Well after searching through the season win totals ive come up with a solid choice. You may disagree with me however you cant argue that ive given you winners every year since 2007.07 I gave you the Rays or Royals then the Royals or Rays cant remember which order in 08. Then the Rangers in 09. Then I squeaked by with the Astros. Last year I threw the Jays and Pirates at ya and won BOTH. I am 6-0 in season win totals. So disagree as you may but you have been warned........


I present to you the season win totals for the year

THE SAN DIEGO PADRES. over 70.5

Heres why

Lineup

Maybin. Not a great lead-off hitter but he does do everything a bit above average. He can hit the long ball steal bases, score runs. Not your ideal lead-off guy but better choice than others.

Hudson- The O dog is getting old or is old but he still can contribute.He stole 19 bases last year. He hit 7 homers. I think if he can get the average up to around .280 it will certainly help the Pods get to 71 wins. He is enough of a pro to be able to do just that.

Headley- Another guy who can steal bases. Headley was terrible with his power numbers but if he can hit .,300 he will help set up the cleanup hitter along with the number 5 guy. He should get the power numbers up to around 12-15. He is still young enough.

Quentin- Petco will certainly cut into his power numbers but im def. expecting a strong power season from Carlos. Maybe 26-30 home runs. I think he is strong enough for it. Can he stay healthy? Thats the million dollar ?

Alonso- This is an unlucky guy. Finally traded and he goes to the worst home run park in the NL. From what I hear though he still should contend for star status in a few years. I think he does enough this season to make his mark.

Hundley- One of the better hitting catcher until his injury. He should rebound and hit you at least 15 homers and drive in 70-80 runs.

Venable- I like this guy. He is scrappy. He stole 25+ bases last year and still found a way to hit 9 home runs. He did this is just 121 games. Imagine a full season. A perfect run generator.

Bartlett- He isnt the ideal SS you want for your team. However he does steal bases. Another player who can generate runs.

SP

Staffer- Not exactly ace material bt shold improve in his season from last year when he posted a 3.73 ERA. Wont K much but shold keep his team in alot of games. He is truly a gamer.

Richard- Another guy who has never pitched to his true potential. If he can improve on his career ERAS and throw his K pitch more he could be a very good number 2 starter.,

Volzquez- Traded from the Reds. Bursted on the scene a few years ago then lost a season. If he can regain his presence he cold be the teams ace by seasons end.Pitched like crap last year but another full season back from surgery should benefit him greatly.

Luebke- Did you know this guy had more than a K per innning? how about 154 in 139? That means he can be dominate., He also pitched to a tune of a 3.29 ERA. Not bad for a #4 starter as a matter of fact I may jst se him as my super sleeper

Mosely- Yo could do alot worse as a back of the rotation guy

Gregerson setting p Street is a great combo. I dont sspect they will blow many leads at all. I think this team will generate alot of rns and trn ot win after win. I really think they have a shot in the shitty NL west. Give them 83-84 wins and cash your ticket in at the end of the season. You will not have to worry about this one whatsoever.Sorry for any typos I may have missed I tried typing this fast and without looking.

I mean they sign Joe Reyes for106 million they have Hanley on the payroll and every time I read a baseball article I see the Marlins are involved. I dont know about any of you but a new ball park and logo wont make me spend any more money than I normally would. Im a die hard Yankee fan and have been since I was 8. I still havent been to the new Yankee Stadium. Is a new ballpark really going to make the Marlins that much better off financially? What about in three years from now when the novelty has worn off? They offer Pujols 220$ over 10 years which is fine but where the fuck will they get the money and who is going to trade for him when he is 35 making 25 mill a season?

They offered CJ wilson 17 million a year. I understand people will say they can trade these guys off but like I said how are you going to trade these big ass contracts in a few years? Lets say they sign Pujols. Now you have 106+220 plus Hanleys 16 mill/. year they already have -342 million gauranteed over the next some odd years. You think anyone is going to take on Hanleys contract and attitude? Or his 16 mill a year. Sorry but if you want a SS who hasnt been that good for the last 2 years well then your an idiot!

Any answers? Where will the Marlins get the money to pay these guys when the novelty of the new park wears down? You either have the fans or you dont. And judging by the attendance the last decade they dont.

The Pittsburgh Pirates!!!! Thats right for the first time since giving you the Royalsl in 07 the Rays in 08 the Rangers in 09 and the Astros in '10 Im giving you two teams. I already did a write up on the Jays over 77 and now im giving you the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dont laugh because here is why

The lineup- Not sure of the batting order so ill put em where I think they would look good.

J. Tabata.- This guy may be a rising star. A probable 10-40 guy and may get there this year. I think he may be a great table setter for s decent lineup

N. Walker- This kid is pretty decent. An older Pirate who can hit .300 with maybe 15 homers and 75 RBI.

A. McCutchen- Now this guy is a star. May get to 25 home runs this year with 90 or so RBI. He has the moxie to hit .300 also. Typical Pirate that will be traded when the time comes. I envision this guy being an all star this year along with.....

P. Alvarez- Young first round pick will easily eclipse 25 home runs and could get a shot at 100 rbi. A rising star for third baseman. By next year's spring training he will be mentioned in the same breath as David Wright and others.

L. Overbay- A professional hitter wont get many home runs but he could lead the team in walks and doubles. Should drive in 70 runs with a decent .270 BA Great glove at first will save many errors in the field.

G. Jones- Not much in way of average but can or will hit you 20 home runs and drive in 80 or so.

R. Cedeno- Could do worse than this. Has below average pop evidenced by his 8 homers last year.Will bat around .260 and play an adequate
SS.

Doumit/Snyder. decent option at catcher. Wont hit much but you could do alot worse than these two at C. Between the two of them you may get 25 home Runs but also a .240 BA.

Pitcher.

Starting Staff.

J. McDonald.- L.A. let this guy go. Torre for some reason never really gave him a shot. He is a young lefty with some speed on his pitches. He has K per inning ability. Not the prototypical ace but should get the job done as the Pirates numero uno.

R. Ollendorff- Despite a 4.07 E.R.A. his record last year was horrendous. I know of an 18 game winner who had a worse ERA than Ross. He wont blow any hitter away but the guy is super smart and knows how to pitch. I think he can get to 10 wins if he stays healthy this year. But he may also lose 10 too.

P. Maholm- Just not a very good pitcher. Had a 5+ ERA last year but he should be better than that this year. Doesnt K many batters but can keep the team in the game long enough for an improved offense to win it.

K. Correia- This is a bad option as the number 4 but then again so is the number 2. For the Pirates, they need to get better here. If Kevin is going to pitch well he may keep the team in the game and pitch 7 Innings. But lets hope he gets ample run support.

S. Olsen. He had his worst stat year last year. Lets hope he gets better. Thats all there is to say about the four and five starters.

The Pen

C. Morton
C. Resop
J. Karstens

E Meek
J. Hanrahan.

Not a terrible bullpen. Hanrahan can be dominant. His K rate is thru the roof. They envision E Meek as a closer is the near future. The pen could be worse but its in the lower half of the league.

Well despite a terrible pitching staff I do think the offense will lead this team to 74-75 wins. For Pirate fans that would be an treat. Call me crazy but im undefeated since 2007 and im putting my money where my mouth is as I will throw 500 on the Pirates and 500 on the Jays. I do it every year without my wife knowing. Until I win then she gets her grubby little hands on it. But with my husband stash now gone lets hope I cash on these two winners.

Bash away!

2007 i gave you the Royals,08 I gave you the Rays. Last year I gave you the Rangers. This year......

Im giving you the Astros. Yup the good ol Astros OVER 74.5

Heres why the SP is better than average.

1) Wandy Rodriguez can only get better. He struck out 193 in 205 ip last year. With 14 wins he led the staff. He also allowed less than a hit an inning
2) Roy Oswalt. He was hurt most of last year and responded with his worst season ever. He will return the his previous form making him a deadly number 2 SP
3) Brett Myers will hate pitching in Houstons bandbox but Philly was no better. However the difference is that Myers will not feel quite the same pressure he did in Philly. I expect 15 wins and maybe 175 ks with no injuries.
4) Bud Norris. Believe it or not he was a top prospect for the Stros. He pitched well last year for a rook. He will get better as long as his walks get lower. He has a decent K rate and I expe ct Norris to remain in the rotation but be topped out at around 175 ip.
5) a tossup between Moeler,Pualino,Bazardo. I expect Pualino to win this battle with almost a K an inning I say he wins the 5th starter job and runs with it.. His era will be in the low 5s or high 4s. Not good but good enuff with the stros offense.

1) Bourn. A base stealing threat every time he is on base. Stole 61 bags last year and even hit .285 A Perfect leadoff man. Expect Bourns average to remain about where he hit last year but Im thinking around 80 bags will be stolen
2) Pence. Hunter will be Hunter. I am stopping the Pence breakout year bandwagon I have been on. However for a 2nd place hitter 25-80 .280 isnt to shabby
3) Berkman. - Yes last year WAS a sign of things to come. But I do think he still tops the 25 home run 100 rbi mark but this time with a lower then usual avg. Lets say .260
4) Lee. With Carlos you get consistency. He will hit his 25-35 home runs and get his 100 rbi. A perfect cleanup man.
5) Feliz. Pedro isnt all that bad. He will drive in a few and hit a few dingers. Not a typical 5th place hitter but is an excellent defender
6) Matsui. See above
7) Keppinger. 1 .250 hitter with teen Hr power. Dont expect much so anything above that is a blessing.
8) Towles.,Quintero. One could break out but I expect a platoon.

Rp is decent probably better than most. With Lindstrom and Lyon there will be an excellent 8-9 bridge to either or. Not sure who is getting the saves but each has good experience.

So with good SP and average hitting I think the Astros get to 80 wins rather easily. You can argue with me all you want but i correctly predicted the Rays-Royals and the Rangers the last three years and niether of them was close.







This is what I posted back in MArch and most of you laughed at nme. No problem. Ill laugh all the way to the bank. From 07 I gave you the Royals the Rays the Rangers and now the Astros. I am fucking awesome on season win totals. Nothing my patting my own back eh?

Atl- Ari.

Derek Anderson is shot. He is not the answer to this team.
Jason Snelling is a tad short of being Michael Turner
Larry Fitzgerald is just flat out good. Give him a QB and he is still the best Wr in football

Carolina/TB

Matt Moore should say goodbye to the starting job. Welcome Mr Claussen
John Stewart is better than D Williams
Tampa Bay just won game two. They are two and oh. they will win maybe 5 games all year. They just cant win like this all season

Balt/Cincy

Joe Flacco is overrated
Ced Benson is starting his downward slide back to being Ced Benson
Koch better start punting better than a 36 yard average with this offense

KC/Cleveland

Matt Cassell is just not all that good.
Tomas Jones is the ageless wonder. He is great to have a teammate and leader
Eric Berry is the best safety in the league. Other than Ed Reed.

Dallas/Chicago

Mike Martz is doing wonders with Jay Cutler. Just what Cutler needed. Cutler will be over 4500 yards this year easily
Dez Bryant is every bit as exciting as thought.
Fire wade Phillips now before its to late

Philly/Det

Mccoy really is this good.
Jackson is a top 5 deep threat
Jahvid Best will win rookie of the year. Bank on it

GB/Buff

Buffalo will have a miserable season
Brandon Jackson is not the answer to Gb RB problem
J. Finley may be a top 5 TE already

Pitt/Tenn

Pitts D is this good and holding C Johnson to 34 yards is an incredible feat
Brown could be the best punt returner by years end
K Collins still has some fuel left. And Vince Young is still overrated

Sea/Den

Kyle Orton is the most underrated QB in the NFL
Forsett may not be a number 1 back they thought he would be
Matt Hasselbeck is on the downward slide of his career

STL/Raiders

Bradford is the real deal.
S Jackson will be done by the time the Rams are playoff worthy
Mcfadden may not be a bust afterall

NE/NYJ

Maybe Lt isnt done just yet
Keller is a big boy and has great hands
See what happens when you take the baby wheels of off Sanchez?

Sd/Jax

Rivers is better than Manning. I dont care if Eli won a super bowl. The Chargers have the better player
Mike Sims walker could get 100 catches if I was throwing the ball
S.D. will be the AFc champion

Texans/ Washington

Matt Schaub is the third best qb in football. After Manning comes Brees then Schaub.
Andre Johnson will be the best WR in the NFL for at least 5 more years. The guy is built like a truck
Gary Kubiak not giving his kicker a chance for a 53 yard field goal was stupid. The guy will hold Houston back


today I went 7-2. Last week I went 6-3. I am loving the season so far. I am a die hard Cowboy fan but Ive been digging the Texans since they got Schaub. I love the guy he is a gunslinger. The game I lost today that really pissed me off was Tennessee. I cant believe they held Johnson to 34 yards. Outstanding job. The game I should have laid my mortgage payment on but still won was San Diego.