Over/Unders — Final Tally

Bruce Springsteen’s latest album with the E Street Band hit what few record stores around the country still exist. (It hit the Best Buy’s of the world as well.) You may have heard that Springsteen has fallen back in love with pop music and I can tell you, the rumors are true. His last studio albums — the moody solo effort “Devils & Dust” and folky hootenanny “Seeger Sessions” — were great in their genre, but clearly not for everyone.

Of course, the same is true for this album. People who do not like music will not like “Magic.” Because there is a lot of music on this album, from organs to guitars to strings to pianos to cellos to yes, one great big saxophone. This sounds like rock n’ roll. This sounds familiar. This sounds like E Street. Songs like “I’ll Work For Your Love” bleed pop hooks and could have easily intertwined on previous Springsteen efforts like “The River” — the album most Springsteen aficianados seem to recall when listening to “Magic.”

Of course, any Springsteen album will have a political feel to it, though that always seems to upset the right half of his fan base. But the beauty of Springsteen’s songwriting is that the songs can be construed in multiple settings. Take “Lonsesome Day” off “The Rising”: Set in the loss of post-9/11 America, it can easily double as a heartbreak love song. There are similar examples of this throughout the more-politically tinged cuts on “Magic,” such as the ironic denial track, “Livin’ In The Future,” and the rocking “Long Walk Home.” In that latter song, a father takes his son on a tour of his hometown, not unlike the classic Springsteen ballad, “My Hometown,” only here what was great about the town is no longer so great. He’s talking about the town, but he really means the country. Unless that offends you politically, in which case, just take the song at face value.

My only complaint with the album is that it’s the kind of album you want to roll the windows down with and crank. Unfortunately it was released in October, not June. Of course, the way the weather’s been lately, that’s not really a problem.

Now that I’ve reviewed the new Springsteen album, it’s time to review my picks in the inaugural over/unders competition with Yankee blogger T.J. Furman. Remember the rules, we each chose five teams from our respective leagues and one of the picks had to be our respective teams. Let’s see how I did:

Arizona over 77.5 — I’m a proud father when it comes to this pick. The one that most people doubted, the one that looks the best in hindsight. Here’s what I had to say back in March: “Since bottoming out with 51 wins in 2004, Arizona has netted 77 and 76 wins in ‘05 and ‘06. With a positive youth movement and the addition of a couple of new arms, there’s little reason to believe the D’backs won’t continue to improve.” And improve they did. They stayed in the division race all season and eventually held off Colorado and San Diego to win the NL West with a 90-72 record. VERDICT: Win.

Atlanta over 80.5 — It was a tough thing to pick the hated Braves to be an over, but you had to be realistic about their chances for a rebound in 2007. They did rebound, but not as much as I thought. In March, I put a lot of stock in their rebuilt bullpen, but injuries and the strange dismissal of Bob Wickman made this not the strength I expected. Still they went 84-78 and almost made a run at the wild card. Plenty for my pick. VERDICT: Win.

Cubs under 85.5 — OK, I admit it. I was wrong about the Cubs for the most part. Lou Piniella did a great job and they rebounded from a bad start to become a solid playoff contender. But one thing I was absolutely right about. Let me quote myself from March: “OK, they’re better. But the question is how much better? The Cubs were a dreadful 66-96 last year and that means for them to be an over, they’re going to need to be 20 games better and I’m not sure even $300 million can facilitate that.” Twenty games was a lot to make up year-to-year and they didn’t do it. I knew I had a lot of room to play with and I used every inch of it. They only got 19. The Cubs are in the playoffs at 85-77, but 85 is less than 85.5. VERDICT: Win.

San Francisco over 81.5 — This is the pick where I tried to outsmart everyone and ended up outsmarting myself. It went south by June and never recovered. I wasn’t expecting the world out of this team; just for them to be average. Here’s what I thought back in March: “There’s no doubt there’s some age on this team and this might be their last run for a few years as they rebuild around Zito and their young, talented arms like Matt Cain, Noah Lowry and Tim Lincecum, who impressed in spring training but will start the season in Triple-A. Still, I think they can make a run this year in an unpredictable division. And for me to be right, all they have to be is .500. I think they will.” Umm, they weren’t. The Giants finished an abysmal 71-91. VERDICT: Loss.

Mets over 87.5 — This pick was looking great all season as the Mets stumbled a lot during the year, but stayed on course enough to reach 87 wins on Sunday, Sept. 23. It wasn’t the 97 wins they won in 2006, but no one expected that. They still looked like a 90-win team. And then we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. They didn’t pick up the win that won me this pick until Saturday. And really, that’s all the Mets did this week. They finished 88-74 and managed to break the hearts of Mets fans everywhere. Not how I expected to win this pick but… VERDICT: Win.

So that locked me in at 4-1 for my five picks. You’d think that would be enough to win, but as fate would have it… it was. T.J. went 2-3 with Minnesota over 83.5 (Loss); Kansas City under 67 (Loss); Texas over 82.5 (Loss): Toronto under 86.5 (Win); and Yankees under 96.5 (Win). You can read his thoughts on the competition at his blog. So I am victorious in a near-rout. Of course, I can’t gloat too much because you can also read about New York postseason baseball in his blog.

Over/Unders — August Update

Labor Day means the end of summer. That also means the end of the summer movie season.

It was a monster season for Hollywood, proving all that motion picture industry whining about DVDs, home theater setups and internet downloads was just that. Whining. If there are movies people want to see, they will still go the theater. This summer proved that.

The heavy hitters were Spidey, Shrek, Jack Sparrow and Optimus Prime — all surpassing $300 million. Potter, Jason Bourne and a culinary-prone rat all pocketed $200 million. And somehow a buddy comedy about a bunch of guys riding motorcycles stayed in theaters almost all summer and is now the No. 10 movie of the year.

With all apologies to Chuck Berry, it goes to show you never can tell.

And that’s what makes it so interesting to look back on my over/under picks, made a good five months ago. Summer may be over, but there’s still a month of baseball left. Here’s where I stand at this moment.

Arizona over 77.5 — I remain tremendously proud of this pick. This is the one that I had to explain the most to people around the office when we made our picks. Even as they’ve hung around the NL West lead all season, people have doubted the D’backs because they don’t score a lot of runs. The thing is they’ve won 30 one-run games this season — easily the tops in Major League Baseball. That explains why they are a lock as an over. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Atlanta over 80.5 — Last month, I thought this pick became a lock when the Braves were the big winners at the trade deadline. Since then, they haven’t done nearly enough winning in actual baseball games and now are hovering just over .500. While I like that from a Mets perspective, it does put my pick in a precarious position. Still, I don’t expect them to simply throw in the towel, so I expect they’ll keep their head above water. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Cubs under 85.5 — The loss of Alfonso Soriano brought this pick back to me. If the season ended today, they’d be on pace for 84 wins. Much like the NL Central race, this one is going down to the wire. PROGNOSIS: UNCLEAR.

San Francisco over 81.5 — OK, we’ve already established this was a bad pick, but let me just point out how easily I could’ve won it. Matt Cain, one of the Giants’ young pitchers that I threw my support behind, has pitched to a 3.57 ERA this season but has gotten such little run support that prior to his current three-game personal winning streak his record was 4-13. If he had simply gone .500 over that stretch — not unreasonable with that ERA — the Giants would be within five games of their mark. It’s those types of swings that kill you in this game. PROGNOSIS: BAD.

Mets over 87.5 — Pedro looks good today. So does this pick. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Over/Unders — July Update

Now that the Harry Potter book craze has reached its conclusion, bookstores everywhere must be searching for the next big literary event. And surprisingly, they might just have to turn to a Rolling Stone.

A book company will pay legendary rocker Keith Richards a whopping $7.3 million to publish his memoirs. Little, Brown & Company will publish the book in 2010.

Here’s what Little, Brown publisher Michael Pietsch had to say about the upcoming book:

“For nearly 50 years, he has been at the very center of the vortex of stardom and of entertainment as a cultural force. He’s a thread running through the whole thing.”

Here’s another common thread running through the whole thing. Drugs. Lots of them. Which leads me to this question: Do we really think Keith Richards remembers all that much that has happened over the last 50 years? I guess we’ll have to wait another two-plus years to find out.

Thankfully, we only have to wait another two-plus months to find out how my over/under predictions will work out. They’ve slipped a little bit every month and now a couple of them are hanging by a thread. Let’s see where they stand on Aug. 1.

Arizona over 77.5 — The D’backs have been one of my most consistent picks. Arizona surprised a lot of people early on in the season and surprised even more by not fading down the stretch. This month, they finally lost Randy Johnson for good (and possibly forever), but they’re still in the heart of a crowded NL West race and still on pace for 88 wins. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Atlanta over 80.5 — Prior to this week, I could’ve been a bit worried about this pick. The Braves had multiple opportunities to catch the troubling Mets and actually slipped behind the Phillies in the NL East. But then the trade deadline came and the Braves stocked up. With Mark Teixeira, Octavio Dotel and others in tow, it’s natural to assume the Braves will be picking up the pace in the next few weeks. That’s bad news for the Mets. Good news for my pick. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Cubs under 85.5 — No team surprised me in June like the Cubbies. No team surprised me in July like the Cubbies. Not only did they not fade, they are now on the verge of taking over the NL Central from the Brewers. Lou Piniella has done a tremendous job in Wrigleyville. And if they continue playing the way they are, they would win 86 games, which would make this pick a loser. PROGNOSIS: BAD.

San Francisco over 81.5 — Ugh. PROGNOSIS: BAD.

Mets over 87.5 — The Mets have been a frustrating, underachieving team this season that has fans very uneasy as we head into this stretch run. What’s lost in all the worry is the Mets are still a high-80-win team. As long as that remains true, I’ll win this pick, though it is admittedly a lot closer than I ever imagined. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Over/Unders — June Update

Hundreds of people throughout the country camped out for days this week to be the first in their inner-circle to own Apple’s chic new iPhone. Now, however, many of those tech-savvy customers have to wait just to get their new gadget activated. That’s gotta suck. I’ve never camped out for a gadget or anything, but the few times I stood in line for midnight releases of albums, I always wanted to go right home and play that album all the way through. You don’t go buy the album at midnight and then listen to it days later. That’s what’s happening to these poor iPhone owners. They must be livid.

Will the iPhone change the world the way the iPod did? Well, we’re at least going to have to wait until they get them all activated to get an idea. But let’s just say I’m skeptical.

It’s also a little early to start celebrating my over/under victory, but we’ve reached another checkpoint and I’m still feeling pretty good. May saw one of my picks slip away and I think June just solidified that. Let’s take a look.

Arizona over 77.5 — The D’backs finally slowed down a bit during the month of June and even slipped a game-and-a-half out of the NL West lead. But they were flying so high before that and still are playing good enough baseball to stay on pace for around 90 wins. That’s down from a month ago, but still well above where I need them to be. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Atlanta over 80.5 — Like the D’backs, the Atlanta was a team that was probably playing a bit over its head prior to this past month. They came back down to Earth a bit in June, slipping out of second in the NL East momentarily, but eventually keeping it together. They still aren’t getting anything out of Andruw Jones and they had a near mutiny with Chipper Jones and John Smoltz, so all is not well in Hotlanta. But I still think they’re an easy over and the numbers bear that out. Despite a bad month, they’re still on pace for 86 wins. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Cubs under 85.5 — No team surprised me in June like the Cubbies. Where did this come from? Sweet Lou is doing some sweet managing because Chicago was on fire this month. At last check they were an in-fighting bunch of underachievers, but now they’re closing in on the young division-leading Brewers. The good news for me? Their impressive month still kept them a game under .500. Assuming they cool off a bit in July, I still think I’ll win this one. But it’s not the lock it once was. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

San Francisco over 81.5 — They beat the Yanks two out of three and still can’t help me. PROGNOSIS: BAD.

Mets over 87.5 — OK, we all know how bad this month was looking for the Amazin’s. But all good teams have bad stretches and this was the Mets’. Still, a hot streak at the end of the month kept the Mets in fine shape and well in control of the division. It also kept them as an easy over. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Over/Unders — May Update

There are certain things you wish you could bet on because they are absolute locks. Like that Dutch reality show where women were fighting over a kidney transplant that turned out to be a sham. Who was surprised by that? Or how about the new Loch Ness Monster video. It won’t be long before that is proven to be false. We all know it’s coming. If only we could wager on it.

Since we can’t, we’re stuck clinging to little things like over/unders in a blog. Which is the perfect, casual, not the least bit contrived segueway to my monthly update on my over/unders. T.J. should be updating his picks as well over on his Yankees blog. At last check, I was 5-for-5, but I fear May have seen one pick begin to slip away from me. Let’s find out.

Arizona over 77.5 — Last month, I told you the D’backs wouldn’t stay on pace to win 96 games. I was right. They’re on pace for 95. Yes, the bottom hasn’t fallen out on the Arizona squad yet, as evidenced by their victory over the Mets on Friday night. They are still a dangerous young team. They’re going to be here all year. And they’re definitely an over. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Atlanta over 80.5 — Thankfully, the Braves don’t get to play the Mets every game or they’d be on pace to 107 games. Instead, they’re only on pace for 93. Either way, it had to be the worst-kept secret in sports that the Braves would be back this year. And they are and they’ll be a thorn in the Mets’ side all season. And they’re definitely an over. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Cubs under 85.5 — Can I get an over/under number on the amount of fights the Cubbies will have in their own dugout for the rest of the year? That would be a hell of a lot more interesting than watching this team flounder yet again. What a complete mess! Lou Piniella probably wishes he had the Yankee job right now, but given how that’s going, maybe he was just doomed to an awful season. Because the Cubs are definitely an under. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

San Francisco over 81.5 — After getting a real good look at the Giants while they were in town this week, I have to admit this team is not as good as I thought they would be. There’s just not much talent there on the field. But their pitching is young and talented. When picking the Giants as an over this spring, I mentioned the potential of Tim Lincecum down the line and he’s proven to be better than advertised. But I’m not sure this lineup is going to score enough runs to give these pitchers any breathing room. And anytime you trade away your closer — even if its Armando Benitez — it means things aren’t going well. I have to downgrade this at the moment. I still like my number (they only have to play .500 ball), but I just can’t be sure. PROGNOSIS: PUSH.

Mets over 87.5 — What’s left to say about the Mets that I don’t say every day? They’re the best team with no outfielders I’ve ever seen. Seriously, they’ve been even better than I thought they’d be this year and thankfully, they are well on their way to being an over. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Over/Unders — April Update

You had to feel for Tony Soprano on Sunday. He couldn’t make a successful bet to save his life… and in his world, successful bets can do just that. But he pushed his luck at roulette, blackjack, football and horse racing and came out on the short end every time.

Perhaps Tony should’ve consulted me because my five over/unders for the 2007 season are looking golden one month into the season. (I know I said these picks were for strictly recreational purposes, but Tony Soprano is a fictional character, so it’s OK.) Let’s take a look at how I’m doing and T.J. is also offering his April update over at his Yankees blog.

Arizona over 77.5 — The D’backs are currently 16-11 and atop the NL West. They just got Randy Johnson back, though he hasn’t looked good, but if he works into shape, that makes them even more dangerous. As I wrote when I picked them, these guys have been team steadily on the rise. It looks like it’s continuing. They are on pace to win 96 games. They won’t. But they’ll clear 78 easily. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Atlanta over 80.5 — Those damn Braves are 16-9 and back where they always seem to be: atop the division. They got off to a fast start, taking four of six from the Mets and immediately making it clear that their 2006 malaise is a thing of the past. However, the improved bullpen has been anything but as of late and Bob Wickman is now on the DL. They might be coming back down to Earth, but I still suspect they’ll remain above .500. PROGNOSIS: GOOD (Unfortunately).

Cubs under 85.5 — Everybody loved the Cubbies this spring. Everyone except me. They made a lot of changes, but this was still a team that was dreadful a year ago. Sure, Alfonso Soriano hasn’t hit and he undoubtedly will, but the Cubs are still four games under .500 and on pace for a 68-win season. He’s going to have to get awfully hot to lead this team to 86 wins. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

San Francisco over 81.5 — This pick was looking terrible at the beginning of the season as the Giants couldn’t buy a win. But they’ve turned it around now sit at a totally respectable 13-11. Matt Cain has been brilliant and Barry Zito is starting to make the adjustment to the NL. Barry Bonds is still hitting home runs. This team is going to continue to surprise people. They’re on pace for 87 wins and that will probably be right around where they end up. 82 is all I need. PROGNOSIS: GOOD.

Mets over 87.5 — Like most people, I thought the Mets number was curiously low. And the Mets proved that as well, getting off to a good, not great start and sit right behind the Braves with a 15-9 mark. Even better news is they haven’t gotten a thing from Carlos Delgado or David Wright and the Mets are about halfway through the Guillermo Mota suspension. John Maine can’t keep up this pace, but he’s calmed a lot of offseason concerns about the Mets pitching. If there’s a concern about them reaching 88 wins, it’s the age on the team. It’s never good to see your No. 2 starter and starting second baseman go on the DL on the same day. But I think the Mets will continue to piece it together and 90 wins should be a reasonable goal. They’re on pace to 101 as we speak. PROGNOSIS: GOOD (Thankfully).

Day 5 Pick: Mets over 87.5

Well we wrap up this wacky week of over/unders with the easiest pick of the lot. I love the Mets as an over at 87.5, simply because I don’t think they are 10 games worse than a year ago. And they’ll have to be for me to lose this play.

I don’t even know how the Mets got such a low number. It’s probably directly related to the great deal of angst surrounding the Mets this year — some of it justified, some of it not. Yes, the rotation is not comprised of proven commodities, but people seem to forget the Jose Limas, Alay Solers and other supposed starters that were part of that 97-win juggernaut a year ago. Pedro Martinez is out, but he was out for a good chunk of last year too. It didn’t hurt the Amazin’s too much then. I have to assume it won’t now.

Yes, it would be tough for Jose Valentin and Paul Lo Duca to replicate the success they had at the plate last year, but Moises Alou is an improvement over the oft-injured Cliff Floyd in left. Shawn Green struggled this spring, but A) he’s always been a streaky hitter and B) most people had penciled Lastings Milledge into this outfield a year ago anyway. The worst thing that happens is the Mets actually fulfill that plan.

Yes, the division got better in the offseason and the Mets are about even. However, at no point did I feel the Phils or the Braves surpassed the Mets, no matter what Jimmy Rollins tries to sell you. There’s just more of even playing field this year. That’s fine. I’ll go to war with the team that was a few outs from the World Series last October.

There are two things that do concern me about this team. The bullpen and the intangible vibe that last year’s squad definitely had. Still, neither of those things concern me enough to think the Mets are not a 90-win team. It might only be 90 or 91. But it’s definitely more than 87.

THE PICKS
Monday: T.J. picks Minnesota over 83.5; Steve picks Arizona over 77.5
Tuesday: T.J. picks Kansas City under 67; Steve picks Atlanta over 80.5
Wednesday: T.J. picks Texas over 82.5; Steve picks Cubs under 85.5
Thursday: T.J. picks Toronto under 86.5; Steve picks San Francisco over 81.5
Friday: T.J. picks Yankees under 96.5; Steve picks Mets over 87.5

Day 4 Pick: San Francisco over 81.5

So I’ve been blissfully rolling through these picks in alphabetical order all week, making my decision process about as complicated as that first offer on “Deal or No Deal.” But that A-to-Z strategy leads me to Cincinnati today and with a number of 76.5, I’m not touching it.

So now I have to scour the NL to find my last team (tomorrow will be the Mets pick). It brings me to a team that I cautiously think will be better than most people think. The San Francisco Giants.

Sports Illustrated has them finishing last in the NL West. Vegas has them at 35-1 to win the World Series. And their over-under number pegs them as a sub-.500 team. And I think they’ll be better.

Obviously, the Barry Zito signing was a big deal in the Bay Area and there’s no reason to believe the lefty shouldn’t benefit from the shift to the Senior Circuit. But that’s not all the Giants did in the offseason. They added Dave Roberts to add little spark to the top of the lineup and solidified themselves behind the plate with the signing of Bengie Molina. And yes, Barry Bonds is back and bruising the ball in spring training.

There’s no doubt there’s some age on this team and this might be their last run for a few years as they rebuild around Zito and their young, talented arms like Matt Cain, Noah Lowry and Tim Lincecum, who impressed in spring training but will start the season in Triple-A. Still, I think they can make a run this year in an unpredictable division. And for me to be right, all they have to be is .500. I think they will.

THE PICKS
Monday: T.J. picks Minnesota over 83.5; Steve picks Arizona over 77.5
Tuesday: T.J. picks Kansas City under 67; Steve picks Atlanta over 80.5
Wednesday: T.J. picks Texas over 82.5; Steve picks Cubs under 85.5
Thursday: T.J. picks ?????; Steve picks San Francisco over 81.5
Friday: T.J. picks ?????; Steve picks ?????

Day 3 Pick: Cubs under 85.5

It’s not unusual for there to be a ton of optimism around baseball during this time of year. After all, everyone’s undefeated… at least for another couple days. But this year in particular I see more GMs walking around Florida and Arizona with their chest puffed out like they just went 12 rounds with Mason “The Line” Dixon. It seems this winter’s drunken spending spree has convinced most teams that they are ready to contend.

That’s bleeding over to the betting community. A majority of the over/under numbers lead to a gut reaction of “Oooh, that’s low. That’s an over.” The problem is it’s impossible for everyone to be an over. Somebody has to lose. So I felt I needed an under today and when you go looking for unders, why not stop by and visit those lovable losers, the Chicago Cubs.

After all, no one spent more drunkenly this offseason than the Cubbies. $136M for Alfonso Soriano, $40M for Ted Lilly, $21M for Jason Marquis, not to mention the $73M to hold on to Aramis Ramirez and $10M to secure a competent manager in Lou Piniella.

OK, they’re better. But the question is how much better?

The Cubs were a dreadful 66-96 last year and that means for them to be an over, they’re going to need to be 20 games better and I’m not sure even $300 million can facilitate that. The division itself is a question mark with the defending champs coming off their worst regular season in years and the Astros trying to be good enough to convince the Rocket to take one more flight at Minute Maid this summer. Those two teams could very well decide how successful a pick this is for me.

But on the field, I have concerns with the new-look Cubs. First the old concerns: Mark Prior and Kerry Wood are completing their spring ritual of finding new ways to be injured, while staff ace Carlos Zambrano spent the past week batting his eyes at the Mets as contract talks have stalled in Chicago. Imported starter Ted Lilly gave up 28 homers for Toronto last year; good luck in Wrigley, Ted. And speaking of good luck, I’m sure every Mets fan wishes Sweet Lou good luck in keeping Cliff Floyd in the lineup for 150 games this season.

And more than anything, I consider the Cubs to be the baseball equivalent of the Miami Dolphins — the team that gets tremendous buzz each preseason because of its inexplicable national following. Much like the Dolphins didn’t meet expectations last fall, I expect the Cubbies to disappoint fans nationwide all summer long.

THE PICKS
Monday: T.J. picks Minnesota over 83.5; Steve picks Arizona over 77.5
Tuesday: T.J. picks Kansas City under 67; Steve picks Atlanta over 80.5
Wednesday: T.J. picks Texas over 82.5; Steve picks Cubs under 85.5
Thursday: T.J. picks ?????; Steve picks ?????
Friday: T.J. picks ?????; Steve picks ?????

Day 2 Pick: Atlanta over 80.5

This one hurts. About the only thing worse would be writing that I see the Yanks as an over for this year. (I wonder if T.J. does… we’ll know Friday.) But outside of that, this is as bad as it gets.

Yes, I think the Braves are an over at 80.5.

Look, I’m not happy about it either, but you have to call a spade a spade. This is the Braves — the team that hogged division titles for 14 damn years. It’s going to take more than one bad season for me to turn my back on that corpse. Maybe I’ve just seen too many zombie movies, but I suspect the Braves are coming back to life this year.

The bottom line is they got better in the offseason. Sure, they lost the right side of their infield, but they drastically improved their bullpen with the additions of Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano to complement the bonafide closer they lacked for much of last season, Bob Wickman. Atlanta blew 29 save opportunities last year. Don’t expect for a repeat of that.

And while Marcus Giles and Adam LaRoche — the aforementioned right side of the infield — are gone, there’s still plenty of firepower in that empty stadium in Atlanta. The Braves scored a lot of runs last year and with the Joneses and underrated Brian McCann in the heart of the order, they should do so again. And despite Jeff Francoeur’s dreadful start to 2006, he still finished with a .260 average, 29 homers and 103 runs batted in. As far as sophomore slumps go, that’s pretty damn good.

If there’s hope for Braves-haters in New York, Philly, Florida and Washington, it’s that the back end of the rotation is a little shaky right now with Mike Hampton stuggling through the dreaded oblique strain. But then again, it’s 2007 and I’m not sure there’s any other kind of back end of a rotation other than a shaky one.

What I think this all means is that the Braves will be in the hunt this year.

Damn.

THE PICKS
Monday: T.J. picks Minnesota over 83.5; Steve picks Arizona over 77.5
Tuesday: T.J. picks ?????; Steve picks Atlanta over 80.5
Wednesday: T.J. picks ?????; Steve picks ?????
Thursday: T.J. picks ?????; Steve picks ?????
Friday: T.J. picks ?????; Steve picks ?????