Green's 2008 Baseball Predictions

Even though the Red Sox have already played two games in Japan that count in the standings for this season, the rest of Major League Baseball got underway last night with one game and today with a full set of games in both leagues.

You know I like to tell y'all what I think, even if y'all don't care as much as I do. Everyone's got an opinion so I thought I'd give you my predictions for this new, wonderful baseball season!! With a full 162 game schedule for each team between now and October, anything can happen and it usually does. One thing I know for sure is that I'm going to enjoy the ride.

American League

East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. *Cleveland Indians
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals

West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Texas Rangers

National League

East
1. New York Mets
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins

Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Houston Astros
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. St. Louis Cardinals

West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. *-San Diego Padres
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Colorado Rockies

*= Wild Card teams

WILD CARD PLAYOFFS (best of five)

AL- Boston over Cleveland
AL- Detroit over Los Angeles
NL- Chicago over San Diego
NL- Los Angeles over New York

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (best of seven)

AL- Boston over Detroit
NL- Chicago over Los Angeles

WORLD SERIES (best of seven)

Boston over Chicago

Since I was in college, the Chicago Cubs have consistently been one of my favorite National League teams. Lou Piniella is an outstanding manager who has won a World Series (1990 Cincinnati Reds) and the Cubs look to have a very good team this year. Plus, they are the sentimental favorites, since their last World Series championship was in 1908. Yes, 1908. 100 years ago. And you thought the pre 2004 Red Sox and pre 2005 White Sox were pathetic. C'mon admit it, you did. Yes. You. Did.

I may be a bit of a homer when it comes to predicting for or against my Red Sox, but the defending World Series Champions are essentially returning with the same team as the one they won with last year, which rarely happens in this day and age of professional sports, so how can I not pick them to repeat?