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These Baseball Previews Go To 11 - Colorado Rockies

Most of your baseball previews are playing their hearts out but they stop at 10. Where can these other blokes go? We like to push things over the cliff at The Feed though so you know what we do? That's right. We turn it up to 11. Three things to like, three things to worry about, three questions to answer, one kid on the farm and one predicted finish. That adds up to the most powerful preview you can find. Because it goes to 11 and there’s none more louder, really, than 11.

3 Things To Like

1. The myth about pitching at Coors Field has finally gone away. Even after trading Jason Jennings, they still have a rotation with great promise. Jeff Francis has developed into exactly the kind of top of the rotation starter that the Rockies were hoping for and they wisely bought out his arbitration years for $13.25 million over four years. Aaron Cook thrives with a nasty sinker in a stadium that rewards those that keep the ball on the ground while trade pickup Rodrigo Lopez and free agent Brian Lawrence are decent gambles by GM Dan O’Dowd for low cost, back end filler to go with Josh Fogg. Throw in All-Star closer Brian Fuentes and you’ve got a staff that can ride the humidor to Coors Field success.
2. Garrett Atkins, Todd Helton and Matt Holliday can rake in the middle of the order. Helton everyone knows about and could potentially still get dealt but that wouldn’t damage the Rock too much thanks to Atkins and Holliday. Atkins strummed a .329/29/120 tune last season and, at 27, is just entering his prime offensively while Holliday, also 27, has improved in each of his three seasons as a Rockie regular.
3. Willy Taveras is a Gold Glove centerfielder. For all the talk of the home runs in the thin air the thing that’s always killed pitchers has been the overall boost in hits by the expansive outfield. Taveras, acquired in the Jennings trade, can run for days and catch the ball when he gets there so even though he’s negligible, at best, at the plate. 

3 Things To Worry About

1. Other than Taveras the Rockies are shaky up the middle. They will be starting rookies behind the plate and at short while the second baseman picture is muddier than the banks of the mighty Mississip. Troy Tulowitzki is a contender for Rookie of the Year, an all-everything prospect who compares favorably to Bobby Crosby of Oakland and an upgrade from Clint Barmes. He’s also 22 and likely to experience growing pains. Chris Ianetta, the 24-year old catcher, will split time with Yorbit Torrealba and/or Javy Lopez, neither of whom will set anyone’s world on fire. At second Kaz Matsui is the frontrunner in a battle with Jamey Carroll. ‘Nuff said.
2. The relief corps is heavy on reclamation projects. Outside of Fuentes and LaTroy Hawkins, who O’Dowd gave an outlandish $3.5 million, the bullpen could double as a tire salvage yard with all the retreads. Jeremy Affeldt, Danny Graves, Tom Martin, Byung-Hyun Kim (who may start), and Taylor Bucholz – they come in all hands, races, with lesbian parents and without.
3. Brad Hawpe was the rare Colorado player that hit better on the road than at home. He’s still slated to start in rightfield but the team signed Steve Finley last week and has Jeff Baker around as a righty hitting alternative. With all the youth and the Taveras, the team needs another bat to solidify the lineup.

3 Questions To Answer

1. Will the Rockies let the kids play? A Helton trade would have signaled a commitment to playing youth that’s always wavered somewhere south of 100%. The presence of Finley, Javy Lopez and Hawkins points to more of the same hemming and hawing. There’s no point in having Tulowitzki and Ianetta up if they aren’t playing every day, even if it means 68 wins instead of 75.
2. Will Rodrigo Lopez rebound? If he does the Rox should have the best pitching staff they’ve ever had. If he doesn’t, O’Dowd gave up two young arms for a veteran which plays right into question number one.
3. Are Todd Helton’s head and heart with the still building Rockies or should they keep pushing to find him a new home? Injuries certainly played a role in the first baseman’s worst season as a professional but he turns 34 in August and was at least open to the idea of heading out of town. He’s definitely on the wrong side of the hill career-wise so it may be best for everyone if he went on with things in another uniform. Were it not for his obscene contract he probably already would have been moved.

1 Kid On The Farm (For Now)

Jason Hirsh joined Taveras and Bucholz as the booty for Jennings. He started nine games in Houston last year and will be in the mix for a rotation job this spring and throughout the season. He could be a righty Francis, a high ceiling starter who stands tall on the mound and uses power to dispose of hitters. The route O’Dowd and manager Clint Hurdle decide to move in regarding the youthfulness of the lineup should determine just how many starts Hirsh makes but don’t bet on less than 15.

1 Prediction About Their Finish

The West figures to be at its most competitive this season after a couple of years that saw teams racing to 85 wins. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks have terrific pitching; the Padres rejiggered their lineup but gained some pop and if the ancient Giants can stay healthy they will be a winning team as well. The Rockies aren’t in neutral but they aren’t ready to compete this year and, unless the Giants fall apart physically, figure to finish last before gaining ground in 2008 and beyond.

A Swift Kick To The Groin For Your Tuesday Afternoon

Usually it isn't until they play their next game that the good feelings of a Knick win fade away. Not this time. Less than 24 hours after beating the Heat and pulling within two games of a playoff berth the Knicks got some bad news that may really sound an end to those hopes. Jamal Crawford has a stress fracture in his right ankle that will require surgery and cost him the rest of the regular season. It's a terrible blow, right after Crawford's three won them a game and leaving the Knicks with only Nate Robinson and Mardy Collins as bench options in the back court. Jared Jeffries will return to the starting lineup, he'll have to do more than he did in his first stint as a starter, with Quentin Richardson sliding to the off-guard. Inconsistent and streaky as he is, Crawford provides the team with their most explosive and creative scorer. This will ratchet up the pressure on Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury and makes it imperative that David Lee gets back to the lineup post-haste.

Drinking The Grapefruit And Cactus Kool-Aid, Day Five

For the second day in a row we start off with Manny Ramirez. There is a first, though, we've never quoted an agent among the overly rhapsodic and doggedly optimistic voices of Major League Baseball's Spring Training chorus. Manny was accompanied by his agents, Greg Genske and Gene Matos, when he reported to Red Sox camp. While the slugger had no comments for the press, his representatives showed that they had passed Drew Rosenhaus 101 for stupid responses to questions, stupid or otherwise.

"He was ready to report and he's excited to be here," said a visibly nervous Genske.

"I think it was important for both Manny and me that he get to spring training as early as he could, given his family situation."

"He's in great shape, perfectly healthy. His knee feels fine and he is ready to go."

"I'm not going to comment on somebody else's opinion and speculation of what happened during the end of last season," said Genske. "It's a new season. It's spring training. He's excited for the season. He's ready to go and so we're happy for him. I'm not going to talk about last season."

There ain't no circus like the Manny Ramirez circus cause the Manny Ramirez circus don't quit.

• "If you ask Dayton or anybody in the front office," Royals prospect Billy Butler said, "they’ll tell you that they’re going to give me the opportunity to be the best defensive player that I can be. They believe in me, and that’s all that really matters."
• Cubs hitting coach Gerald Perry: "My thing with hitting is you go out every day and not worry about stats and do the little things to help the team win, and then your stats will be where they're supposed to be," he said. "I think the fans have a lot to look forward to. Expectations should be high. Mine are. They are through the clubhouse."
• Ben Broussard of the Mariners brushed up on his Crash Davis during the offseason. "I chose to look at this as a positive," Broussard said. "I've got a job here and I've got a chance to contribute. I can't control what I can't control. And you never know what's going to happen. As long as I'm ready to go, you take what comes."
• His teammate Jeremy Reed didn't. "I've been blessed with a lot of special abilities," Reed said. "I know that. So I'm not really worried about what will happen now that Ichiro is in center field."
• How is new Ranger manager Ron Washington different from Buck Showalter? He's willing to talk about himself in the third person when discussing Sammy Sosa. "I have no doubt," Washington said. "I'm not saying anyone else has no doubt, but Ron Washington's got no doubt."
• Royals manager Buddy Bell stops short — but just short — of characterizing Jorge De La Rosa as a lock for the rotation’s fourth slot behind Gil Meche, Odalis Perez and Luke Hudson. "I like De La Rosa a lot," Bell said. "I like his toughness, and I like his stuff. He would have to be pretty bad not to make the rotation." I'd say it's a 50-50 shot then.
• Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Rich Aurilia is the front-runner to bat third ahead of Barry Bonds.
• "Now,"Nationals catcher Brian Schneider said of Shawn Hill, "he's putting that pitch exactly where he wants to. I'm excited to watch him pitch this year, because I don't think there's any question that he can win in the big leagues."
• "I'm looking to walk more this year," said Richie Sexson, whose walks fell from 89 in 2005 to 64 last year even as his strikeouts fell slightly from 167 to 154. "With this lineup, it should be really possible. There's going to be so much more protection in the lineup every day, no matter where anybody bats in the lineup."

• Former Royals first-round pick Michael Tucker is 35 now but has no plans of retiring. Tucker played last year with the Mets, hitting .196 in 35 games. "The cell phone stays on," Tucker said recently. "I know I can still play. It’s a matter of getting a chance and if somebody wants to give me an opportunity."

These Baseball Previews Go To 11 - Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Most of your baseball previews are playing their hearts out but they stop at 10. Where can these other blokes go? We like to push things over the cliff at The Feed though so you know what we do? That's right. We turn it up to 11. Three things to like, three things to worry about, three questions to answer, one kid on the farm and one predicted finish. That adds up to the most powerful preview you can find. Because it goes to 11 and there’s none more louder, really, than 11.

3 Things To Like

1. The Delmon Young Era begins in earnest. After last year’s bat throwing at AAA Durham made some worry about his make up, Young came to the majors for 126 at-bats that showed he’s the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year. He gives the Rays an excellent outfield with Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli.
2. Akinori Iwamura was the third biggest Japanese import of the offseason but he may provide more bang for the buck than either of the other big names in the division. He also gives them some security if Jorge Cantu doesn’t bounce back from a terrible 2006 season. If Cantu does rebound, he, Iwamura and Ty Wigginton will join with the outfield to provide a lot of offense.
3. Scott Kazmir, when he’s healthy, is as good a starting pitcher as there is in baseball.

3 Things To Worry About

1. Kazmir missed the last six weeks of the season with a sore shoulder. Other than him the team doesn’t have a single reliable starting pitcher. Jae Seo was the only pitcher to throw more than 150 innings in the majors last year and that’s the only good thing to say about him while Casey Fossum is a left-handed Seo, only without the durability. Jeff Niemann, first rounder in 2004, is on the near horizon but has only one half-season of full healthy under his belt.
2. The bullpen is worse than the rotation.
3. Dioner Navarro hasn’t done much to make good on the prospect status that got him traded for Randy Johnson. The team’s got prospects at every other position and on the mound but if Navarro doesn’t develop there’s no one else in the organization.

3 Questions To Answer

1. Where is B.J. Upton going to play? He’s a terrible defensive shortstop and hasn’t shown an affinity for any other position either. His hitting has suffered the last two years as he’s tried to find a regular spot on the field. There’s some talk that he’ll play a Chone Figgins-esque utility role but he needs to settle into a role for his development to continue.
2. Can they count on Cantu or Jonny Gomes? Gomes was second on the team with 20 homers but had a debilitating shoulder injury that cost him 45 games and was totally one-dimensional at the plate. Cantu played just 107 games and produced at a rate far below his breakout 2005. Both players had OPS drops of more than 100 points and if they can regain their losses the Rays will be an offensive beast and in position to trade for pitching.
3. At what point do you stop planning for the future? The Rays have done an excellent job of stocking the larder but they still can’t put together a decent meal. The new management team is still new enough to get a break for the crimes of the Vince Naimoli-Chuck LaMar era but the wait for tomorrow act is in its 10th season and not because it pleases the crowd like Les Miz.

1 Kid On The Farm (For Now)

Elijah Dukes. On and off-field incidents have combined to hold Dukes back but the 6’2”, 220 pound outfielder has made scouts drool at every level. A 30-game suspension hurt him last year but he pounded AAA pitching while he was in the lineup. He’ll be back there to start the year, most likely, but could step in if Gomes struggles again or could force the trade of Crawford or Baldelli for some much needed pitching help. Either way he’ll be in the Show before the year is out. 

1 Prediction About Their Finish

The thing about the Rays is that even if they win 10 more games than a year ago they will finish 20-plus games out of first place in the East. Are they better than last year? Because of the bats, they probably are but the pitching is still so bad that it seems unlikely that they will even challenge Baltimore for fourth place. Another hundred losses seems all too likely.

Jose Canseco Remains Ready And Willing To Talk Though

George Mitchell is finding out how much his invitations to testify mean without the weight of the United States Senate behind it. First Barry Bonds and now Gary Sheffield have told Baseball's steroid czar to go poop in his fist in response to Mitchell's desire to speak to them regarding steroid use.

Bonds' lawyer Michael Rains has said that he'd be happy to have Bonds meet with Mitchell but with the federal perjury charges still hanging over his head that's not going to happen. Baseball's getting what it deserves after leaking the names of players who failed drug tests during the first, confidential year of testing to federal prosecutors investigating Bonds for perjury. It's also a direct result of the grand jury testimony of Bonds, Sheffield and Jason Giambi getting leaked, something for which BALCO lawyers have confessed to and for which they are facing jail time.

As for Sheffield, his friendship with Bonds may have hit the skids, but he's a good union man.

"The (players) association told us this is just a witch hunt," Sheffield told USA TODAY. "They don't want us to talk to them. This is all about getting (Bonds).

Mitchell has threatened that Congress may interfere if the players don't voluntarily come forward but I'm having a really hard time with that notion. What can they do that they didn't do during the sham show that cost Mark McGwire a berth in the Hall of Fame?

Abreu Has A Boo-Boo

There was some surprising news and some bad news at Yankee camp yesterday when it came time to review the injury report. The surprising news is that Carl Pavano's bruised foot isn't going to cost him the remainder of George Bush's term in office. He's slated to start Sunday's exhibition game against the Phillies and Pavano reported that he's planning to pick up where he left off before Alberto Gonzalez's liner found his instep.

"I feel like this is the first time I could say I'm just going to pick up where I left off," Pavano said. "In the past, it's just been, you know, positive words. I don't know how committed I was. But I'm definitely committed now. I feel good."

That should probably go into the Drinking Grapefruit and Cactus Kool-Aid column for today but we'll keep the fingers crossed for Pavano's newfound durability. The bad news is that Bobby Abreu will be out for at least a fortnight with a strained muscle under his rib cage. Brian Cashman called the injury serious enough to make it possible that the rightfielder wouldn't be available on Opening Day. That should mean plenty of at-bats for Melky Cabrera as well as the minor league Kevins, Thompson and Reese. What it doesn't mean is any increased likelihood of Bernie Williams walking through those clubhouse doors.

“It’s not an option,” Cashman said of Williams’s return. “There is no option. We know Bobby’s coming back. It’s just a question of when.

Had Williams accepted the Yankee invitation to come to Spring Training this would be a golden opportunity for him to make the team. But he didn't accept it nor has he returned Joe Torre's phone calls to reiterate that he needs to be in Tampa to make the team. There's something to being in the right place at the right time in this world.

• Chien-Ming Wang will lead off the Yankee rotation when exhibition games begin on Thursday. Torre refused to extend the order, which has Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Pavano and Kei Igawa following Wang, to the regular season. Phenom Phil Hughes will follow Wang on Thursday as will two of the pitchers acquired from Arizona for Randy Johnson - Ross Ohlendorf and Luis Vizcaino - before Mike Myers finishes up.
• Bob Klapisch argues in favor of a long-term deal for Jorge Posada. Posada is the oldest everyday catcher in the big leagues at 35 and, while he has been uncommonly durable through his career, no stints on the disabled list, that's a dangerous age for backstops. I can't argue with the Tessio approach that Cashman is taking with the deal, business not personal, because of the high likelihood that this could be the year that a foul tip hits the wrong spot. The decline would be swift and better to wait and see than be left holding the bag of a rapidly deteriorating player, no matter how much he's meant to the Yankee champions of the late '90's.

When Is Three Greater Than Twenty-Seven?

There are 27 teams in the NBA outside of Texas but other than Phoenix there may not be any better than the three that call the Lone Star State home. One of the three actually lost last night but the Rockets didn't have Tracy McGrady to go with the continued absence of Yao Ming so we can give them a pass on that, even if they did lose to the Celtics. But the Mavs and Spurs both won in romps to extend their winning streaks. Dallas, in particular, has moved to historic climes with their penchant for winning a dozen games in a row. They won a 12th straight game for the third time this season by devouring the Hawks 110-87 at home. Only three other teams have had three 10+ win jaunts in the same season before the Mavs and only the 80-81 Sixers didn't win the title. Meanwhile, across the state the Spurs were winning their sixth straight game in a laugh, 107-91 over Toronto. Tim Duncan had 24 points and 16 rebounds in a demolition of Chris Bosh (14 and nine) while Tony Parker added 27 points and nine assists. The Spurs had to deal with an unforeseen explosion from their former mate Rasho Nesterovic who had 16 points and nine boards but otherwise handled the Raptors with the easy efficiency of a team operating on all cylinders.

• When my throat is sore and my back is tight I tend to keep things simple and bed-bound. When Kobe Bryant is suffering from those ailments he scores 35 points and leads the Lakers past the Jazz 102-94. Different strokes for different folks, right? Lamar Odom chipped in with 19 and grabbed 14 rebounds while Smush Parker made up for a poor All-Star Saturday Shooting Stars performance with 24. Deron Williams didn't play for the Jazz while Mehmet Okur returned after missing a couple of games but played like he was in more pain than Bryant, finishing with just nine points.
• The Clippers are probably kicking themselves for not trading Shaun Livingston when they had the chance. The still promising but more maddening point guard dislocated his kneecap in last night's 100-93 win over Charlotte. It's his second dislocated kneecap, this time the left giving him a matched set, and the first one cost him 39 games so his season could be finished. Corey Magette scored a season-high 25 points and, since we're on the topic of guys the Clippers should have traded, what was the major hangup in trading a guy who hasn't scored more than that in a game who is admired by other clubs?
• Dwight Howard messed around and got a triple-double but the Magic won anyway on Monday. What do I mean anyway? Howard had 21 points, 16 rebounds and 11 turnovers in Orlando's 94-87 win over Chicago while Darko added 14 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks. Nice move, John Paxson, not bolstering your team's inside play. It was pretty deft last night. Teams that don't need help to compete for championships tend to routinely get outrebounded 49-31 and lose games in which they force 26 turnovers after all.

The Upside Of Inconsistency

The New York Knicks who lost in New Jersey Sunday night looked nothing like a playoff team. The New York Knicks who beat Miami at the Garden last night looked every inch one of the best eight teams in the Eastern Conference. They got a balanced and potent offensive performance, they took care of the ball, played well on defense and even got a little luck in a 99-93 to continue what some have called a playoff tease for another night.

The luck came at the very end of the night. Malik Rose, playing for the injured David Lee and defending like a demon, had an open lane to the hoop that Heat forward Udonis Haslem tried to close down. Rose passed to his man, Eddy Curry, but Haslem deflected the mediocre dish and the ball caromed toward the right corner. Thankfully for the Knicks, the ball found its way into Jamal Crawford's hands and Crawford hoisted a three that splashed into nothing but net to put the team up 97-93 with 20 seconds to play. There was a great replay of the Knick bench watching the play, especially the animated Nate Robinson, who is becoming a shorter modern-day version of M.L. Carr.

Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury controlled the contest to that point. Curry scored 28 points and 11 rebounds against the pair of Hall of Fame centers the Heat throw out on the court. Curry forced nine fouls between them, five on Shaq, and hit 10-of-13 free throws to make the Heat pay for their grabbiness. Marbury had 25 points, 18 of them coming in the decisive fourth quarter.

The period began with the score knotted at 70 and the Heat opened a 77-71 lead behind Jason Kapono and Shaq but Marbury and Crawford made threes on three consecutive possessions shortly thereafter to make the score 84-81. The Heat then went on another run but Marbury kept scoring and the score sat at 92-all after Kapono, who finished with 24, nailed a three with 1:45 to play. Marbury drove and scored though and Rose's pass found it's way to Crawford, though, and the Knicks got a victory.

• It certainly looks like Steve Francis will never play for the Knicks again. He was back for five games before missing the last three with, what he says, is a recurrance of his knee injury. The timing of it brings that diagnosis into question. He played just three minutes in the loss to the Sixers and there's been word that his dissatisfaction with a limited role behind Marbury and Crawford may have something to do with his sabbatical. Francis got a raw deal in the trade that brought him here since it was part of the Larry Brown-Isiah power struggle but for a guy who has career averages, even with the Knick stint, of 18.5 points, six rebounds and six assists a game to fall off the map as completely as he has in New York is a head scratcher. Sam Rubenstein and Henry Abbott have been wondering about this as well and I feel that when and if the Knicks finally buy out his contract, he'll sign somewhere else and come clean that he wasn't giving it his all while in New York. Maybe I'm wrong and he's hurt but then he should have surgery or something more than going to Houston to play with John Lucas, the patron saint of lost NBAers. Marbury's playing with all manner of aches and pains, other players have done the same since the dawn of time. So long as he doesn't cause problems for the team on or off the court I could really care less since there's no way we're getting rid of him and losing his contract.

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

These Baseball Previews Go To 11 - Washington Nationals

Most of your baseball previews are playing their hearts out but they stop at 10. Where can these other blokes go? We like to push things over the cliff at The Feed though so you know what we do? That's right. We turn it up to 11. Three things to like, three things to worry about, three questions to answer, one kid on the farm and one predicted finish. That adds up to the most powerful preview you can find. Because it goes to 11 and there’s none more louder, really, than 11.

3 Things To Like

1. Ryan Zimmerman is the truth and will be the face of the franchise when they move into their brand new stadium on the Anacostia River next summer. He’s a talented defender who hit .287/20/110 and provides stability for a team that’s awfully short on it elsewhere.
2. Signing Austin Kearns to a three-year/$17.5 million deal was a savvy move by Jim Bowden. He’s not a world-beater but on a team with few foundation pieces Kearns is a proven commodity who could hit 30 home runs and play a fine right field. Since Nick Johnson won’t be back to start the season and will, almost surely, get hurt once he’s back the Nats need to be sure they have a few professional bats in the lineup and the Kearns signing provides that.
3. Chad Cordero is a top-flight closer. That’s a problem as much as a strength since teams as bad as the Nats rarely have a need to close out games and Cordero will start getting expensive. That makes him valuable on the open market, though, in the long term and in the short term, at the very least, Washington won’t lose the few games they should win.

3 Things To Worry About

1. The Nationals could have a starting rotation that rivals the worst in the history of baseball. The only decent starter is John Patterson and he pitched just 40.2 innings last year because of arm problems. The rest is a mix of failed prospects (Jerome Williams, Tim Redding), reclamation projects (Jason Simontacchi, Brandon Clausen) and holdovers from last season’s crapfest (Billy Traber, Shawn Hill).
2. The two-thirds of the outfield not played by Austin Kearns. Not trading Alfonso Soriano before last summer’s deadline was a Bowden blunder but not finding a replacement for him compounds the error. They picked up Chris Snelling in a trade for Jose Vidro but we’ve been waiting for him to make good on his prospect status longer than for answers about Lost. Ryan Church put up decent numbers but the Nats consistently replaced him with someone worse, which brings us to Nook Logan and Alex Escobar about whom the less said the better. I’d play Snelling in left and Church in center and see what you’ve got, the other two guys have had their chances.
3. Christian Guzman is still on the roster and still making $4 million dollars so he’ll probably play shortstop. Felipe Lopez struggled after coming over in the Kearns trade but should be playing short while Ronnie Belliard, signed to a minor league contract, should play second. 

3 Questions To Answer

1. Who’s playing first until Johnson’s healthy? The battle looked to be between Travis Lee and Larry Broadway but Bowden brought Dmitri Young to camp to make things cloudier. Lee is an excellent defender but can’t hit while Broadway is a 26-year old prospect they thought so much of that they didn’t call him up when Johnson broke his leg last September. Young was released by the Tigers last year but has history with Bowden from their Cincy days and may offer enough stroke to squeeze out the presumptive front-runners.
2. Is Bowden a good GM or not? It wasn’t clear during his Reds tenure and it hasn’t been any more certain since he came to Washington. He made a very smart trade for Soriano but was left with nothing to show for it but then maximized return on the overpriced Vidro by getting Snelling and the hard-throwing reliever Emiliano Fruto from Seattle. Signing Guzman was asinine while bringing in Young, Belliard, Tony Womack and the lefty reliever as non-roster players were no-risk moves that could provide stability. The Nats are in a long-term planning mode right now, this year’s been written off already, and part of that is being sure that Bowden is the guy to guide them into a more prosperous future.
3. Will the fans buy into that future? The Nationals have to fill that new ballpark and after two years some of the bloom is off the rose of the team’s return to D.C. They weren’t a particularly good team the last two years but weren’t as bad as they’re going to be this year either. If that makes too many people think of the Senators that’s not a good thing for the long term.

1 Kid On The Farm (For Now)

Kory Casto is in the mix for the leftfield job and the former third baseman can certainly hit better than some of his competition. He should probably start in AAA while the Nats see what they’ve got with Snelling and Church, partially for himself but also to keep the clock from starting on his service time so that they can reap more of his inexpensive years when he’s more ready to help a team that’s not going to suck anyway.

1 Prediction About Their Finish

The Nationals have the inside track for the first pick in the 2008 draft and are a good bet to lose 10-12 wins from a year ago. The hope here is that Zimmerman continues to grow as a player, a couple of pitchers show enough to come back for another year and that the city understands that these are the growing pains that come after some profligate spending at the end of the Montreal years.

These Baseball Previews Go To 11

Snow may still be falling in New York City and elsewhere, the conference tournaments haven't tipped off and the hockey trading deadline is still more than 24 hours away. None of those things mean that it's too soon to start thinking about the baseball season nor does it mean that it's too early to make some predicitons about what will happen this season.

Most of your baseball previews are playing their hearts out but they stop at 10. Where can these other blokes go? We like to push things over the cliff at The Feed though so you know what we do? That's right. We turn it up to 11. Three things to like, three things to worry about, three questions to answer, one kid on the farm and one predicted finish. That adds up to the most powerful preview you can find. Because it goes to 11.

We'll start from the bottom in the next post. Bookmark this page if you'd like to keep up with the previews as they are posted, let us know what we got right and what you think we got wrong and how you think the teams are going to stack up.