Predictions for 2010, Baseball and Otherwise

As the daylight grows, baseball's spring training approaches. And we'll need to come up with forecasts. Maybe the news will help us.

  • Derek Jeter is getting married? Derek has been among the most 'eligible' of bachelors for a long time and one former major leaguer described him as Tiger Woods. 
  • Mark McGwire. Steroids? Huh? Whoa? Who would have thought that? Perhaps 2010 will be the year when the list of steroid scofflaws leaks out in its entirety.
  • Terry Francona will be sited for equipment malfunction. 
  • With the Red Sox luck, the black hole at shortstop, filled by Marco Scutaro, will reopen because of freakish injury, arachnophobia, dog bite, or some other Act of God.
  • TBTF (too big to fail)? Will a major league franchise be taken down by an ownership divorce?
  • A series of atrocious umpiring decisions at the bases will result in louder and longer calls for expansion of instant replay.
  • Jose Offerman will appear on Monday Night Raw.
  • Jonathan Papelbon will announce his intention to test the free agent waters.
  • Jacoby Ellsbury will say that it doesn't matter whether he plays left field or center field. Then he will backtrack and say he wants to play center every day. 
  • Scott Boras will say that it's not about the money.
  • Mike Lowell will be traded, but remain gracious throughout. 
  • Josh Beckett will announce that he too opts for free agency. The Yankees look hungrily northward.
  • Daisuke Matsuzaka is selected for the All-Star team. (Okay, that's a really long shot)
  • Jon Lester wins the Cy Young Award.
  • Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia will make the All-Star team.
  • Grady Sizemore becomes the leading candidate for MVP bouncing back after multiple surgeries.

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