Well, let's see. Could we see Boston versus the Cubbies in the world series this year? Could happen if the season were over today. The sox are tied with Toronto in the AL East, and the Cubbies are ahead in the NL Central.

A further look around find the surprising Twins, making like the White Sox of last year, coming out of nowhere to lead the pack in the AL Central. Good young team there that could surprise for the rest of the year.

And howabout those Dodgers and Phillies? LA has weathered incredible criticism the last few years with a bloated payroll and little success. Could this be the year? And the Phillies? Only in baseball in the begginning months. The Mariners lost Griffey and Rodriquez and they just continue to get better, with a monster start. What is going on here in baseball? Parity?

It is a good time for dreamers of teams that have offered more despair than hope the last few years.

-- Enlightenment (Goone@away.now), May 02, 2001

Answers

If the Card's pitching stops being so erratic, they could contend. Often they seem to lose by ten or so, and win by that amount the following day.

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), May 02, 2001.

Baseball is broken. It's the 1930's revisited. Only paying for tickets necessitates applying for a home equity loan. Even with the influx of highly skilled Latino ballplayers, the over all talent pool is watered down (see also: Pro Hockey). The talent gap between the best 100 players and the worst 100 is appallingly large.

Whatever happened to Hack Wilson?

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), May 02, 2001.