FanNation - The Republic of Sport

This is the first installment of the basketball guru talks baseball, a spinoff of chase's notorious NBA blog, and the basketball guru talks hockey, two somewhat successful blogs of mine. I am here with a review of the first half of the baseball season going by division, starting with the AL East.

AL EAST

Baseball's most competitive division just got a whole lot more interesting this season witht the emergance of the Rays, the suprise of the season with baseballs best record and are 5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox, who saw this coming? The Yankees are finishing their last season in the House That Ruth Built and hope to go out in style, but they have their work cut out for them. The Orioles are still over .500 and the Jays are suprisingly in the cellar, but have kept things interesting, wth the re-hiring of Cito Gaston. Who knows how the season going to end up for these teams.

STANDINGS AT THE BREAK

EASTWLPCTGBHOMEROADRSRADIFFSTRKL10DIVWCPOFFTampa Bay5532.632-36-1319-19420342+78Won 79-165.019.284.1Boston5239.571531-1021-29453377+76Lost 23-728.532.260.7NY Yankees4742.528925-2222-20417394+23Won 25-54.48.713.1Baltimore4443.5061125-1619-27408407+1Lost 24-61.43.75.0Toronto4247.4721422-1920-28364347+17Lost 15-50.81.62.4

AL CENTRAL

The Sox are on top of the Central as usual and are leading the Twins by one game. The biggest suprise is the sub-par performance of the Tigers, after acquring many big names over the off-season, the Tigers have falted and sit at third, 7 games behind the Sox. Cleveland is in the cellar and are moving away from the C.C. Sabathia era, agrreing to terms on a trade with the Brewers. It will be another exciting pennant race in the Central

STANDINGS AT THE BREAK

CENTRALWLPCTGBHOMEROADRSRADIFFSTRKL10DIVWCPOFFChicago Sox5137.580-32-1319-24424336+88Won 28-267.16.273.3Minnesota5038.568132-1818-20436406+30Won 58-227.511.038.5Detroit4444.500725-1719-27415418-3Won 16-44.62.16.7Kansas City3950.43812.519-2120-29362429-67Lost 33-70.20.10.2Cleveland3751.4201422-2215-29387393-6Lost 82-80.50.20.7

AL WEST

The Angels have continued their dominance in the West and Oakland is hanging in there with some more Moneyball, but the main stories are at the bottom, not the top, of this division. The Rangers are having a great season statistically speaking, with troubled stars Milton Bradley and Josh Hamilton being the stats leaders in almost every offensive category in the AL. The Mariners are in the cellar and Seattle is not getting anything to cheer about this summer with the Sonics out of Seattle.

STANDINGS AT THE BREAK

WESTWLPCTGBHOMEROADRSRADIFFSTRKL10DIVWCPOFFLA Angels5335.602-26-2027-15373351+22Won 15-559.55.565.0Oakland4741.534627-2120-20384324+60Lost 24-633.28.041.2Texas4643.5177.521-1825-25488511-23Won 26-47.21.78.9Seattle3553.3981819-2716-26354413-59Lost 17-30.10.10.1

NL EAST

This has been another topsy-turvey season in the NL East, with the no one really looking to win. The Mets have failed to live up to expectations, and the Marlins have been suprising with a fire-sale roster, but the Phillies are still in the lead with Chase Utley, the unlikely home run hero, knocking dingers out of Citizens Bank Park. Chipper Jones is on a quest to reach baseballs new magical number, .400. It should be a dream summer in A-Town.

STANDINGS AT THE BREAK

EASTWLPCTGBHOMEROADRSRADIFFSTRKL10DIVWCPOFFPhiladelphia4841.539-23-2025-21448370+78Lost 25-566.94.771.6Florida4543.5112.526-2019-23439460-21Won 15-59.43.412.8NY Mets4444.5003.522-1822-26419408+11Won 25-514.75.420.1Atlanta4247.472630-1812-29395367+28Won 14-69.04.113.1Washington3456.37814.518-2616-30326447-121Lost 53-70.10.00.1

NL CENTRAL

The Cubbies are looking to end the billy goat curse, and it looks like they have the chance to do it, as they are one of the best teams in baseball, if you told me that at the All-Star break it looked like the Cubs would beat the Rays for the World Series I would put you in detox, but it just might happen.  But the Brew Crew are still in contention, as they just acquired C.C. Sabathia from the Indians, and you can never count out Pujols and the Cardinals. It looks like there will be some fireworks come September.

STANDINGS AT THE BREAK

CENTRALWLPCTGBHOMEROADRSRADIFFSTRKL10DIVWCPOFFChicago Cubs5336.596-33-1020-26475373+102Won 14-661.822.384.1Milwaukee4939.5573.528-1321-26406395+11Won 36-425.431.356.7St. Louis5040.5563.526-2124-19415399+16Lost 15-512.023.335.3Cincinnati4347.47810.526-1917-28384439-55Won 47-30.41.51.9Houston4148.4611222-2119-27387426-39Lost 14-60.21.01.2Pittsburgh4047.4601225-1915-28420482-62Lost 33-70.21.11.3

NL WEST

Baseball's worst division has gotten a lot worse this year as there is not one team over .500 at the break. Colorado will need another one of those magic runs they had last year to get to the postseason, and the Giants and Diamondbacks will likely take place in a pennant race I am going to dub the Biggest Loser, the battle for the 2008 NL West Title.

STANDINGS AT THE BREAK

WESTWLPCTGBHOMEROADRSRADIFFSTRKL10DIVWCPOFFArizona4445.494-27-1917-26393390+3Won 14-636.70.837.5LA Dodgers4345.489.522-2021-25365356+9Won 17-349.80.850.6San Francisco3950.438517-2822-22367408-41Lost 15-59.70.29.9Colorado3752.416725-2112-31402471-69Lost 15-53.20.13.3San Diego3554.393921-2614-28329416-87Lost 13-70.60.10.6

PREDICTIONS FOR SECOND HALF

AL

AL EAST WINNERS: Tampa Bay Rays

AL CENTRAL WINNERS: Chicago White Sox

AL WEST WINNERS: LA Angels

AL WILD CARD: Boston Red Sox

AL MVP: Josh Hamilton

AL CY YOUNG: Cliff Lee

NL

NL EAST WINNERS: Phillidelphia Phillies

NL CENTRAL WINNERS: Chicago Cubs

NL WEST WINNERS: Arizona DiamondBacks

NL WILD CARD: Milwaukee Brewers

NL MVP: Chipper Jones

NL CY YOUNG: Brandon Webb

PLAYOFFS

AL

DIVISIONAL SERIES

Sox over Rays

Angels over White Sox

LCS

Sox over Angels

NL

DIVISIONAL SERIES

Cubs over Dbacks

Brewers over Phillies

LCS

Cubs over Brewers

WORLD SERIES

Cubs over Red Sox

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