Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
scott@scottlongonline.com
It has been a magical season in Chicago, if you are a baseball fan. Both the Cubs and Sox are up by 3.5 games, in their respective divisions. While the Cubs have the best record in baseball, the Sox might even be a better bet to win their division. Here is why the White Sox look to be the prohibitive favorites to win the AL Central.
Here is the biggest reason the AL Central crown looks so promising. In a year when home field has been such a huge advantage, the Sox have played less games at home (26) than any other team. The biggest surprise teams in the AL this season have played 8 or more than Chicago. (Tampa 34, Minnesota 35, Oakland 34) There are only 2 AL teams with non-losing records on the road, the Angels and the White Sox. While it is early in the year, the White Sox look to be the clear-cut favorites to win the AL Cental.
Reinsdorf loves the guy and Guillen is beloved by the fans, as he led the team to a long-awaited world championship. Guillen is nuts and I'm sure his act has gotten old to some of the vets, but my guess is that many of these vets won't outlast him. (Crede, Thome, Konerko, Cabrera.)
I have trouble seeing it though. but if Dotel / Linebrink can keep this up and the Tigers / Indians continue their suckage it's definately possible,
With the emergence of Ramirez at second base, this team has no holes on their everyday lineup. It is time for some of the non-believers to start to recognize what I've written above. When I predicted them to win 83 games, I was seen as a homer. I thought their talent would give them 87 wins, but I knocked 4 games off as I knew I would be seen as a homer. They now look to be more like a 90 win team, especially considering how their division has fallen apart.
I don't feel all that confident about their chances in the playoffs (though, of course, pitching is what wins for ya in the post-season), but the first step is getting there, and there's no reason to expect that they won't.
"The Sox have become a legitimate contender for the division title, and now have the best shot of any team in baseball at making the playoffs, 89 percent."
I'm still concerned that the hitting doldrums will continue to plague the Sox this season, though a week or two at the Cell with warm weather cures a lot of ills. And, as reliable as the rotation has been, they haven't yet lost a start to injuries (I think Masset's start was because of a double header), and I'm not convinced that they have anybody competent to step in when that inevitable DL stint comes up for a starter.
On the other hand, my pessimism about this being a 'one last chance' season has abated in no small part due to the performances of Quentin/Ramirez/Danks/Floyd, and the apparent frailty of the rest of the division.
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