MLB Predictions 2015

I know I say this every  year, but I was going to forego making predictions this year. If you look at my track record over the last couple of years you will see why. However, as I was sitting around @MySideOfTheBar the other day watching my third game of the day (I would have watched 4, except the NCAA BB finals were on) enjoying an "Emergency" Drink (see past post for references) I realized how baseball and drinking were related. So without further ado here we go!

I will start with the Senior Circuit.

National League East

To me there is only one clear cut choice in this division and that is the Washington Nationals. While the Marlins and Mets have made some improvements I do not believe anyone can match the starting pitching of the Nats. Sorry Braves fans you are rebuilding this year and will not make much of an impact.

National League Central

Not only is there only one choice in the Central, the St. Louis Cardinals are one of the top organizations in baseball. After all the Cards have been in the National League Championship series the past four years. I know the Cubs have some reason to optimistic, however don't they always start off that way?

National League West

This could be the best division in baseball with three solid clubs representing this division.  I really like the Dodgers in this division, however the Padres have shown they are investing in the future and I like their chances. I don't think the Giants will be much of a challenger this year as their losses outweigh their gains.

American League East

This division will be won by the team that stays the healthiest. I am picking Toronto this year to take the crown, however do not count out the Baltimore Orioles as their experience will be helpful. They Yankees will have trouble staying healthy again this year as their age keeps creeping up on them.

American League Central

While my heart is with the Royals in this division I still believe the Tigers are the team to beat. They have a greatly improved offense and I know their starting pitching will be strong. The White Sox, Twins and Indians have all improved and this could be a year where both wild card teams come out of one division.

American League West

The Angels are my pick in this division as I am not sure that either the A's or Rangers have the stuff to knock them off the thrown. Seattle could have an outside shot at them except their travel schedule is always the worst in the entire league. (over 2500 miles more than any other team in baseball)

 National League Wild Card Teams

I am picking the Marlins and the Padres

American League Wild Card Teams

I like the White Sox and Baltimore Orioles

I am taking the Nationals and Tigers to make it to the Series and the Nats winning the whole thing in 6 games.

Who are your picks?

Cheers
The Professor



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Riding the Rails, Clickety Clack

Image
A few weeks back we took the Amtrak from K.C. to Naperville Ill. and as usual we had a great time. If you have never taken the opportunity to travel by train you do not know what you are missing. I recommend for your first trip nothing over four hours just in case you may not enjoy train travel. Also this will keep the price at a minimum and I recommend choosing your travel dates that are not during the peek seasons. (From around June 15th to August 15th.) to avoid high ticket prices You will be pleasantly surprised by the size of the train cars and the size of the seats. The cars are two levels with the lower level where you put your luggage when boarding, handicap seating and the rest room/changing rooms. We generally sit in the club car (now called the observation car) where they have many booths and seats and then entire care is plexieglass so you can see the beautiful sites as you travel. You can even carry on your own food and drinks and yes this means you can carry on your own
Read more

A Spittoon and a Blanket

Yes, what I really meant was a chamber pot; however at one in the morning staging down the long dim hallway with the creaky wooden floors and facing the long stairway down to the bathroom spittoon was all I could think of. The evening started innocent enough as we were traversing the interstate from K.C. MO to NW Iowa for a visit. I did not have a drink until after 5:00 and I was not driving, but as usually I never went anywhere without my trusty ten shot flask. That day it was loaded with Buffalo Trace Bourbon. By the way it had been awhile since I had imbibed in Buffalo Trace and I had forgotten how good it was. We arrived at the farm and continued happy hour. As the night progressed I opened the new bottle of Four Roses (the official Bourbon of MySideOfTheBar) that Central Patti had purchased as part of a case and kept drinking throughout the night. As the night progressed and the bottle emptied we headed up the afore mentioned stairs and to bed. I woke a couple of hours later a
Read more

The Key West Cocktail Challenge

Image
Recently we were on the road with MySideOfTheBar in Key West with a couple of "Unusual Suspect" friends of ours. As you might expect we were in a bar when A.S. found a brochure for the Key West Cocktail Challenge. Also as you might expect we took up the challenge. The premise was easy, visit 6 participating bars, enjoy their signature cocktail and you get a T-Shirt. You can visit them in any order and take as long as you need to. (you could even do it in 6 days, but...) I am not going to try to describe each bar as you can follow the links to see and learn more. The first stop was The Green Parrot Bar . The Green Parrot is an open air old school bar that I absolutely loved. Their signature drink was Root Beer Barrel and at least two of us liked it ;) Stop two took us to Charlie Mac's and beside the great Signature Drink, it is also a BBQ joint. We only had the chicken wings, however they were awesome. The drink here was the Huckleberry Lemonade and I have to
Read more