General: Sterno's Talkin' Smack -- Episode #21

Sterno's Talkin' smack. No holding back here. It's all trash, all the time. Welcome to the Friday morning edition.

Today's edition is dedicated to the American League and the second half of the Major League Baseball season. Who will make the biggest move? Who will drop off? Who will get smacked?

Smack This: The American League -- The first half in the American League had some things we are used to seeing and some things we certainly are not. The question now is what the second half hold for the league that would now host a game seven in the World Series.

Let's start with the obvious on the short end of the stick. The Kansas City Royals have done a nice job. Nobody, not even the most loyal of Kansas City fans, thought that Mike Sweeney and company would make the kind of move they have up to the All-Star break.

Well, remember that group Crowded House? "Hey now, hey now, don't dream it's over!" It is over for the boys from KC! I mean come on now, Jose Lima is their ace on the staff? Are you kidding me? You and I can hit Jose Lima. I don't come close to buying his four or five starts that he has had since returning to the majors. Not in the least.

The lineup is nice, but nice won't beat the Yankees. I look for the Royals to drop off during the last two months of the season. With a month long run of their own, the Minnesota Twins will win this division. Mark it down. Go to Vegas. Do whatever you want. The Twins will go back to the playoffs. The addition of Shannon Stewart this past week will help by moving Jacque Jones down to more of a power spot in the order. I think that helps the "Twinkies" out.

Every day Eddie Guardado has been anything but spectacular, including in his brief All-Star appearance, but I like what I see with the Twins bullpen as a whole down the stretch.

In the West, the Mariners and A's will go down to the wire. I look at a couple of things here. Does it really matter whether or not the Mariners win every game from here on out? I really don't think so. I have seen them come to the front of the pack before only to cower to the Yankees in the postseason. If your memory escapes you, ask Arthur Rhodes about it!

I like Oakland. I think they will have a great shot at the Wildcard. I just don't know if they have enough hitting. Miguel Tejada can't seem to find the stroke and it is a big problem for Ken Macha's boys. If the A's can hit, they can make a good run at the playoffs, I just think the Boston Red Sox are a little better this year. I am going to pick the A's to come up just short.

Let's talk about the Sox, shall we? Their lineup is potent. Across the board they are all professional hitters, and the team reminds me of the Angels of last year when they come to the plate. There are however two lingering questions that will inevitably put them in a fight for the Wildcard and only the wildcard.

The first question is whether or not their bullpen led by Mr. Kim can shut the opposing team down in crunch time. I think Boston knows that it is imperative that they grab a late inning pitcher before the trade deadline. While the Yankees picked up Armando Benitez which we will talk about later, do not be surprised if the Sox also talk to the Mets. This time about right handed reliever David Weathers. I think he can help them out.

The other question however has a resounding no. Can they break the curse? Can they climb the mountain? Can they beat the Yankees? "Survey says," no they cannot. I think they will make the playoffs but in my opinion and that is all that counts here, they are not nearly as good as the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees own the Red Sox. Let's face it, every year it is the same sob story from Boston fans. "We were so close! So close, but so far away!" Man, I love using music as my way to communicate. Okay, I'll snap out of it now.

This year the story will be a bit different. No, the Red Sox will not beat the Yankees. I am picking the Yankees to run away with this division. Yes, I mean runaway to the tune of at least ten games. I just think that the Yanks are ready to have a monster second half.

I already told you that I hate the Benitez move and that I think he will screw things up in the Bronx before to long. However, as crappy as he is, he isn't bad enough to take away what the rest of the team can do. I just can easily see Giambi going on a tear, Jeter getting back on track, and Roger Clemens giving it one more fantastic home stretch.

So, the Yankees, Twins, Red Sox, and Mariners. The rest is easy folks. The Mariners and Red Sox are out of it because mentally they can't see themselves beating the Yankees let alone actually doing it. The Twins? Yeah right. I like Minnesota and their spunky way of playing the game but there will not be a sequel to last year's surprise.

The Yankees will go to the World Series, beating the Mariners in six games to get there. Mark it down. Go to Vegas. You know the rest.

The Yankees' Competition -- Smacked!!!

One for the Road: On the award front here's what I see. The Cy Young award this year will go to Roy Halladay of the Jays who will win twenty games. The AL Rookie of the Year will be Hideki Matsui if he's eligible. I'm not sure on that considering he really has been playing for ten plus years. Finally, the MVP award will go to Bret Boone. The Mariners will amass just to good of a record to pass him up.

Stay tuned next Friday for the National League prediction, with the World Series prediction to follow.

Hit me up with feedback at eSports (click the Write the Editor link) or on my homepage at http://www.suite101.com/myhome.cfm/theycallmethecloser.

I'll see you all on Monday morning with those long awaited "Smack Stats." Til' then, DON'T be the one who's smacked!