TEXAS RANGERS '08: FIGURING OUT WHO FITS IN 2009
One year ago yesterday, in the 2007 Texas Rangers preview (entitled Anything Can Happen), we presented an interview with "the Rangers fan," Jamey Newberg, who we called (and rightfully so) "the man who has probably written and published more words about that team than anyone else in the Internet age."

Okay, enough of the pleasant reminiscing. In that preview, Newberg laid out a prediction of 86 wins for those 2007 Rangers; they actually won just 75. (But don't worry, Jamey -- in the very next paragraph, I projected 92 wins and a Wild Card playoff berth.) When Newberg projected an "impact trade in July" last season, he probably wasn't anticipating Kenny Lofton to the Indians and Eric Gagne to the Red Sox, much less Mark Teixeira, the most productive hitter in the Ranger lineup, to Atlanta. (The Projected Ranger Win Total numbers from both of us are likely to be, erm, lower this year.)

But as Blue Jays fans Of a Certain Age can assure you, hope springs eternal every -- um, well, every spring for baseball fans of all teams, so let's check back in with our old pal Jamey (yes, he does have a member's account here at Batter's Box). So once again, this'll be like the Internet equivalent of talking baseball with a buddy over a beer or two – a Molson in the one hand and a Dos Equis in the other. Let's get to it ...

Every year in this space, I write a Cincinnati Reds preview that is wildly incorrect -- when I predict a World Seris appearance, the Red Legs tank; if I foresee gloom and doom, they at least hang around on the peripherals of a pennant race far longer than one might suppose.

So in this fourth annual edition of "The Hunt for a Reds October," let's dig back into the annals of Red Leg lore and "bottom line" it; by comparing the projected 2008 edition of the Reds with their most successful forebears -- the last Reds team to win a title (1990) and the greatest team in franchise history (1975) we can at least more accurately (one would surmise) project whether or not there is a glimmer of hope for the glint of a World Series trophy shining over the Queen City in 2008. Let's see ...

After 99 years of futility, the Cubs seem to be getting serious. They've returned the entire core of last year's division champ, and added a handful of fresh bats to improve upon a respectable offense. Their pitching staff, which finished second in the senior circuit in ERA, remains intact. And the NL Central is awful.

The stars have aligned.

Could this finally be the year?

As promised, the American League!

I must confess - most of the recent action on this front, with teams struggling to reach .500 all-time, has occurred in the National League (Astros, Diamondbacks, Braves in particular.) We reprint the original team write-ups and update the AL numbers for the sake of completeness.

Way back in June 2006, I got interested in all-time franchise records. As I wrote at the time:

...here's a review of all-time franchise records, and if they're currently above .500, I want to find the moment when they climbed that mountain for keeps. And vice versa. There is the problem of franchises that have moved - I'm going to saddle them with their entire history.

I did a bit of research, had a lot of fun, and posted what I learned for the National League and the American League. And I provided an update after the 2006 season. And because there are a few teams hovering near the .500 mark even as we speak, I thought it was time to do it all again. Maybe it'll become an annual thing!

BJ Ryan returned to action today.  He pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two and inducing a ground ball.

Can't ask for more than that.

Ah the Astros. The team that once had the Ryan Express, Mike Scott, Killer-B’s, Terry Puhl (formerly the best hitter Canada produced), Jose Cruz Sr, J.R. Richard, Roger Clemens, Joe Niekro, Billy Wagner, and Joe Morgan. So, where are they today, just 2 full seasons away from their only World Series appearance? Dropping and dropping fast but with some kids in the outfield and catching who give you hope.

“We’re the team to beat…”
   -Jimmy Rollins, Spring 2007

Good call. But now, with no further ado, let me turn over the Progosticator's Poncho to a Special Guest.

Pinch-hitting, Mr Liam McIlroy. Take it away....

Team Canada has made it into the Olympics!  Billy Crystal leads off for Yanks!  Schilling on 60 day DL!  Padres in China!  Lots of !!!!

Janssen is going under the knife and is gone for the year.

Do you believe in miracles?

The Jays have signed former Oriole, Met, Yankee, Mariner, Marlin and Giant reliever Armando "Suitcase" Benitez to a minor league contract as insurance for Casey Janssen coming down with a sore shoulder.

You know a team is bad when you talk about how many games they've lost as opposed to how many games they've won – for example, a team that goes 62-100 doesn't win 62 games, they lose 100. Such is the case of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have endured one of the longest stretches of futility in baseball history. Last year the Pirates posted their best record in three years by "only" losing 94 games, which is an achievement of sorts I suppose. In both 2005 and 2006 the Bucs went 67-95, and you have to go back to when Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister (or George Bush Sr. was President) to find the last Pirates team with a winning record. The Pirates have finished below .500 every year since 1993, and this season threaten to tie the Phillies for the longest consecutive stretch of losing seasons in baseball history at 16. Can they avoid this ignominy? Probably not, but we'll take a gander anyway. You might not want to keep going if you are prone to queasiness though – this gets ugly.

Another one of those little rites of Spring; the Vegas Over/Under lines for the year.

Nah. Not the Braves. Their time has surely passed. After all, they're heading into 2008 with two 40 year old starting pitchers. When was the last time a team won a championship with two such elderly folks in the rotation?

It was 2007?

Not quite as long ago as I was expecting. Maybe we still have to take this outfit seriously.