Spring is in the air.
If that's the case then why does my car keep getting stuck in the snow?
While it is still winter on the calendar for another five weeks, it's spring in the MLB.
For baseball fans this means one thing: this year could be the year. This season's perfect example is the Cincinnati Reds.
The Redlegs finished fifth in the NL Central last season, 13 games behind the Cubs. Yet, with the addition of Francisco Cordero and Dusty Baker, Cincinnati figures to make a run at the division leaders in 2008.
While Spring Training games may not always sell out and casual fans may not realize they exist until late March, true baseball fans know the months of February and March are as important -- if not more important than -- as the first two months of the season.
Over the next six weeks, teams will evaluate new and veteran players alike to determine just who will make the 25-man roster.
Every spring, just like every season, has a degree of uncertainty to it that makes it so enticing to true fans. For example:
How will the latest Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome fit in with the Chicago Cubs?
The Cubs signed Fukudome to a four-year, $48 million deal on December 11th. His patience and power to the gaps should result in an excellent doubles hitter in the MLB with about 20-30 HR potential. Fukudome is expected to start in Right Field alongside Felix Pie in center and Alfonso Soriano in left -- one of the better young outfields in the league.
Will Johan Santana be the guy that leads the Mets back to the World Series for the first time since 2000?
The Mets signed Santana to a record-breaking six-year, $137.5 million contract on February 1. With that contract, Santana became the highest-paid pitcher in the MLB. With such a contract -- especially in New York -- comes high expectations. Is it so unreasonable for Mets fans to expect a return to Santana's 2004-2006 form which saw him go 55-19 with a 2.75 ERA and 0.96 WHIP and 748 K's?
Will steroids continue to overshadow the sport when the players finally take the field in March and April?
Who's telling the truth - Brian McNamee and Andy Pettitte or Roger Clemens and the "Nanny"? Will Barry Bonds be convicted on perjury charges? Will anyone buy Jose Canseco's new book, and if so, who will be named in it? Will any of these questions be answered before the start of the regular season? Will these questions take precedence over the actual games on the field? (Let's hope not)
How good will Francisco Liriano be post-Tommy John surgery?
In 2006, the Minnesota Twins, enroute to a come-from-behind AL Central title, possessed two of the league's best pitchers: Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano. Santana won his second Cy Young Award in 2006 while leading the league in all three major pitching categories: wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Liriano went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 144 K's in 121 innings pitched.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. With Santana now out the door, the Twins expect Liriano -- who has not reported to camp due to visa issues -- to ace the staff and have added Livan Hernandez to fill the void left by Santana's departure.
My thoughts:
Fukudome will not be a superstar, but he will be good enough to lead the Cubs to a second NL Central title in as many years.
Santana's 2008 season will fall somewhere between his 2006 season and his 2007 season -- which should be enough to get the Mets into the playoffs and avoid another catastrophic collapse.
The deck is stacked against Clemens and Bonds and both appear to be guilty of perjury. Steroids will continue to fill the headlines, but when opening day rolls around fans will forget about who's juicing and enjoy the game once again.
Liriano will finish the season with at least 15 wins and anchor the Twins' young staff.
