NL PREVIEWS : WEST DODGERS.Byline: Compiled by Tim Brown Timothy Donell Brown (born July 22, 1966) is a retired wide receiver, who played in the National Football League. He spent sixteen years with the Oakland Raiders, during which he established himself as one of the League's most prolific wide receivers.Manager: Tom Lasorda Last year: 78-66, 1st in NL West Who's new: SS Greg Gagne Greg Gagne may refer to:
LHP Left Hand Path LHP Lighthouse Point (Broward County, Florida city) LHP Left Half-Plane LHP Lead Hollowpoint (bullet) LHP Living History Project LHP Landslide Hazard Program Scott Radinsky Radinsky finished his career with a 42-25 record, a 3. , OF Milt Thompson Who's gone: SS Jose Offerman, 3B Tim Wallach They'll win if: Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza (born September 4, 1968 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is an American Major League Baseball player who currently plays for the Oakland Athletics. He began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and played for the Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Eric Karros They'll lose if: the players begin measuring for ring sizes in mid-July, and Fred Claire Fred Claire (b. October 5, 1935 in Jamestown, OH) is a former major league baseball executive who served in numerous roles for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1969-1998 including the role of general manager from 1987-1998. takes their orders. Forecast: 96-66 SAN DIEGO San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. PADRES Manager: Bruce Bochy
Last year: 70-74, 3rd in NL West Who's new: OF Rickey Henderson abbr. rated horsepower Bob Tewksbury Tewksbury was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 19th round of the 1981 draft. , RHP Sean Bergman, OF Todd Steverson Who's gone: INF-OF Bip Roberts, OF Phil Plantier, RHP Richie Lewis They'll win if: A rumor starts that Rickey Henderson is in the final year of his contract, and it gets back to Rickey. They'll lose if: The Dodgers decide to go ahead and play the season. Forecast: 82-80 COLORADO ROCKIES Manager: Don Baylor Last year: 77-67, 2nd in NL West Who's new: C Jeff Reed Who's gone: C Joe Girardi, OF Mike Kingery, INF INF interferon. Roberto Mejia They'll win if: They start awarding points in the standings for grotesque ERA's and sore necks. They'll lose if: Bret Saberhagen's shoulder isn't ready to join the rotation until after the Rockies are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Forecast: 78-84 SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era Manager: Dusty Baker Last year: 67-77, 4th in NL West Who's new: OF Stan Javier, LHP Allen Watson, RHP Rich DeLucia Who's gone: OF Deion Sanders, SS Royce Clayton, LHP Trevor Wilson, INF Mike Benjamin They'll win if: Journeyman Stan Javier is the leadoff hitter they've been looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. , and not the journeyman they've had all along. They'll lose if: Matt Williams, who played in 76 games last season, does not become Matt Williams again, and if Shawon Dunston does become Shawon Dunston again. Forecast: 77-85 CENTRAL CINCINNATI REDS Manager: Ray Knight Last year: 85-59, 1st in NL Central Who's new: OF Vince Coleman, OF Mike Kelly Who's gone: OF Ron Gant, RHP Mike Jackson, OF Darren Lewis, C Benito Santiago, LHP David Wells They'll win if: The transition from Davey Johnson coddling In cooking, to coddle food is to heat it in water kept just below the boiling point. The eggs added to a Caesar salad should ideally be coddled. However, coddled eggs are not fully cooked and still present a salmonella risk. to Ray Knight ferocity doesn't freeze the players and scare the dog. They'll lose if: There is no early replacement for injured closer Jeff Brantley, and they lose touch with the Cardinals and Astros. Forecast: 88-74 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS For the National Football League team that played in St. Louis from 1960 to 1987, see . The St. Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards" or "the Redbirds") are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. Manager: Tony La Russa Last year: 62-81, 4th in NL Central Who's new: RHP Andy Benes, SS Royce Clayton, 3B Gary Gaetti, OF Ron Gant, RHP Todd Stottlemyre, RHP Dennis Eckersley Who's gone: RHP Rich DeLucia, 3B Scott Cooper They'll win if: Pitching coach Dave Duncan can perform the same mysticism in St. Louis that he did by the Bay. They'll lose if: Eck's control no longer matches his heart, because his fastball hasn't in years. Forecast: 87-75 HOUSTON ASTROS Manager: Terry Collins Last year: 76-68, 2nd in NL Central Who's new: INFs Sean Berry and Ray Holbert Who's gone: C Pat Borders, 1B Dave Magadan, OF Milt Thompson They'll win if: Right-hander Darryl Kile rediscovers the strike zone and becomes the best fifth-starter in the National League. They'll lose if: Thirty-somethings Doug Drabek (4.77) and Greg Swindell (4.47) don't pull their ERAs into the three-somethings. Forecast: 81-81 Chicago Cubs Manager: Jim Riggleman Last year: 73-31, 3rd in NL Central Who's new: 2B Ryne Sandberg, LHP Bob Patterson, 1B Dave Magadan, RHP Doug Jones Who's gone: SS Shawon Dunston, 3B Howard Johnson, LHP Randy Myers, 3B Todd Zeile They'll win if: By the end of their season, anyone outside of Rush Street can name three of their five starters. Incidentally, they are Jaime Navarro, Frank Castillo, Kevin FosFter, Jim Bullinger and Steve Trachsel. They'll lose if: The folks in the bleachers In The Bleachers is a podcast and website that focuses on Division I-A college football. It is recorded and aired weekly during college football season and features college football experts from the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, ACC, Pac 10, and Big 12 conferences. are still talking about the loss of closer Randy Myers by the time they can take their shirts off. Forecast: 73-89 PITTSBURGH PIRATES Manager: Jim Leyland Last year: 58-86, 5th in NL Central Who's new: 3B Charlie Hayes, OF Mike Kingery, LHP Kevin Rogers, RHP Danny Darwin Who's gone: RHP Jim Gott, C Mark Parent, C Don Slaught They'll win if: Uh...um...geez geez interj. Used to express mild surprise, delight, dissatisfaction, or annoyance. [Shortening and alteration of Jesus1.] ...well, maybe Jim Leyland can do something with them. They'll lose if: Something isn't done about the starting rotation, fast, right now and forever. Forecast: 64-98 EAST ATLANTA BRAVES Manager: Bobby Cox Last year: 90-54, 1st in NL East Who's new: OF Dwight Smith, OF Jerome Walton Who's gone: RHP Steve Bedrosian, OF Mike Kelly, LHP Kent Mercker They'll win if: The bus gets to the ballpark on time. The rest of the division isn't close, even if the Braves are World Series fat. They'll lose if: Down years in 1995 by David Justice, Fred McGriff and Marquis Grissom turn into career trends. Forecast: 98-64 FLORIDA MARLINS Manager: Rene Lachemann Last year: 67-76, 4th in NL East Who's new: RHP Kevin Brown, RHP Wilson Heredia, OF Devon White, OF Joe Orsulak Who's gone: RHP Bobby Witt, RHP Bryan Harvey, OF Nigel Wilson They'll win if: Newcomers Kevin Brown and Al Leiter hold up the rotation until Cuban Livan Hernandez arrives. They'll lose if: Gary Sheffield keeps running into the law, or if Terry Pendleton finally bumps into old age. Forecast: 85-77 NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of METSManager: Dallas Green Last year: 69-75, T2nd in NL East Who's new: OF Bernard Gilkey, OF Lance Johnson, RHP Derek Wallace, LHP Chris Nabholz Who's gone: OF Damon Buford, OF Joe Orsulak They'll win if: Right-handers Jason Isringhausen and Paul Wilson and left-hander Bill Pulsipher are wild-card-race ready, thoFugh none has seen his 25th birthday. They'll lose if: Shortstop Rey Ordonez turns out to be the next Bud Harrelson, rather than the next Ozzie Smith, as he has been touted. Forecast: 80-82 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES Manager: Jim Fregosi Last year: 69-75, T2nd in NL East Who's new: 3B Todd Zeile, INF Mike Benjamin, RHP Ken Ryan, Benito Santiago Who's gone: 3B Charlie Hayes, OF Andy Van Slyke Andrew James Van Slyke (born December 21, 1960, in Utica, New York) is a retired American Major League Baseball outfielder, and the current first base coach for the Detroit Tigers. , RHP Heathcliff Slocumb They'll win if: Benito Santiago is young again, Darren Daulton is young again, Lenny Dyksra is young again, Sid Fernandez is. . . They'll lose if: Daulton, at 34, can't play left field any better than Pete Incaviglia, at 24. Forecast: 74-88 MONTREAL EXPOS Manager: Felipe Alou Last year: 66-78, 5th in NL East Who's new: INF Dave Silvestri, LHP Rheal Cormier, RHP Dave Veres, INF Ryan McGuire Who's gone: LHP Butch Henry, INF Wil Cordero, INF Sean Berry, RHP Gil Heredia They'll win if: Baseball's salary cap and revenue sharing revenue sharing Funding arrangement in which one government unit grants a portion of its tax income to another government unit. For example, provinces or states may share revenue with local governments, or national governments may share revenue with provinces or states. arrive before payday. They'll lose if: That $15 million payroll is the start of a you-get-what-you-pay-for year. Forecast: 71-91 AL PREVIEWS WEST ANGELS Manager: Marcel Lachemann Last year: 78-67, 2nd in AL West Who's new: RHP Steve Ontiveros, INF Randy Velarde, LHP Joey Rosselli, RHP Bryan Harvey, RHP Jason Grimsley Who's gone: RHP Mike Harkey, C Greg Myers, INF Tony Phillips, INF Spike Owen, LHP Bob Patterson They'll win if: Tony Phillips wasn't as important to the offense as the entire organization agreed he was last season. They'll lose if: The starting pitchers get lazy with all of the run support, as appeared to happen last August. Forecast: 88-74 SEATTLE MARINERS Manager: Lou Piniella Last year: 79-66, 1st in AL West Who's new: OF Luis Polonia, 1B Paul Sorrento, INF Russ Davis, RHP Mike Jackson, LHP Sterling Hitchcock, RHP Mike Butcher Who's gone: OF Vince Coleman, 1B Tino MartineFz, 3B Mike Blowers, RHP Tim Belcher, RHP Andy Benes, RHP Jeff Nelson They'll win if: Their 1995 knockout of the Angels isn't undermined by the losses of cornermen Martinez and Blowers. They'll lose if: Ken Griffey Jr.'s presidential candidacy takes hold, and he names mouthy mouth·y adj. mouth·i·er, mouth·i·est 1. Annoyingly talkative. 2. Given to ranting or bombast. mouth Luis Polonia as his running mate. Forecast: 86-76 TEXAS RANGERS Manager: Johnny Oates Last year: 74-70, 3rd in AL West Who's new: RHP Ken Hill, OF Damon Buford, OF Darryl Hamilton, RHP Mike Henneman Who's gone: RHP Danny Darwin, RHP Roger McDowell, OF Otis Nixon, RHP Bob Tewksbury They'll win if: Three-through-six in the batting order - Will Clark, Juan Gonzalez, Dean Palmer and Mickey Tettleton - go for 110 homers and 350 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in . They'll lose if: Starter Ken Hill is called upon to stop losing streaks all season long. Forecast: 81-81 OAKLAND ATHLETICS Manager: Art Howe Last year: 67-77, 4th in AL West Who's new: OF Pedro Munoz, 1B Phil Plantier Who's gone: OF Rickey Henderson, OF Stan Javier, RHP Steve Ontiveros, RHP Todd Stottlemyre, IF Fausto Cruz, RHP Ramon Fermin They'll win if: Turn Back the Clock Day returns only to the early '90s. They'll lose if: Todd Van Poppel Todd Matthew Van Poppel (born December 9, 1971, in Hinsdale, Illinois) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Oakland Athletics (, -), Detroit Tigers (1996), Texas Rangers (, -), Pittsburgh Pirates (1998), Chicago Cubs (-), and Cincinnati Reds (2003-). shows any signs of being a major-league pitcher. But, at least it'll make the scouting department feel better. Forecast: 70-92 CENTRAL CLEVELAND INDIANS Manager: Mike Hargrove Last year: 100-44, 1st in AL Central Who's new: RHP Jack McDowell, INF Julio Franco Who's gone: RHP Ken Hill, 1B Paul Sorrento, OF Dave Winfield They'll win if: Albert Belle is allowed to play his game in a vacuum - no fans, no media, no pressure, no teammates, no trick-or-treaters, no Hannah Storm - but lots of cash. They'll lose if: Orel Hershiser and Dennis Martinez, thus far aging gracefully, break down. Forecast: 103-59 CHICAGO WHITE SOX The Chicago White Sox are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the White Sox have played in U.S. Manager: Terry Bevington Last year: 68-76, 3rd in AL CentraFl Who's new: OF Tony Phillips, OF Danny Tartabull, OF Darren Lewis, DH Harold Baines, RHP Kevin Tapani Who's gone: OF Lance Johnson, OF Tim Raines, LHP Scott Radinsky, C Mike LaValliere They'll win if: Every time they play the Indians, it happens to be at a time when Tony Phillips is not retired. They'll lose if: None of Harold Baines, Danny Tartabull and Robin Ventura is enough to convince opponents to pitch to Frank Thomas. Forecast: 87-75 MINNESOTA TWINS Manager: Tom Kelly Last year: 56-88, 5th in AL Central Who's new: OF Roberto Kelly, DH Paul Molitor, C Greg Myers Who's gone: RHP Scott Erickson, 3B Scott Leius, OF Pedro Munoz They'll win if: Class acts Paul Molitor and Kirby Puckett have just enough left to overcome what is among the worst pitching staffs in the league. They'll lose if: Rick Aguilera, a starter turned closer turned starter again, is neither come July. Forecast: 73-89 KANSAS CITY ROYALS The Kansas City Royals are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium. Manager: Bob Boone Last year: 70-74, 2nd in AL Central Who's new: RHP Tim Belcher, C Mike Macfarlane, SS Jose Offerman, 2B Bip Roberts Who's gone: 3B Gary Gaetti, SS Greg Gagne, 1B Wally Joyner, C Brent Mayne, RHP Gregg Olson They'll win if: The best player in the organization isn't still a guy named George Brett. They'll lose if: An infield of, from left to right, Keith Lockhart, Jose Offerman, Bip Roberts and Bob Hamelin, is even close to being as bad as it sounds. Forecast: 72-90 MILWAUKEE BREWERS Manager: Phil Garner Last year: 65-79, 4th in AL Central Who's new: OF Chuck Carr, RHP Ben McDonald, C Matt Nokes Who's gone: OF Darryl Hamilton, C Joe Oliver, INF B.J. Surhoff, RHP Bill Wegman They'll win if: They can pry winning seasons from two or three starters, which would be two or three more than they had last season. They'll lose if: Phil Garner's scrap turns from iron to heap before the season is half through. Forecast: 70-92 EAST BALTIMORE ORIOLES Manager: Davey Johnson Last year: 71-73, 3rd in AL East Who's new: 2B Roberto Alomar, OF Mike Devereaux, LHP Kent Mercker, LHP Randy Myers, LHP David Wells, Roger McDowell Who's gone: RHP Kevin Brown, RHP Doug Jones, RHP Ben McDonald They'll win if: Brady Anderson and Alomar each score 110 runs, a sure sign that Rafael Palmeiro and Bobby Bonilla have some O left for the Orioles. They'll lose if: Mercker - the ``and one'' part of the Braves' Fab Four and one rotation - was better off at the end of a rotation than in the middle of it. Forecast: 94-68 NEW YORK YANKEES  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. Manager: Joe Torre Last year: 79-65, 2nd in AL East Who's new: 1B Tino Martinez, RHP Jeff Nelson, OF Tim Raines, LHP Kenny Rogers, RHP Dwight Gooden Who's gone: INF Russ Davis, 1B Don Mattingly, RHP Jack McDowell, OF Darryl Strawberry, INF Randy Velarde They'll win if: Jimmy Key's shoulder mends quickly enough to join the rotation before David Cone's gives out. They'll lose if: George Steinbrenner decides June 1 is a bad time to be 1-1/2 games out of first. Forecast: 90-72 BOSTON RED SOX The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox are a member and currently champions of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. From to the present, the Red Sox have played in Fenway Park. Manager: Kevin Kennedy Last year: 86-58, 1st in AL East Who's new: 2B Wil Cordero, RHP Tom Gordon, RHP Heathcliff Slocumb, C Mike Stanley, DH Kevin Mitchell Who's gone: RHP Rick Aguilera, OF Willie McGee, RHP Ken Ryan, OF Mark Whiten, OF Lee Tinsley They'll win if: Roger Clemens wins 20 games. It would be his first such season since 1990. They'll lose if: Jose Canseco plays more than 50 games in right field. The Red Sox were the league's worst fielding team last season, and that won't help. Forecast: 89-73 DETROIT TIGERS Manager: Buddy Bell Last year: 60-84, 4th in AL East Who's new: C Mark Parent, INF Mark Lewis, OF Melvin Nieves, IF Fausto Cruz, RHP Ramon Fermin, RHP Richie Lewis Who's gone: OF Milt Cuyler, INF Scott Fletcher, RHFP Mike Henneman, RHP Mike Moore, INF Lou Whitaker, OF Todd Steverson, RHP Sean Bergman, OF Phil Plantier They'll win if: General manager Randy Smith can stay patient, rebuild the farm system, draft wisely. Oh, this year. Never mind. They'll lose if: Everyone plays within themselves, one game at a time, and gives 110 percent. Forecast: 69-93 TORONTO BLUE JAYS "Blue Jays" redirects here. For other uses, see Blue Jay (disambiguation).. The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Manager: Cito Gaston Last year: 56-88, 5th in AL East Who's new: RHP Erik Hanson, OF Otis Nixon, C Charlie O'Brien, RHP Bill Risley Who's gone: 2B Roberto Alomar, LHP Al Leiter, DH Paul Molitor, RHP Duane Ward, OF Devon White They'll win if: Juan Guzman looks anything like the pitcher he did a few years ago. Of course, that would just be a start. They'll lose if: Joe Carter is too old, Alex Gonzalez too young, Otis Nixon too old, Carlos Delgado too young. Forecast: 62-100 CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, Chart, Box Photo: (1) San Francisco's Barry Bonds (2) M innesota's Kirby Puckett (3) Baltimore's Cal Ripken, Jr., left, and Roberto Alomar. Chart: ON THE MOVE Box: ON THE AIR |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion