First place fixing on Fourth of July

 
It’s the Fourth of July Friday, and one of the oldest baseball adages is that the teams in first place now will be the teams in first place come the end of the season. But, of course, of the six division leaders last year, only three held on to finish first. The Mets, Brewers and Padres all crumbled down the stretch. If I’ve got to pick three this year to not be leading at the end, the first would be the Rays - for all their talent, I still believe that the bullpen won’t hold up. (But for all those Rays fans out there who see me as the No. 1 naysayer and idiot with his head stuck in 2005, let me say this: If the Rays make the playoffs, they’re going to make some noise.) The other team I really believe won’t win its division is the Angels, who are about seven games better than their record should be based on their runs scored and runs allowed. The Angels did just take two of three from the A’s in Anaheim, but I think Oakland will continue to improve in the ... [link]

Tags:

Related Stories
1

Newark Bears Sign Alex Sanchez

The Newark Bears have signed former Major League outfielder Alex Sanchez. Sanchez has played parts of five seasons with the Brewers, Tigers, Devil Rays and Giants.
3

[RAYSHEAD ARMY] Sweep Caroline...Good Times Never Felt So Good

Surviving Grady is not very happy about the use of "Sweet Caroline" after the final out was recorded last night, as that is the same song used during the 8th inning at Fenway Park. But instead of just taking the high road, letting your performance on ...
5

ESPN.com - Deadline deals don't match the hype

GOOFINESS OF THE WEEK• Don't spell this at home : The San Jose Mercury News' always-inventive Andy Baggarly reports that just because Omar Vizquel has won 11 Gold Gloves, doesn't mean he's a household name in his own glove company's household. The ...
3

Latest On C.C. Sabathia

The latest on the C.C. Sabathia Sweepstakes... Indians GM Mark Shapiro said yesterday "it's pretty obvious" that his team is in sell mode.  There's no new information on the team's reported attempt to sign Sabathia to an extension ...
1

Joe Maddon a Victim of Identity Theft

Now that the Rays have the best record in baseball and just swept the Red Sox this week, everybody in the world is suddenly a Rays fan. There are actually other people besides Dick Vitale showing up at Rays games on a regular basis, and they aren't ...
Related Blog Posts
BBTF's Baseball Primer NewsblogMLB.com: Bartlett on DL with right knee sprain
A day after playing a significant role in the Rays’ 7-6 Wednesday night win over the Red Sox, shortstop Jason Bartlett was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right knee sprain on Thursday. To take Bartlett’s place, the Rays recalled ...
Athletics NationOpen Thread: Game 85 - A's at White Sox
Coming off two unpleasant losses to the Angels, both games largely the result of a shaky bullpen, the best solution for a rebound would be for the A's to trot out their best pitcher this season, a one-time reliever himself, who is now sporting a ...
Foul BallsJoe Maddon a Victim of Identity Theft
Now that the Rays have the best record in baseball and just swept the Red Sox this week, everybody in the world is suddenly a Rays fan. There are actually other people besides Dick Vitale showing up at Rays games on a regular basis, and they aren't ...
Baseball ProspectusProspectus Preview: Friday`s Games to Watch by Caleb Peiffer
A clash between old friends in Chicago, double-edged action in Busch, and a wee bit of history in the Bronx.
Baseball ProspectusProspectus Hit List: Rays-ing the Bar by Marc Normandin
Paging George III Is the world turned upside down, or who is that atop this week`s Hit List?
Related News Articles
1st-place Rays turn AL East upside down (AP)
Pennant fever is alive in the oddest of places. Ticket lines are longer, television ratings are rising and the young, budget-minded Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the AL East, looking down on the big-spending Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. ...
First-place Tampa Bay turns AL East upside down
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Pennant fever is alive in the oddest of places.Ticket lines are lon...
Sore knee lands Rays SS Bartlett on DL
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Rays placed shortstop Jason Bartlett on the 15-day disabl...
Duchscherer, dingers deal A's a win
Jack Cust and backup Donnie Murphy each homered to support another strong outing by Justin Duchscherer, which came in the Athletics' 3-2 victory over the White Sox on Thursday.
White Sox's winning streak ends at 7 games
Vazquez goes the distance, but lack of clutch-hitting fails him > The A's beat the Sox 3-2, snapping the Sox's seven-game win streak. Javier Vazquez took ...