Fantasy

D:
Alexander
Brady
Cadillac
TO
Antonio Gates
Julius Jones
Mushin
Eli
BAL D
Stover
V. Davis
Housmadzahe

A:
Larry J
Lamont
Larry Fitz
Marvin H.
Matt Hasselbeck
Jason Witten
K Jones
JAC Def
Terry Glenn
Bledsoe
F. Gore
Tynes

N:
LT
Portis
Steve Smith
Santana
Shockey
Hines
CAR Defense
Culpepper
B. Westbrook
Vinatieri
Bulger
Rhodes

Jo:
Edge
Rudi
Chad Johnson
Chambers
Warner
Cooley
Reg Wayne
TB Def
Chester
Delhomme
S. Graham
Mason

K:
Peyton
Tiki
Torry Holt
McGahhee
Roy Williams
Heap
CHI Def
Plexiglass
Warrick Dunn
Neil Rackers
Vick
Crumpler

Ji:
Ronnie Brown
S. Jackson
Randy Moss
Boldin
Carson P
Tony G
SEA Def
Willie Parker
D Jack
Donovan
Akers
Indy Def

Changing Status

Throughout most of the season, the conventional wisdom was that there were two teams in the National League that shined brightest above everyone else, the Mets and the Cardinals. Well, it was half right. The Mets have continued their domination of their division, but the Cardinals have been exposed as a team with aging players and a lack of depth. In to replace them as the National League's clear number 2 team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. After GM Ned Colletti pulled off some great trades at the July 31 non-waiver deadline, the Dodgers have leapfrogged ahead of their NL West competition to take solid lead in that division.

The Dodgers have the deepest squad in the National League, which has become particularly evident as Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent have returned from the disabled list. They really have no weaknesses in their bench, with is something that few other teams can say. Even the Mets have given at bats to guys like Chris Woodward, and the rest of the National League is even worse. The Cardinals, one of the only other teams consistently over .500, have terrible offense from catchers Yadier Molina and Gary Bennett and no power out of reserve outfielder So Taguchi. David Eckstein may be a player you love to root for because of his small stature, but his offensive production compared to that of Jose Reyes and Rafael Furcal. The Mets and Dodgers have solid lineups all the way through, while the Cardinals are reliant on Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen to pick up the offensive slack.

Starting rotations provide an even starker image of how the Dodgers outclass St. Louis. The Cardinals give starts to Jeff Weaver (who is actually pitching worse in St. Louis then he did for the Angels, if that's possible) and Jason Marquis is nearly as bad, with an ERA in the upper 5's. To make matters worse, Jeff Suppan, who has fallen off his consistent track that he'd established in the previous three seasons. Now, Mark Mulder is on the disabled list. In most years, that would be a relief for Cardinal/A's fans. But not this year. Before he went on the DL, Mulder had an ERA over 6 and a WHIP not much better. That leaves the Cardinals going into the playoffs with only ace Chris Carpenter as a playoff-quality starter. Anthony Reyes started off the season well but has faltered lately.

In contrast, the Dodgers have proven veterans in Derek Lowe and Brad Penny who are having good seasons, a completely rejuvenated Greg Maddux, a rookie in Chad Billingsley who has put together 4 straight outings of giving up fewer than two runs, and Mark Hendrickson, who is good for a 5th starter and would be the 2nd best guy on the Cardinals staff, which says something about St. Louis' troubles.

The Dodgers also have a good bullpen, and while Jason Isringhausen has righted himself after a sluggish start, the Cardinals pen is nothing to brag about.

Expect a Mets/Dodgers NLCS, and don't be surprised if the Dodgers give the Mets a run for their money in that series.

Two Months To Go: AL East

The homestretch begins now. Each team in contention has had a chance to improve, and now that we see which teams did so, and which teams stood pat, it is time to forcast how the rest of the season will play out.

The Yankees recently leapfrogged into first place, overtaking Boston. I see no reason why the Yankees will relinquish that lead. Both teams have questionable starting staffs, with guys like Cory Lidle and Jason Johnson set to get the ball every fifth day. However, the moves the Yankees made will propel them over Boston. Craig Wilson is a vast improvement over Andy Philips at first base, and even though Philips will recieve some at bats, any way to get a guy with a .679 OPS not playing first base on a regular basis is a positive development. While Cory Lidle bombed the last time he played in the American League, at least he is not Sidney Ponson. The Yankees rotation is at the very least stable, which cannot be said for that of the Red Sox.

The Red Sox were unable to pull off a deal at the deadline, reportedly because they were reluctant to trade valued prospects. While that may be well and good, Boston is in deep trouble with their starting staff. Tim Wakefield's return can't be soon enough for a team that features Johnson and David Wells in the rotation. The bullpen could also have used help, as it is nowhere as deep as that of the Yankees. Admittedly the Red Sox currently have many pitchers on the DL, but Keith Foulke and Wakefield are really the only ones who figure to help the team, and Foulke far from what he was in 2004. The Red Sox are in even worse shape now that Jason Varitek is out for over a month. Although he was having a down season, he is far better then Doug Mirabelli, who is best suited as a catcher for Wakefield, and not an everyday player.

Toronto also failed to make a move at the deadline. They were expected to be major players for Julio Lugo, but watched as he went to the Dodgers, leaving them with a middle infield of John McDonald and Aaron Hill. Furthermore, they lost Shea Hillenbrand without recieving any replacement in the lineup. However, their offense is the least of their problems. The back end of the rotation is a mess, although getting Gustavo Chacin back should alleviate some of that. Roy Halladay may be the best starter in the league not pitching for Minnesota, but the rest of the rotation is painfully average, including $11 million A.J. Burnett. The Blue Jays were able to add Jeremy Accardo in getting rid of Hillenbrand, helping to solidify the bullpen, but the Yankees still have the top pen in this race.

The Yankees made vast improvements to their pitching staff and lineup. Bobby Abreu and Craig Wilson will help save Yankee fans from seeing Bobby Crosby and Andy Philips regularly in the lineup, making an already imposing offense even better.

Boston is facing serious trouble with injuries, and Toronto, which was looking in from the start, failed to make the deal that would put them in serious contention.

So here's how I think it will play out in the end:

1. New York (99-63)
2. Boston (94-68)
3. Toronto (85-77)