a g u e      
          East       Central     West       Wild Card
Andrew    Yankees    Indians     Angels     Red Sox
Damien    Yankees    Twins       A's        Red Sox
Eric      Yankees    Twins       Angels     Red Sox
Jay       Red Sox    Twins       A's        Angels
Jeremy    Red Sox    Twins       Angels     Yankees
Matt      Yankees    Indians     Angels     Red Sox
Mike      Red Sox    Twins       Angels     Yankees
OFF       Yankees    Twins       Angels     Red Sox

Comments: Good money is on the Yankees to take the East. Again. The Red Sox just don’t look as strong as last year, and the Yankees look quite a bit stronger.

The Indians will win a lot of games, as will the White Sox (whom nobody picked), but the Twinkies should walk away with the Central crown in 2005.

The A’s are counting on a lot of rookies on both sides of the ball this year, and I think that’ll leave them in third place, behind the Rangers and division-winning Angels.

Jay is the only one of us to leave the Yankees completely off the ballot, and I’m crossing all of my fingers and toes that he knows something the rest of us (and the free world) doesn’t. Even odds on the Yankees playing the Sox again for the ALCS.

               MVP             Cy Young         Rookie of the Year
Andrew    Vladimir Guerrero    Randy Johnson    Dallas McPherson
Damien    Eric Chavez          Zack Grienke     Dallas McPherson
Eric      Alex Rodriguez       Randy Johnson    Dallas McPherson
Jay       Vladimir Guerrero    Johan Santana    Joe Blanton
Jeremy    Manny Ramirez        Johan Santana    Scott Kazmir
Matt      Vladimir Guerrero    Randy Johnson    Nick Swisher
Mike      Manny Ramirez        Johan Santana    Jeremy Reed
OFF       Vladimir Guerrero    Randy Johnson    Scott Kazmir

Comments: Almost-Met and 2004 MVP Vladimir Guerrero picks up four votes. I picked Alex Rodriguez because I have to justify buying that life-sized poster of him in his boxers.

RJ or Johan. Tough choice, as they’re both awful. I was tempted to pick Oil Can Boyd, but I don’t think his comeback worked out according to plan. Johan is an awesome pitcher, but I think he’ll fall off a bit this year. If Randy Johnson can stay healthy he’ll win 25 games and grab his sixth Cy Young.

Jeremy and OFF like to rub salt in their own wounds, picking Kaz to win the ROY. Vegas has Dallas McPherson at 3:2 for this one. I wanted to pick Justin Morneau, who could hit 50 homeruns this year, but he had too many at-bats in ‘04.