Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
April 2, 2004, Washington Post

Let the Games Begin

Baseball has begun. Already, the season has had some surprises. First, the season started . . . in Japan! That's right, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays played two games in the Land of the Rising Sun. The Devil Rays even won a game! And Opening Day for the Baltimore Orioles is going to be Sunday night.

So this season promises to be unpredictable. Let's take a look at some of the big questions as the games get underway.

Can anybody beat the Yankees? The Yanks grabbed more star players than usual this offseason. Pitchers Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez. Slugger Gary Sheffield. And maybe the best player in the game today, Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez. The Yanks look stacked with an all-star at almost every position. But the Yanks were loaded the last two years and still did not win it all. There is no guarantee that New York will be any better this year.

Can A-Rod play third base? The Yankees have moved Rodriguez from shortstop to third base. My guess is that he will do just fine at the hot corner. But the Yanks are nuts to play Derek Jeter, who is a terrific hitter but a poor fielder, in front of A-Rod, a Gold Glove shortstop. Jeter is supposed to be the Yankees' captain. He would be a real team leader if he suggested that the better fielder (A-Rod) start at short.

Could the Chicago Cubs meet the Boston Red Sox in the World Series? A World Series between these hard-luck teams would fulfill many baseball fans' biggest dream. It almost happened last October. This year, the Cubs have super starting pitching after signing former Atlanta Braves ace Greg Maddux. The Sox' pitching is almost as good after getting big-game starter Curt Schilling and closer Keith Foulke. Who knows? If everyone stays healthy and the Cubs and Sox get a little good luck (instead of their usual bad luck), that Cubs-Red Sox World Series dream could come true.

Any new stars? Keep an eye out for three new names. The New York Mets signed Japanese superstar Kazuo Matsui to play shortstop. If he is as good as Japanese players Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui, Kaz will be terrific. The Minnesota Twins traded an all-star catcher (A.J. Pierzynski) to make room for 20-year-old phenom Joe Mauer. He must be something special. And the pitching-rich Oakland A's have another stud starter in fireballing Rich Harden.

How about the Orioles? The O's should be better. They will certainly score more runs with proven sluggers Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez and Rafael Palmeiro. The key to the season will be whether young pitchers Kurt Ainsworth, Matt Riley and Eric DuBose can get anybody out. If they can, the Orioles might have their first winning season since 1997.

What teams will make the playoffs? More than half the teams have a real shot at making the playoffs this year. So picking the eight best will be real tough. But here goes:

American League -- Division winners: Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Anaheim Angels. Wild card: Toronto Blue Jays.

National League -- Division winners: Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Wild card: Philadelphia Phillies.

I know what you are thinking. No New York Yankees in the playoffs? Am I crazy?

No, just a Red Sox fan.

Play ball!