Its Time

Every year I'm pleasantly reminded of just how big a deal Opening Day in Major League Baseball is.
ESPN, newspapers, that's all you hear about. The NCAA championship is tonight and nobody gives a crap. (Nobody cool, anyway)
Today is a good day to not go to work. Today is a good day to watch baseball and eat hot dogs and drink beer.
Spent a good hour or so at work reading all the ESPN.com stuff, as the online guys (Peter Gammons, Jayson Stark, Rob Neyer, Buster Olney) are waaaaaayyyyyy better than TV and radio tools like Harold Reynolds, Rob Dibble, John Kruk, Kevin Kennedy, Jeff Brantley, Dan Patick, et al.
Gammons, Olney and Stark all picked the Twins to....... WIN THE FRICKIN WORLD SERIES!!!!
Wow, I almost don't feel right about that. The Twins as favorites?? That's never really been their M.O.
But at least Harold Reynolds has picked the Indians. That guarantees the Indians will be killed by injuries and underachievement and lose 90 games, because that's what happens to every team Harold Reynolds ever picks to win anything. Strib scribe Pat Reusse also picked the Indians. I like Reusse but he's wrong almost every year, too.
For some reason, though, people (nationally) really believe in this years Twins team. They kind of seem to be the chic pick, which isn't great, because teams that are hip to pick usually dissapoint.
But I picked Louisville to make the Final Four and I like the Twins, too, so, it's pretty much money.
Anyway......
The Twins will win the Central because they have by far the best pitching in the division, and their bullpen, if Crain and Balfour straighten out, is the best in all of baseball. Right now their bench stinks, but Gardy won't keep four catchers all year no matter what happens with Mauer's knee, so that will improve when either Mike Ryan or Terry Tiffee is called up. Their lineup, to use a phrase, is tits.
DH/LF Shannon Stewart
SS Jason Bartlett
C Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
CF Torii Hunter
RF Jacque Jones
LF/DH Lew Ford
3B Michael Cuddyer
2B Luis Rivas
Mauer and Morneau make this lineup better than any they've had since 1987. If healthy, Morneau could hit 40 homers, and Mauer is a guy who could hit .340 with 25 homers someday. Not bad considering the teams best hitter last year was probably Torii (.271, 23 homers) or Ford (.299, 15 homers).
Chicago finally figured it out and started copying the Twins, but they're too much in start-over mode, and their pitching is way overrated.
Cleveland is dangerous, but not as good as they think they are. Sabathia is on the DL, so is Juan Gone, and they way overpaid for Kevin Milwood.
Detroit added Troy Percival and Magglio Ordonez. That isn't going to be enough to make up the 20 games back that they finished last year.
Kansas City.....sucks. Bad.
Can they win the World Series?
Yeah, because of Radke, Santana and Nathan. It's a long season. We'll see what happens.
How They'll Finish
AL EAST
New York
Boston
Baltimore
Tampa Bay
Toronto
AL CENTRAL
TWINS
Sox
Tribe
Tiggers
Sucky guys
AL WEST
Angels
Rangers
A's
M's

NL - Who really cares about the National League? I'll just pick the Marlins to be in the World Series and call it good.