Nixon: "if you look at the Red Sox, how many pennants have they won since 1918? I can think of 46, 67, 75, and 86 off the top of my head. And then the near misses in 78 and 03. So they've had 6 teams really close to winning the World Series. How many teams did OSU have between 68-02 that came close to winning the national title?"
You can't compare a streak from 1968 to 2002 with a streak that dates back to 1918. The Buckeyes streak was long, but it was nothing like that: my Grandfather wasn't even born the last time the Red Sox won it all. It was before there were even RADIO telecasts of the World Series ... forget about TV, Cable, Internet, or HDTV. Now that's a looooooooong time. And it all coincides with the worst transaction in the history of sports.
As for my National League Picks:
NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Florida Marlins
3. Atlanta Braves
4. New York Mets
5. Montreal Expos
Quick take: It'll be a tight race between the Phils and Fish. The Marlins lost some quality players, but the core and most important pieces of their championship club remain - and they get A.J. Burnett back this year. Josh Beckett is a horse, Mike Lowell will produce, their top 2 will always get on base, and Miguel Cabrera is the best young player in the N.L. The Phils will win out on the strength of the new ballpark, and no more Joe Table (as Indians fans can attest to). The Mets will improve, and the Expos will take a nose dive.
NL Central
1. Houston Astros
2. Chicago Cubs (Wild Card)
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Milwaukee Brewers
Quick take: The best and worst division in baseball, all at the same time. Other than the Detroit Tigers, this division boasts three of the worst four teams in baseball: the Reds, Brewers, & Pirates will duke it out for the bottom all season long. No one will touch the second place team in this division for the N.L. Wild Card: the 'Stros & SCrubs each have 57 games against those 3 clubs. Look for a great Cy Young race between Oswalt, Clemens, Pettite, Wood, and Prior padding their Wins and K's against those teams too.
NL West
1. San Francisco Giants
2. San Diego Padres
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Colorado Rockies
Quick take: Maybe the toughest division to pick of all time. I take the Giants because they have Bonds, and because they've won the division so much over the past few years.
NLCS: Houston Astros over S.F. Giants in 4, Cubs over Phillies in 5.
NLDS: Houston over Chicago in 6.
World Series: Yankees over Houston in 6.
A.L. Batting Champ: Derek Jeter, New York - always finishes near the top, but never has been # 1. Will do the deed this year with A-Rod, Giambi, Sheffield, and three other All-Stars in this Line-up batting behind him.
N.L. Batting Champ: Albert Puljos, St. Louis - A hitting machine.
Home Run Champ: Bonds, Barry Bonds (47). Still the greatest offensive player the game has seen in a very, very long time.
A.L. Cy Young: Barry Zito, Oakland - will have a monster comeback year.
N.L. Cy Young: Josh Beckett, Florida - has "man amongst boys" stuff.
A.L. MVP: Carlos Delgado, Toronto
N.L. MVP: Sammy Sosa, Chicago