1.  The Mariners improved a rather pedesterian rotation over the offseason, by adding Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva.  The only problem:  I can't say the offense has been terrible.  It's been non-existent.  The M's are 14-23 right now.  I'm still optimistic, but predicting them to win the Wildcard now, just seems foolish.  That being said, JJ Putz is still my favorite non-closer.  Ichiro will hopefully still start for the American League at the All Star Game in NY.  Raul Ibanez will eventually start being the only guy that knows what an RBI is and how to get one, again.  Yuni, Beltre, and Lopez will remember how not to commit such costly errors.  Felix will get his swagger and velocity back.  Erik Bedard will get a much deserved contract extension, as I still think trading for him was the smartest move of the offseason, plus he has the best curveball I've seen since Barry Zito, in his prime.  Jeff Clement will start to hit, what could be many, deep bombs over the center field wall.  Wladimir Balentien will be getting the necessary numbers to win the Rookie of the Year award.  Kenji will show us why he didn't deserve to get a 3 year contract extension.  Jose Vidro will become older and more useless than ever (They should've signed The Big Hurt, while they had the oppurtunity)  Richie Sexson will retire from baseball, opting to join the UFC.  John McLaren will continue to get run from the game, in the first inning, Sweet Lou Style.  The M's brass will realize that Mel Stottlemyre is too good of a pitching coach for this organization, that Ken Griffey Jr. needs to be retained via trade, to boost the extremely low morale of the team, and that Bryan LaHair is the future at 1st base.

2.  The Minnesota Twins are kickin' butt and takin' names!  I couldn't have been more wrong about them.  Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young, but especially Gomez, are going to be great players for years to come.  I'm stunned that Francisco Liariano hasn't returned to top form yet.  I still don't think they have the rotation to win the Central, but they definitely have the lineup and bullpen too.  Cleveland is still my pick though.  Again, sorry Twins fans: You were alright for bashing me about my prediction, regarding the Twins. 

3.  The Cardinals and A's are in 1st place, in their respective divisions.  Both teams are a real surprise this year, especially the A's.  I've never seen a rebuilding team play like a pennant winner, and do with a handful of players no one has ever heard of.  Dana Eveland? Daric Barton?  Greg Smith? Santiago Casilla (the next great closer)?  Emil Brown?  Actually I knew who he was, but not that he was that good.  The Cards are winning with an interesting rotation of American League has beens and guys I've never heard of.  I guess all Joel Piniero needed was a change of leagues.  Todd Wellemeyer?  Kyle Lohse is pitching way over his head right now.  Right, Twins fans?  Adam Wainwright is looking like a Cy Young candidate.  Skip Schumaker?  Guy sounds more like a jockey or a golfer than a baseball player.  Rick Ankiel and Albert Pujols are seriously raking.  That doesn't surprise me with one of them.  They've got some good starters coming off the DL, at some point: Mulder, Carpenter, Clement.  If they can hang in there til those guys are ready, watch out!  I still like the Cubs though and the Dodgers for the Wildcard. 

Those are the most glaring reasons that I'm an ####, and predictions can seem so foolish.  Go M's, 14-23 might seem like a mountain of adversity, but that's the way we like it! 

Keep in mind, I am by no means a Major League Baseball expert. 

American League

AL East Champion:  Boston Red Sox

AL West Champion:  Seattle Mariners (John Lackey's hurt, who knows, I'm probably being too optimistic)

AL Central Champion:  Cleveland Indians (Not the Tigers believe it or not)

AL Wildcard:  Toronto Blue Jays

ALCS:  Cleveland vs Boston

AL Champion:  Cleveland

National League

NL East Champion:  New York Mets (If they're healthy behind Santana, wow look out!)

NL West Champion:  Los Angeles Dodgers

NL Central Champion:  Milwaukee Brewers (I wouldn't consider them a long shot this year)

NL Wildcard:  Chicago Cubs (I could go with Braves or Phils here too, well maybe just ATL)

NLCS:  New York Mets vs Chicago Cubs (sorry Cubs fans)

NL Champion:  New York Mets (They have the pitcher's park, the ace, the offense)

World Series Champion:  New York Mets (though I think it will be a good series.  Mets will become my new Yankees/Red Sox and I will hate them for the rest of my life)

The Hardware: 

AL Rookie of the Year:  Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays

AL Manager of the Year:  John Gibbons, Toronto Blue Jays

AL Cy Young:  Felix Hernandez, SP, Seattle Mariners (He will have a chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Everest with the addition of Erik Bedard.  He'll be out to prove who's really numero uno.)

AL MVP:  Grady Sizemore, OF, Cleveland Indians (This guy is going to be great.  I also think Miguel Cabrera or Manny Ramirez could end up with the hardware here.  We'll see.)

NL Rookie of the Year:  Homer Bailey, SP, Cincinnati Reds (Maybe Fukudome wins here)

NL Manager of the Year:  Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs

NL Cy Young:  Johan Santana, SP, New York Mets (This guy should dominate the NL.  Keyword: Should)

NL MVP:  Mark Teixeira, 1B, Atlanta Braves (In a contract year and then he celebrates by signing with the Yankees. Maybe one of the Mets.  David Wright?  I picked him to win last year)

I've always loved the AL Central.  It's always a battle that comes down to the wire, generally, between the Sox, Tigers, and Indians.  You put the Brewers in this division instead of the Royals, and you'd have the best division in baseball.   The American League Cy Young and MVP players could easily come from this division. 

1.  Cleveland Indians.  I for one, am not ready to hand the division over to the Tigers just yet.  The Indians were humiliated by the Red Sox and have a bad taste in their mouthes.  The starting pitching led by Carmona and Sabathia is a good rotation, and some of their younger pitchers will step up this year, like Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers.  I'm looking for Cliff Lee to bounce back as well.  In last season's playoffs, they looked like a young team that was crumbling.  This season they'll be a rock.  Look for Travis Hafner to have a strong, MVP caliber season and Grady Sizemore to improve on his great numbers from last season, as one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball.  I think they have the perfect balance of starting pitching, bullpen, and offensive depth to win this division and they will. 

2.  Detroit Tigers.   This team looks like the Dream Team, on paper, in terms of starting rotation and potent offense, but this team lacks the bullpen to win the division.  My guess is they'll win the Wildcard instead.  Justin Verlander is a Cy Young canidate, but after him the rotation is overrated, in my opinion.  Jeremy Bonderman was just okay last year.  Kenny "Pinetar Cameraman Shover" is getting over the hill, and will start to get hit hard this season, like Jamie Moyer did once the hitters figured out his stuff.  Dontrelle Willis struggled in the NL last season, and as we all know the American League is far superior in offensive prowess compared to that of the National League.  That being said, he's a quality 3 or 4 starter.  I don't think Todd Jones is the kind of closer you look for on a championship team, and Joel Zumaya isn't 100 percent either.  The offense will have a productive year, but without solid starting pitching and a steady bullpen, they won't compete for a division crown.  They'll be battling with the Blue Jays and Angels for the Wildcard. 

3.  Chicago Whitesox.  This was a squad I admired from a far years ago, but what the hell happened to that once formidable rotation?   If Javier Vasquez is your ace, you're team is in big trouble.  I think resiging Mark Buerhle was a mistake, but given the state of the pitching market it appears to be a smart move.  Trading for Nick Swisher and Orlando Cabrera were good moves, but they should have been done when the team had a more solid foundation in terms of winning the division.  Getting Cabrera for Garland was the steal of the century though.   I don't see their rotation winning a lot of games.  Vazquez was solid last year, but I wouldn't want to pitch in that park as a fastball pitcher like him.  Jose Contreras is about 103 in baseball years.  The bullpen should be an improvement over last year's, but that's not really saying much.  Paul Konerko should be trade bait by midseason.  My only hope is that he doesn't end up going to the Angels or Red Sox at that time. 

4.  Kansas City Royals.  Last place no more, but barely.  Unlike most people, I think the Royals have a decent enough rotation, better than the Twins, and some really nice looking young players, in terms of potential like Alex Gordon, Brian Bannister, and Tony Pena.  I think a new manager, Trey Hillman, will infuse a little energy into this perennial division loser, but not enough to make any real noise.  Maybe enough to improve on last season's win totals and to bring back the fan base.  These aren't my Daddy's Royals, but at least my Daddy's Royals had Lou Piniella and George Brett. 

5.  Minnesota Twins.  Good job trading Santana.  Bad job trading him to the Mets, when you could've gotten Phil Hughes or Jacoby Ellsbury.  I hate the Yankees but they did have the most appealing deal in place, in my opinion.  From what I hear Carlos Gomez is an absolute stud though.  Joe Mauer is a great hitter but must improve in other categories to have a real impact.  Justin Morneau is great, but not MVP great. Delmon Young will have a break out season. I think Francisco Liriano will have a huge bounce back year, and everyone will be talking about how great and dominant he is again, like a couple seasons back.  The rest of the rotation leaves much to be desired.  I like Livan Hernandez, but he makes absolutely no sense on this team.  I surely thought he would end up with the Mets or a contending team.  The rotation is headed up by unproven talent.  Liriano will be that diamond in the rough, of a clearly rebuilding baseball team.  Question is, when they move into that nice new park, will they still have a fan base?