Corona

Rank each division as you see them shaking out. What'll the Playoff seeding look like in each Conference? Who's your pick to win it all?

My money is on Carl Crawford, but I wanna know what you all think.

Rank teams from 1-30, regardless of division or league. Mine looks something along the lines of:

1. Rays..... Best all-around offense; great defense; extremely talented, young rotation.

2. Phillies

3. Yankees..... Jeter is 36, Rivera is 39, and Posada is 38, and all three will be leaned on heavily.

4. Red Sox

5. Cardinals

6. Dodgers.... The lineup is maturing, Manny isn't suspended, and the pitching is, as always, great.

7. White Sox

8. Twins.... Losing Nathan hurts; even with Liriano back, it's gonna be tough.

9. Rangers.... Added Vlady and Harden, and will have Hamilton, Feliz, Borbon, and Andrus all year.

10. Cubs

11. Angels

12. Mariners..... This is assuming Bedard is back sooner rather than later, and that Lee is okay.

13. Braves

14. Brewers.... The offense is willing, but the pitching is weak.

15. Indians

16. Rockies

17. Marlins

18. Tigers.... They could really surprise... but too many question marks for me.

19. D-backs.... See #18.

20. Astros.... Oswalt and Wandy will be good, but after that it's a crapshoot.

21. Mets..... If they were healthy, they'd be in the top 10.

22. Orioles

23. Giants.... Their offense is just Bad.

24. Reds

25. A's

26. Blue Jays

27. Royals

28. Padres

29. Nationals

30. Pirates

Who are your Top Ten position players of All-Time? It's impossible, of course, to compare players from different eras, but give it a go anyway; it's fun. Feel free to avoid roiders, or to imagine players from past ages given similar advantages (i.e., modern training methods, medicine, travel, juice, etc.) Who, in your opinion, were the absolute best, regardless of circumstance?

I suppose my list would be:

1. TEDDY WILLIAMS.... Two Triple Crowns, an unthinkable .344/.482/.684 career hitter, an astronomical career BB/K ratio of 2,021/709, and what should've been 5 MVPs easy.

2. ALBERT PUJOLS.... .334 hitter (in today's game!) with a lifetime OPS over 1.050, with 1,112 RBI & 1,071 Runs in 9 seasons, despite mediocre protection; 3 MVPs; gold glove defender.

3. BABE RUTH.... Folks want to debate his conditioning... and then hitters like Gwynn, Fielder, and Sandoval step up and rake. Averaged .342-141-46-143 per-162 games over 22 seasons.

4. LOU GEHRIG.... Clearly Ruth and Gehrig fed off one another like no other tandem ever, producing runs like no one else ever will. Hit .340, with 150+ RBI 7 times and 135 Runs 9 times.

5. WILLIE MAYS.... Perhaps the best defensive outfielder ever; hit 660 HRs, 1900+ RBI, 2200+ Runs, with 12 gold gloves and 300+ SBs.

6. TY COBB.... His lifetime .366 AVG will never be topped; led the league in OPS 10xs; stole 50+ bases 9xs; makes Ichiro look like a whiff machine with his 1,249/357 BB/K ratio.

7. JIMMY FOXX.... Career .325 hitter whose 1.1038 OPS ranks 6th All-Time (behind the top 4 above). 13 consecutive 105+ RBI seasons, with a smooth 122-37-134 line per-162 games over 20 seasons.

8. HANK AARON.... 2,297 RBI and 2,174 Runs, to go with 3,700 hits and the All-Time crown for Total Bases. If consistency is king, Hammerin' Hank climbs a rung or two on this ladder.

9. JOE DiMAGGIO.... 162-game averages of .325-130-34-143, with a lifetime BB/K ratio of 790/369; injuries derailed his climb up this list, but at his best he was amazing. Just a pure hitter.

10. HANK GREENBURG.... Like Williams and Joe D, he lost several of his best years to the war, though perhaps he more than anyone. Drove in 183 RBI in '37, and clubbed 58 homers in '38, with career 162-game averages of .313-122-38-148, and more walks than strikeouts over 13 seasons.

(I was going to include Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, as I think their talent level was enough to put them in the top ten, or close to it, even if they hadn't cheated, but as a tip of my hat to those who didn't roid, I left them off.... Here's hoping Albert's clean.)

Bull Durham? Major League? 61*? Something else? What's your favorite baseball movie?

It doesn't have to be a prospect, necessarily, or even a rook, but it should be someone new to the team who doesn't have much big league experience.

For me, it's Sean Rodriguez, the Rays return on the Kazmir trade with LA. The kid's clubbed 51 bombs and 150 rib eyes in his last 174 games at AAA to go with an even .300 AVG, and should see 500 at bats alternating between 2nd base, right field, and DH for us in 2010. (Oh, and he's leading the Grapefruit League in homeruns.)

I can't wait for Opening Day!

With C.C, Upton, Longo, Pena, Burrell, Barlett, and Zorilla, they've got a lot of potential on offense. They're as good defensively as anyone in baseball. They added Soriano to the back of the bullpen, and they've got some amazingly talented young arms in the rotation.

How do think they'll do this year? How's the AL East gonna shake out?

Who do you think will make the postseason? Who're your picks to make the Series? To win the MVP?

I'm in an MLB keeper, and am down to a decision over Kendrick and Abreu---who would you hang onto? Abreu is 36 with a large chunk of his value tied to steals... consistent as he is, Kendrick is 26, plays at a hard-to-fill position, and is destined for greatness.

What do you think? Is Abreu's consistency (contrasted with Kendrick's injury history) too much to pass up?

Pena? Longoria? Upton? Shields? Kaz? Wheeler? Howell? Someone else?

I'd like to hear from actual fans of the game (or the Rays -- though I know there aren't too many of us around.) As a longtime Rays fan myself, I hated seeing C.C. go down, and lean toward Longoria as our MVP --his defense and steady bat have been amazing, but I'd like to hear what others think. Pena and Shields have a strong case as well.

Player A)

.303 avg, 103 r, 35 hr, 101 rbi, 18 sb, .393 obp, .579 slg

Player B)

.323 avg, 116 r, 17 hr, 80 rbi, 19 sb, .374 obp, .491 slg

This isn't a trick question. Assume both play good, borderline gold glove defense at their respective positions. Also assume both had relatively equivalent numbers with runners on, and with RISP.

This isn't a question (or an award) about the most valuable team (that's what pennants and World Series rings are for) -- it's about which player Is More Valuable -- so their team's respective success is irrelevant to the question.

Again, stats to back up arguments much more convincing....

Stats to back up arguments appreciated.....

What do you think their chances are? And would they be the biggest come-from-nowhere team in history?

Their defense is arguably the best in the majors. They've got aces in Kazmir, Shields, and Garza. Their bullpen is amazing with Percy, Howell, Wheeler, Balfour, and Bradford. And if they can get Crawford and Upton back for the postseason they'll have a very, very good lineup:

Iwamura, Upton, Crawford, Pena, Longoria, Floyd, Rocco/Hinske, Navarro, and Bartlett.

I've also got Hasselback (vs the Rams) though I'm staying away from him till week 6 or so when he's got his receivers back.

Bonus points for showing your work. :)

Rodgers goes against the weak Minnesota pass defense, while Hasselbeck has a whole new receiving core he's still getting acquainted with.

On the flip side, Grant has to face last year's #1 rushing D. Rice, however, should get all the burn over the gimpy McGahee, facing a relatively weak Cincy defense.

Who should I start at QB, and who as my #2 RB?

I had Jason Bay, but after he was traded to Boston I dealt him for Vlady. (I'm an avid Rays fan and have been for years, and couldn't bear the thought of rooting for a BoSock while the Rays were in the middle of their first pennant race.)

I think Bay will explode in Boston's lineup with the Green Monster in left, but how can you argue with Vlad's 35-40 homers, .300 average, and 110 RBIs?

Who do you think is the better fantasy option for the last two months of '08?

If you're looking for a good keeper league to join, shoot me an e-mail (at mikecolonna21@yahoo.com). This is our first year drafting, so you won't have to deal with any inherited rosters. I have played (in both regular and keeper leagues) with most of the owners in the past, and all are very active and know their stuff.

It's a standard 12 team roto league (on yahoo sports, so it's free) with slightly expanded rosters and a few extra scoring categories.

For hitters we start: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, CI, MI, OF, OF, OF, OF, Util

And for pitchers: SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, RP, P, P, P, P

In addition to the standard scoring categories (AVG, HR, RBI, R, SB for hitters, ERA, WHIP, Ks, Wins, Saves for pitchers), we also score Doubles and Triples for hitters, and Quality Starts and Holds for pitchers.

It'll be a lot of fun. If you're interested, hit me up with an e-mail and I'll get you the info on joining.