After reading Aaron Goldstein’s 2010 MLB predictions I expected to find myself alone in my corner of the Pacific Northwest since this must be the End Times and my neighbors have all gone to Heaven in the Rapture. Then two things brought me back to reality.
First, I live in Seattle and the chance of the Obama acolytes I live amongst being ‘raptured’ is as about as high as the President coming to his senses and unilaterally repealing Obamacare. So even if this was the End Times and believers were taken up to Heaven, I wouldn’t know because the population in this city would not appreciably change.
Second, the guy airing these predictions is doing so in the American Spectator, which isn’t exactly known for its sports reporting. Furthermore, conservatives have been notoriously bad on predictions of late.
Still, the idea of living in a city that will be home to a first-time World Series Champion is nice to contemplate.
On a serious note, I do have to give Mr. Goldstein, a Boston Red Sox enthusiast, props for predicting a World Series that does not involve his home team. I also have to admit that I follow baseball about as closely as most Americans follow the Canadian Curling Association. I was not aware that the Mariners off-season acquisitions were so significant.
Speaking of the Mariners, I am awed by the quality of the acquisitions they made this off season. The addition of [2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff] Lee makes for a powerful lefty-righty one-two punch at the top of the starting rotation with ace Felix Hernandez. Then you have Chone Figgins who for years was a potent force as the Angels leadoff hitter. In Seattle, he’ll hit behind Ichiro. Yet another one-two punch.
I have no doubt that Goldstein knows more about this than I, and as a Seattle resident I hope he’s right. Sports fans in the Pacific Northwest need something to cheer about.
For the curious, here’s how Aaron Goldstein sees the season that opens Easter Sunday finishing:
2010 MLB Post-Season – American League
American League Division Series (Best three out of five)
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins – Yankees in four
Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners – Mariners in fourAmerican League Championship Series (Best four out of seven)
New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners – Mariners in six
2010 MLB Post-Season – National League
National League Division Series (Best three out of five)
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds – Phillies in four
Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants – Braves in fiveNational League Championship Series (best four out of seven)
Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies – Phillies in seven
2010 WORLD SERIES
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Seattle Mariners – Mariners in seven
Like I note, Mr. Goldstein obviously follows the sport much closer than I. So I hope folks take my comments in the somewhat jesting spirit in which they were intended. I put this up in the hopes of spurring comments from more informed sources, like Jim.
And when it comes to hope and Seattle fans, that’s usually about all they’ve had to go on for the last few seasons. At least that’s been my experience living here for the past two and a half years.
Still, it would be nice to see Aaron’s predictions come true. 🙂
First off: Don’t be discounting the sports acumen of the American Spectator. I seek out Quinn Hillyer’s golf commentary, some of the best on the Web.
Second: That’s quite a bold prediction, the Mariners winning the World Series. But it’s a bit less crazy than someone saying at the start of the 2008 season saying the 96-loss Tampa Bay Rays would get to the World Series. NO ONE predicted that entering the baseball season two years ago.
My take: Seattle is definitely improved over last year’s dreadful season. But the Angels are still strong, and you can’t be the king unless you kill the king. And that king is still proud, talented and hard to kill. Let’s just say that Figgy’s subtraction from the Halos isn’t as great as Figgy’s addition to the M’s.
Add all that to the fact that Cliff Lee is not much more than a two-year wonder — and a gimpy one now, at that — and I think Seattle fans might be hoping for a bit too much. They are definitely a better team, but I doubt they are good enough to win it all.