Boycott over, on with the picks

I thought I'd have to boycott posting as a sort of sympathy strike for the Red Sox, but the coaches will be paid, the team is headed to Japan and everyone is as happy as the monkeys Kris and Anna Benson just bought.

So, on with the picks. Today it's Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump, the creator of Only Time Will Tell. {Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump is still in denial that his team is now called the Nationals}:

NL East: Expos
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: D'backs
NL Wild Card: Mets

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: M's
AL Wild Card: Yankees

World Series: Tigers over D'backs 4-2

AL MVP: Grady Sizemore, Indians
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Tigers
AL ROY: Joba Chamberlain, Yankees

NL MVP: Jose Reyes, Mets
NL Cy Young: Dan Haren, D'backs
NL ROY: Clayton Kershaw , Dodgers

First manager fired: Willie Randolph, Mets start the season 4-11 and Willie is looking for a job.
First team with a player suspended for drugs: "I'm not here to talk about the past."
Next team to be rumored to sign Bonds or Clemens: Newark Bears

My NL East prediction is correct because: Youppi endorses the hard hitting lineup of Milledge, Dukes and Young. They will do a lot of damage both on and off the field.

Tomorrow: We'll change back to the Phillies perspective with Brian.

(s)He's coming ...

Camps for the Sox and Phils have been relatively quiet save for Curt's injury and the speculation over Ryan Howard's contract.

We could, however, see a shakeup soon as Kris Bensen is supposed to arrive today. Todd Zolecki has no word whether Anna is coming with him.

The big stories of the day include a puff piece on Tim Wakefield, noting how his two selfless acts - sacrificing an ALCS start to save the bullpen in '04 and giving up a spot on the World Series roster in '07 because of uncertain health - helped win championships. We also get a brief Phils connection with former Sox manager and current Phillies bench coach Jimy Williams.

I've always felt like the team came first. I remember Jimy Williams telling me one time, 'Wake, when you finally leave this game, the only thing you're going to take with you is your reputation.' It makes a lot of sense. The numbers aren't going to mean anything.

The thing that I want to take away from this game when I do leave, whenever that may be, is, was I a good teammate? I think that's the most important thing to me. Was I a good teammate? Was I helpful to the young kids? Was I a leader as a veteran? Things like that. Those are important to me.

Over in Clearwater, Ryan Howard didn't get to host his press conference, but he still spoke, saying all the right things.

I'm focused on trying to come out here and get better and get ready for the season. All the other stuff, all the outside stuff, that's outside. I'm here. I'm working. I'm going to try to be the best I can for the team.

It's nice that our players don't have to be answering for the actions of their teammates.

Oops: The little Benson blurb notes how Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder are bad fielders. In my Baseball Mogul game (haven't played much lately) I did sign Fielder to bring some youth and right-hand balance to the Utley-Howard heart of the order. But Fielder's a lefty - guess I have the picture of his dad engrained in my memory. Oh well, we'll roll with the three stud lefties, then see if we can get a good righty for Howard next year.

Pitchers: Good, bad & ugly

So the battle to be the caboose of the Phils starting rotation is starting to shape up. It looks like the bane of last year's pitching staff, Adam Eaton, the $7 million man, will get the first shot.

He's not exactly instilling confidence that he'll be better or that he understands how bad last year was for him.

"I think we're all pitching for a job to some degree. I think they're making the pitching staff as strong as they can. Last year, we had six starters, and it turned out we had injuries. They learned. We all learned. Pitching depth is a factor in getting to the postseason. I think I'm a part of that factor. I'm going to go out and do my job."

Yeah, he's going to be a factor. One of six. Hopefully we've seen his worst.

"Last year was my worst year as a baseball player, so I'd like to forget it and move on. But obviously, you need to learn from your failures and need to correct some things and move forward."

If he falters again, the newest Phil, Kris Benson, should be ready to replace him midseason, which means, assuming he's fully healed from that little rotator cuff surgery, we'll see a league-average pitcher replacing a poor one.

Let's hope Cole Hamels can stay healthy (he promises he will) so these two dregs aren't called upon to be anything more than the fifth starter.

Benson's arrival, with his wife Anna, will be interesting. Among the other traits she brings to Philly, Anna doesn't like PETA. It'll be fun to see how she fits in with a decidedly pro-animal environment. Consider:

-- Mrs. Utley volunteers with the SPCA and rescues abused and maimed animals.
-- Pat Burrell has a bull dog named Elvis. Every year he dresses Elvis in a jersey and trots him out on the field for father-child day.
-- J-Roll has a couple of dogs too.

So if Jen Utley runs the Bensons out of town and Adam Eaton remains Adam Eaton, the Phils could need another starter.

I hear that Roidger Clemens could be available - he's sworn to Congress he didn't do roids so that should settle that. Jeez, give the guy a break, he wore "USA" across his chest for the country. That little conversation Andy Pettitte "misremembered" was really a show Clemens watched about some old guys taking HGH.

MSNBC's post-game summed it up well. Actually, all the pregame this week also said the same thing: "We learned nothing new. Clearly, one of these men is lying."