Let me just start by saying I think “Hasan the Little Bitch” is an asshole. Now that we got that out of the way, I think you can guess how I feel about Democrats appearing on his show. I do not believe America deserved 9/11, I do not think the state of Israel should be disbanded, and I have no interest in this loser’s “outreach to masculinity.” There, all done.
Now that I’ve buried the point, let’s get to it- of course the Democrats are screwing up their handling of him. The electorate is locked in right now on things that matter to them- health insurance prices, gas prices, housing prices, personal debt, and things that impact them every day. 95% of the electorate doesn’t know who Piker is or care very much about his Gaza fetish. Even some of the 5% lack very deep thoughts on these matters. Piker has 3 million Twitch followers and 1.7 million YouTube followers, which combined together don’t quite reach 3% of a Presidential electorate, assuming there isn’t any overlap. Until people started arguing about him on Twitter, I had no idea who he was, and I’m in that 5%.
The fact that we are spending time on him is wasteful. The fact that we have elected Democrats seemingly coming out against him at the same time makes him look too important. We have spent much of the last decade doing this. Let’s be clear, Kamala Harris did not lose in 2024 because of leftist agitators or some coordinated effort to withhold votes from her. She lost because Democrats lacked standing and credibility with “normie” voters and let’s face it, she is a Black woman running in a country that has a racist and sexist undercurrent in it’s electorate, not to mention 5+ years of Republicans framing her as stupid, soulless, and extreme. It’s more comforting to blame extremists like Piker and Mamdani, and they don’t help, but it’s also a fictional story.
The only winner in this saga is Piker. He’ll grow his audience from the attention of being a martyr. He still won’t capture an audience large enough to be a true kingmaker of any kind, but let’s not let math get in the way. The correct response for *the party* is to simply ignore this vile loser. Nobody that believes we deserved 9/11 is going to vote for Democrats in 2026 or 2028. Let this man grift off of his audience in the relative obscurity he belongs in. We really don’t need our own Charlie Kirk.
A narcissist generally thinks that when they do something bad, it isn’t really that bad, or people will understand, or people are out to get them if they bring it up. They bring up unrelated, totally random things to deflect from the bad things they did. They don’t understand why people are “picking on them,” and call and ask local electeds who are friends with those bringing it up (in this case, me) “why does this guy write this stuff about me?” You see it in Maine, where Mr. Nazi Tattoo was surprised his Nazi tattoo was a problem with people. And you see it here, where Bob “Crooksy” Brooks blames his own decision to stiff his mother-in-law out of money he signed to pay her on his lawyers, on his opponents, and really on anyone but himself.
I can’t blame Crooksy entirely for this mess though. Democratic staffers, consultants, the Governor, and God knows who else told him this was a good idea. Some of them who stood to benefit from him running told him his situation with his former mother-in-law was no big deal. He didn’t think his social media posts about guns, racism, school prayer, or Obama would ever come out, and now folks around him tell him they won’t derail him. National politicians like Pete Buttigieg endorsed him, and told a local Democratic politician from here that he did it because “we had a good phone call,” so even he didn’t vet the guy at all. His consultants that brought us Mamdani and Fetterman are out getting their other clients in Arizona and other far off places to endorse a guy they never met. By the end of this I wouldn’t be shocked if they have Michael Moore endorsing some guy he never met just to convince us that this really is a great idea. Meanwhile locally he’s promising former opponents and fellow members of his union jobs and God knows what else to stick with him. And so, of course, they tell him it’s a great idea. Look, this isn’t like Elizabeth Warren defending Graham Platner’s Nazi tattoo, past racist and homophobic posts, and other bad behavior, after she attacked Pete Hegseth for his tattoos last year. She was right about Hegseth. She’s wrong now, and she’s being wrong now because it’s convenient and helpful for what she wants.
Of course, political reality doesn’t change just because Bernie Sanders or anyone else tells you so. If you run for federal office, anything questionable in your life is coming out. Hell, that’s probably true for any state office too. You can make up any excuses for why they happened that you’d like, but eventually someone writes the article. And next thing you know the article gets legs, and then CNN and the Washington Post start to take notice and write more articles, and then suddenly people are finding out stuff about you that even you didn’t know. You may have done fairly normal things wrong, like screwed up your taxes, got a DUI, or defaulted on a debt, things that don’t really make you a bad person, but nevertheless are troublesome in a campaign. Look, I think people are crazy who subject themselves to the kind of vetting that comes with mid-level political appointments or seats in state legislatures or the U.S. House. It’s truly unfair, frankly. However, when you’re running and telling everyone you’re one thing, and your past says you’re something totally different, well, it’s worth a question or ten. Hypocrisy is a sign of trouble to come. If you need a reminder of how red flags work, go look at Crooksy’s consultants other big Pennsylvania client, John Fetterman, where people ignored the signs. Look at Tulsi Gabbard, who has proven herself to be both Putin and Trump’s favorite stooge, after claiming to be a progressive. The signs don’t go away just because you want them to. People aren’t going to not talk about Crooksy’s problems just because the Governor or anyone else ask them to.
So let’s just be honest and cut to the chase. All of these people know they’re full of shit, but they’re enabling him. Ask yourself some rather straight forward, simple answer questions that Crooksy and his enablers would all dance around if asked, and you’ll come to the obvious conclusion.
Crooksy’s ex-wife came out to defend him in the first article and alleged “over the following 12 years, my mother not once approached us to request payment for that land,” after they were gifted it in 2004. If that’s the case, why did the facts of the Superior Court opinion rejecting Crooksy’s appeal clearly state that they had them sign a promissory note to repay the costs in 2008?
Why didn’t Crooksy and his ex ever make any attempt to repay that debt at all? They signed the note, and didn’t contest that in trial. Look, if they just couldn’t make the payments or something, and truly tried to, wouldn’t they have at some point made some kind of payments? Even just a good faith payment? Maybe a month or two somewhere? Even a half payment? According to the court, they paid zero. Their excuses lack any credibility.
Crooksy told some local activists that this was “all a part of a messy divorce.” Fair enough. With who? His ex-wife who is out there defending him, or his ex-mother-in-law that she won’t even talk to. If this whole legal case and corresponding mess was just about the messiness of the divorce, wouldn’t the problem here have been with his ex?
Crooksy’s defense was that the promissory note was void because she waited too long to try and collect on it. So basically, he admitted he made no attempt to pay. Since we know they wanted payment because they had him sign the note, why didn’t he pay them anything?
Moving on to another topic, why did Barack Obama suck, in his opinion, as of September of 2012? Was it because his administration killed Osama Bin Laden? I doubt that. Did Crooksy not like the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare, which he now claims he will defend in Congress? Did Crooksy have deep thoughts on Dodd-Frank banking legislation? I’d be very curious to know what Crooksy didn’t like about BARACK OBAMA, given that he’s running in a Democratic Primary where most of us like him.
Has Crooksy changed his mind since August 4th of 2019, when he posted a 3%’er/Oathkeeper meme that stated “The problem is not guns, it’s hearts without God, homes without discipline, schools without prayer, and courts without justice?” Does he not think gun violence is a problem in America? I am not an atheist myself, so I’m for hearts with God, but should that be public policy? What does he mean by “homes without discipline,” is he agreeing with Markwayne Mullin, like his buddy Fetterman? Does he think we should bring back school prayer, and if so, in what form? And what does he mean by “courts without justice,” or more importantly, what did he mean in 2019?
Why did he post this just days after the mass shooting at the El Paso Walmart in 2019, which was political violence? Did he not think the guns were a problem in that case? Would school prayer have stopped the fanatic who shot the people? Or does he just not watch the news and totally unrelatedly defended guns?
What made Colin Kaepernick a “douchebag?” What about him was “helping bring people together again on something,” as of his post saying so on July 3rd, 2019? I mean, I don’t kneel during the national anthem, but I was certainly not coming together with far right wing radicals that wanted him banned from the NFL. Was he?
Why did he think Kaepernick didn’t like the 13 Stars flag? The opposition research given to me assumed that was known, and maybe it was, but if Brooks understood why a Black man kneeling for racial justice during the national anthem wouldn’t like that flag, that means he knows what is wrong with it. Calling him a douchebag for this also implies he agrees with that flag and the reasons Kaepernick wouldn’t like it.
If Bob “Crooksy” Brooks was just reposting stuff his friends were posting on social media (another excuse they’ve put out) what kind of people was he friends with back in 2019? I mean, I know who some of his friends were around Nazareth and the Valley, but we’ll leave them out of it for a moment. Just in general, what kind of militant right wing nationalists is this guy conversing with online?
What did Crooksy mean when he said “The party of labor, I believe, is the Democrat Party, but I don’t think the Democrat Party talks about or to the working class people anymore, and I think we need to get back to that. The Republicans, they talked about us, they talk to us, but then they go down to DC and they vote against us?” Did Joe Biden not bail out pension funds, walk picket lines, and try to advance more access to overtime, health insurance, and union membership as President and Vice-President?
Given that Kamala Harris was our last nominee for President and that Crooksy doesn’t think the party talks to or about the working class anymore, why does he think that? Does he disagree with CWA? Does he think PBS coverage of her was incorrect? Does he think she didn’t talk enough about the working class in this Pittsburgh speech? If it wasn’t her substance that he thinks wasn’t good, what was it about that woman?
Crooksy and his union actually initially endorsed Lamont McClure in this race. In fact, he said in a text message for McClure, “this fire is even too big for me.” So what changed?
Look, this clown couldn’t answer one of these questions honestly. He’ll cite his career, he’ll cite his endorsements, but what he won’t do is explain why every bit of tangible evidence says he is a right-wing lunatic, a racist, and a deadbeat. It’s because it’s all true. Some people think that’s fine. They would set every supposed value they have aside for convenience, even if it puts this race in danger. If I’m asking these questions, Ryan Mackenzie has the answers to them. The other three candidates in the race wouldn’t have to spend the millions of dollars that will be available to all of them in the general election explaining why they’re not a deadbeat, or worse. If this guy wasn’t running, I wouldn’t care. He’d just be another guy here in the Valley. He is running though, and frankly he’d be a disgrace in office.
Finally, baseball season is back. Tonight the Yankees and Giants will open the season, and there will be baseball almost every day (the day after the All-Star Game excluded) until November. Contrary to what some would have you believe, it is not inevitable that the Dodgers will win the World Series, Judge and Ohtani will win the MVP’s, and Skenes and Skubal will win the Cy Youngs, it’s just probable. We are coming off of Venezuela (!!!) winning the World Baseball Classic and an all-time seven game World Series for the ages. What we’re going to get next will be fun.
Besides Judge, Ohtani, Harper, Soto, and Altuve, you can learn some new names. Bobby Witt Jr. is the best player in the world that we don’t talk about enough. Roman Anthony is going to be a breakout star. Young players will be rising all season. Guys you might have been ready to bury- Zack Wheeler, Sandy Alcantara, Gerrit Cole- will rise from the ashes. And yes, Ronald Acuna Jr. is back, for real this time.
Let’s launch right into some predictions, beginning in the division of the defending champions…
The National League West
Your about to get a recurring theme here in the National League- a favorite, three very competitive teams, and a team way in the back. There is no favorite quite as far out ahead as the Dodgers this year, and with good reason- they have the deepest, best roster in the sport. While they did win the last two World Series, that depth helps them the least in the playoffs, and the most over the 162 games of the season. The Dodgers open the season with a ridiculously talented rotation- Yamamoto, Glasnow, Ohtani, Sheehan, and Sasaki- and that’s with Blake Snell out into May, top prospect River Ryan sent to the minors, and Justin Wrobleski sent to the bullpen as a long man. The Dodgers again have about eight starters, and will be able to manage how many regular season innings Glasnow, Ohtani, and Snell throw before putting them into the postseason rotation. Last year that cost them a few wins in the regular season, but not nearly enough to make it close. Meanwhile they will let Tommy Edman start the season healing up and get prospect Alex Freehand some at-bats in a platoon at second base with veteran Miguel Rojas. Of course they added Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz to an already really good team. I’d be surprised if they’re not in the 100 win territory. There are lots of complaints about them buying titles, but I think that overstates the reality they have. They have a two way player who is the second best offensive player in baseball, an All-Star level starting pitcher, and differing almost all of his paycheck until he retires. They have a sweetheart deal with MLB that allows them to pocket more of their local television deal money because of a past bankruptcy. But more importantly, they spend their profits on upgrading their team, and they do a good job scouting and developing players. Some of it is shitty and should stop, some of it is just being a good franchise. They were smart enough to spend their money on Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, so maybe people should give them some credit.
Behind them are three teams who are to varying degrees very good. The Padres were an NL Wild Card team last year. The Diamondbacks were in the 2023 World Series. The Giants just had a sneaky good off-season. None of this is extremely predictive of where they are for this season, but it at least makes you take notice. San Diego remains one of the most fierce line-ups in the league, despite adding bargain pieces like Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos in the off-season. Some bargain pieces work, some don’t, but a lineup with Machado, Tatis, Bogaerts, Cronenworth, Merrill, and Laureano will wear down pitchers all season. While their top two starters, King and Pivetta are both coming off of good years (it will take me a bit to believe in Pivetta as a top starter), the rotation as a whole isn’t scary any more. Walker Buehler was another bargain hunter’s buy and will be their number five. Their bullpen remains their strength, despite losing Robert Suarez, as Mason Miller looked like superman in the WBC, but some of the depth they had at the end of the season is gone. This team will be at it’s best when it comes out and hits early in the game and gets to the final third of the game with a lead.
If it was 2018, the Diamondbacks would be terrifying with Carlos Santana and Nolan Arenado. Alas, it’s not. The Diamondbacks lineup is interesting. You have youthful Corbin Carroll (25), Geraldo Perdomo (26), Jordan Lawlar (23), Gabriel Moreno (26), and Alek Thomas (25). You have 30 somethings Ketel Marie (32), Arenado (34), Santana (40), Pavin Smith (30), and James McCann (35). IF everything meshes at once, it’s a good lineup. If not, it can be a disaster. Their rotation is similar. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are back at the top of the rotation, and if they have a bit of a bounce back year and Corbin Burnes gets healthy by midseason and is immediately himself, they have a fearsome rotation. Three “if’s.” Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, and Eduardo Rodriguez are all pretty decent mid-rotation options though, so even if one or two of the “if’s” work out, they are a good group. Paul Sewald provides a veteran closer, but their bullpen really doesn’t stand out as either great or awful going in. This team is probably the biggest enigma in the division.
I praised San Francisco’s offseason and I meant it. This was not a bad team to begin with. They seemed to be the only team not afraid to sign three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, which I think was great, provided they use him correctly and don’t over expose him in the field. They added Harrison Bader as well, coming off of a career year, and as long as they don’t expect him to match that in every category, he’s a good move. Factor in last year’s addition of Rafael Devers and the recent addition of Willy Adames and I really like the offensive upgrades. This team is still pitching based though, and their top two starters Logan Webb and Robbie Ray can certainly match up with any top two in baseball, and have the ability to be the best two pitchers in the division (I said ability). Adrian Houser, Todd Mahle, and Landen Roupp behind them simply have to hold up. Their bullpen isn’t full of big names, but generally should be reliable most of the time. This team simply has to score more runs, and that will really decide how their season goes.
I could sit here and talk about Colorado for a while and tell you how bad they are like everyone else. Their fans don’t need or want that out of me or anyone else at this point. I actually like that they brought in Michael Lorenzen and now can put him, Kyle Freeland, and Jose Quintana together at the front of their rotation and at least look like a professional organization out there. Beyond that, about the best thing I can say is they’re a little closer to not paying Arenado and Bryant to not play for them anymore. That’s the best I’ve got here.
Dodgers 104-58
San Diego Padres 90-72
San Francisco Giants 84-78
Arizona Diamondbacks 78-84
Colorado Rockies 54-108
The American League East
The last two American League Champions are in this division, so you know it’s pretty good. Let’s start in Toronto, because they were so close to winning the championship that it probably still hurts. Fortunately, they still should be good, unless you buy the theory that they’ll revert to the 2024 version. I really like the Kazuma Okamoto signing, presuming he can stick at third base. Presuming he does, it replaces Bichette’s bat in the lineup and allows them to improve their defense in the middle infield wildly with Clement and Gimenez there. This lineup should be a good hitting group, and if Okamoto works they can be better defensively than last year. Their rotation probably goes about as far as their health. I have little worries about Kevin Gausman, and I know the talent of Dylan Cease, but behind them it gets interesting. Cody Ponce was so good in Korea that the Jays signed him and are making him their #3. Max Scherzer is 41, but did come through in the postseason last year. Eric Lauer was also literally a Korean League pitcher a year or two back and is now locking down the five. Shane Bieber will probably be back to health at some point, they think. Jose Berrios should find his way back too. Trey Yesavage was a postseason hero last year in the same season he pitched games in Dunedin (low-A), but now he’s on the IL. Can they get five good, healthy pitchers at all times this year? We’ll see. Their bullpen is fine if Jeff Hoffman shakes off the World Series and stays healthy this year. Can everything go right again?
I’m not sure I loved the Yankees offseason. Were they as urgent as their fans feel? No. Bellinger is back though, so is Trent Grisham, and Chisholm didn’t leave. Aaron Judge is the best offensive player on the planet. Ben Rice will be expected to be a bigger part of this lineup though, Giancarlo Stanton has to stay in the lineup, and Ryan McMahon has to at least be his career average self. That’s because shortstop is still questionable, and this team has three platoons in their lineup. The Yankees rotation is perfectly fine, with an ace (Max Fried), a sometimes inconsistent, but very capable #2 (Carlos Rodon), and they hope a returning ace (Gerrit Cole). Continued success from Cam Shlittler, Will Warren, and Clarke Schmidt would really help. I’m not sure anyone knows what to expect from Luis Gil right now, least of which Gil. The addition of Ryan Weathers might not have seemed necessary, but I think they’ll be pleased they signed him. I think David Bednar will love closing in New York and Camilo Doval could be very good in the 8th. They probably just benefit from not having Devin Williams. Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez in AAA was not something I expected back in November.
The Boston Red Sox both have a really good and really overrated rotation, and that will have to carry them a bit. Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez are a serious top three. Crochet is a legit top three to five pitcher, Gray and Suarez are both solid two’s, but some prognosticators are going a bit overboard with their projections. Brayan Bello and Connelly Early are nice young arms, and give the Sox probably the best five in the division. The lineup lost it’s best two players (Devers and Bregman) since last year’s opening day, but added Willson Contreras and hopes for the big breakout season from Roman Anthony that I think will happen. Assuming Aroldis Chapman stays timeless, the back end of their bullpen is pretty nasty. This team’s IL list to start the season looks like a group that could win some actual MLB games, so this team’s ceiling may rise as the season continues on.
I’m not sure if Baltimore is going anywhere, but they should be a really fun team to watch. An already potential top tier offense added Pete Alonso and his guaranteed 30 bombs a year. Gunnar Henderson is a straight up top ten player in baseball. Adley Rutschman is due for a return to glory. Jackson Holliday is a candidate for a major breakout. Samuel Basallo and Jeremiah Jackson are joining Henderson, Rutschman, Blaze Alexander, Coby Mayo, Colton Cowser, and Ryan Mountcastle as sub-30 year olds getting serious at-bats. I expect this lineup to rake, and they’ll have to in order to win games. The rotation of Chris Bassitt, Zach Eflin, Shane Baz, Trevor Rogers, and Kyle Bradish can’t be worse than last year’s crew, but lacks a true top of the rotation candidate and instead is more of a collection of mid-rotation guys behind a two (when healthy and on). Ryan Helsley as a closer should be an absolute experience, and I mean that in the terrifying sense if he’s like last year’s finish (but if he reverts to what he once was, maybe for hitters). Expect a lot of 10-8 baseball games at Camden Yards this Summer.
What do you write about the Rays? I like Junior Caminero a lot. Their lineup has three platoons in it. Carson Williams excites some people at shortstop. They signed Cedric Mullins. Is this good? I like Shane McClanahan. They have three closers. I guess I like that they got Gavin Lux? Steven Matz is going to be a starter for them in 2026. Does this sound like a playoff team to you? I mean, it doesn’t to me, and yet they do a better job of piecing together a bunch of guys who make no sense together than anyone. Seriously.
Boston Red Sox 94-68
Toronto Blue Jays 91-71
New York Yankees 88-74
Baltimore Orioles 76-86
Tampa Bay Rays 68-94
The American League Central
I think all roads lead to Chicago, but for our purposes we’ll say that’s Cleveland and start there. How many teams have a few key players snagged in a gambling investigation and then come back from like 15 games to win a division? Yeah, no one. Jose Ramirez is certified a sustained top ten player in the league for a while now and is under appreciated for what he does. Stephen Kwan is a throwback to when not everything was about hitting homers. Beyond that the lineup is human, and will rely on Rhys Hoskins reclaiming past glory and a gaggle of 20 somethings sustaining their finish from last season. Tanner Bibbee and Gavin Williams headline a rotation that is very solid on the whole. Cade Smith is a beast closer, but the bullpen behind him will need a couple of guys to step up. Is this team good? Yes. Can it threepeat? TBD.
In terms of pure talent, Detroit is the team to beat here. Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Parker Meadows, and new arrival Kevin McGonigle are young talent that few teams can match. The lineup has some veterans too, and seems like a good mix. The rotation of Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and the returning Justin Verlander is for my money the most dependable in the American League. It’s tough to hate on Kenley Jansen, Will Vest, and Kyle Finnegan at the end of ballgames, and the arms behind them are solid too. So that’s it, this is the best team on paper. They also blew a massive lead last year and haven’t advance past the NLDS as a group. So ask your questions.
It’s hard to cheer agains the Royals. Kansas City has potentially the MVP in Bobby Witt Jr. Salvadore Perez, like Witt, really has loved playing in Kansas City, and they both hope to get a ring there. Vinnie Pasquantino was a big part of that Team Italy in the WBC. This team has a professional lineup, even if it isn’t as deep on paper as the first two. Their rotation looks to me like a collection of two and three starters who are dependable but won’t win the Cy Young. Ex-Phillies Carlos Estevez and Matt Strahm anchor an improved bullpen. Last year wasn’t a great year for this group, but the talent is there to do more.
This might be news, but the Twins are going to try to win games with the guys they have. The bullpen is uninspiring and the rotation behind Joe Ryan is a combination of capable major leaguers and unproven talents. The lineup features Byron Buxton, and he’s elite, as long as he wants to stay. Adding Josh Bell will help them score runs, and they’ll probably trade him later. After that, it’s guys who are passable in the league and a few of them can definitely give you a little more. This team is headed for fourth or fifth. They are trying to see what sticks.
I won’t speak ill of the Pope’s team, but all you need to know is that they spelled Munetaka Murakami’s name wrong after making him their biggest signing in a few years. They’ll improve by dumping Luis Robert Jr.’s .200 batting average and $20 million salary, but we’ll see beyond that in the lineup. I’m a big fan of Colson Montgomery and think him and Murakami could be the beginnings of something really special in Chicago. I also like them getting Luisangel Acuna back for Robert. With those things said, this year won’t be special. The front end of their rotation is young, which I like, but they won’t outmatch the top teams in this division yet. Seranthony Dominguez and Jordan Hicks are in their bullpen this year, which aren’t bad moves for a team with no expectations, but also doesn’t sound like a cinderella run.
Detroit Tigers 96-66
Cleveland Guardians 85-77
Kansas Royals 81-81
Chicago White Sox 66-96
Minnesota Twins 62-100
The National League Central
I’ve spent the last few days making fun of the Cubs for keeping Michael Conforto and Scott Kingery on their 2026 roster, but if we’re being honest, I watched their camp close enough to say they got the right guys. I’ll save you the reading and tell you outright that I think this team wins the division. The rotation is very solid, with Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Cade Horton. Closer Daniel Palencia headlines a group that lost Brad Keller, but still should be good enough. The addition of Alex Bregman to a lineup that already has Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner, and eventually, Seiya Suzuki. This team will win a lot.
Trading your ace after making the NLCS is poverty behavior. Dont sleep on Milwaukee though. This is still a young, stacked lineup anchored by stars Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and William Contreras. Yes, they traded the ace I mentioned, but they traded Corbin Burnes and got better. They are betting that Brandon Woodruff returning and Jacob Misiorowski in year two will make up for it. Newcomer Brandon Sproat has a lot of talent too. Trevor Megill anchors a good bullpen, but not their best of recent years.
Cincinnati made the playoffs last year and no one seems to remember. Believe it or not, their pitching is considered their strength. Andrew Abbott leads the staff and people will watch him closely to see if he repeats that. Nick Lodolo will start on the IL but has shown promise. Brady Singer is the “old man” at 29, with Chase Burns (23), Jose Franco (25), Rhett Lowder (24), and Brandon Williamson (27) rounding out the group. The offense added Eugenio Suarez as their DH, a sneaky good move. Elly De La Cruz is the face of the lineup and one of my favorite non-Phillies in the game. This group improved a ton defensively getting Ke’Bryan Hayes last year at the deadline. As for the bullpen, Emilio Pagan is the primary closer, but after that there are questions. Losing Nick Martinez could hurt, as he filled many roles there.
Pittsburgh, to be blunt, disappointed me the last few years, and there’s a risk of that again, because I think this team is better than they probably are. To be blunt, this rotation is nasty. Paul Skenes is a freak, but more on that later. Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, and Bubba Chandler all have the ability to be outstanding. Carmen Mlodzinski as the fifth starter is a question mark, but he’s a solid swing man out of the pen. They brought Gregory Soto in to help the middle relief get to Dennis Santana with leads, but they are a question mark. The lineup is greatly improved, adding Marcel Ozuna, Ryan O’Hearn, and Brandon Lowe. The downside is it’s still only average unless Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, or Henry Davis bounce back offensively. Or they call up Konnor Griffin and see how ready he is.
The St. Louis Cardinals are finally accepting their rebuild. I actually like what they’re doing, but this probably won’t be any good this year. Behind #1 starter Matthew Liberatore is an unproven, but younger staff. The bullpen is kind of a work in progress and I’m guessing JoJo Romero will be traded sooner than later. The lineup isn’t ready to compete, but you can be excited about JJ Wetherholt, Nate Gorman, Masyn Winn, and Ivan Herrera. Also, keep your eye on a Jordan Walker possible breakout.
Chicago Cubs 93-69
Milwaukee Brewers 84-78
Cincinnati Reds 81-81
Pittsburgh Pirates 78-84
St. Louis Cardinals 66-96
The National League East
I will hold off on talking about my Phillies until last. Let’s start in Washington, D.C. This is going to be ugly. Be exited about James Wood. Probably C.J. Abrams too. Keibert Ruiz is in a make or break year. Opening day starter Cade Cavalli has some talent. After that, things get rough. This is a brutal division and they’re not very good, and sort of re-starting their rebuild.
Atlanta finished fourth last year. To be fair, their Spring Training was worse. They lost their shortstop before camp, their DH got suspended for the season for drugs, and one of their two aces is starting the year hurt. With all of that said, the season *should* be better. Chris Sale is healthy and Spencer Strider’s injury isn’t his arm. Ronald Acuna is healthy and primed to contend for an MVP. Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II seem healthy and ready for a bounce back. A good Matt Olson and Austin Riley make this team real. But I’d be more excited about Drake Baldwin than all of them. The bullpen kept Raisel Iglesias and added Robert Suarez which should allow them to hold leads. The pitching injuries added up through camp though and are their biggest problem to start the season.
Miami had a very nice season last year, especially after June 1st, so of course they traded multiple arms. Sandy Alcantara is around, at least for now, but the group behind him isn’t quite what ended last year. The bullpen added Pete Fairbanks to Tyler Phillips to make a pretty good back end of the bullpen tandem. Exactly one position player on the opening day roster is over 30, and Kyle Stowers is hurt, so the offense is suspect. I think they’ll be way ahead of Washington, but this could be a tough season if they don’t find some gems.
So, um, the Mets. You know, my second favorite team in New York. Out the door went Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo. Top prospect Brandon Sproat and the still young Luisangel Acuna got shipped out in trades. In came Freddy Peralta (great move), Bo Bichette (very good move, if you ignore the price), Jorge Polanco (would have been more solid if he was at second), Marcus Semien (nice defensive player), Luis Robert Jr. (over priced, can’t hit, fantastic defense), and Devin Williams (this could go either way). Polanco and Bichette have never played their new positions. Dare I say, the outside additions won’t make up for the 30-40 homers, 35+ saves, former batting champion, and long tenured member of the high end of their order, and well, they won 83 games with those guys. Peralta and Bichette probably even it out, but it’s not good enough. But… and it’s a big but… this team is better than 2025. The reason is solid player development and young guys on the roster. Nolan McLean might only be held back by the organization, and could legitimately be their #2 starter, this year. Putting Carson Benge in right field might be premature, but it is 100% the right move. Francisco Alvarez is still young and talented. Bret Baty and Mark Vientos have both been up and down, but are both young. If any of these guys reach their potential this year, a team with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor should pass 90 wins and cruise into the postseason.
So, the Phillies… they’re “running it back”… on a 96 win season. You know, I’m good with that. For all of the talk of Harper, Schwarber, and Turner struggling in the Dodgers series and needing help, the Dodgers big trio of Ohtani, Freeman, and Betts was arguably worse. The pitching was really good for both. The series came down to Robertson and Strahm’s 7th inning in game one, Turner’s errant throw home and Nick Castellanos running into an out in game two, and Kerkering’s throw in game four. Robertson, Strahm, and Castellanos are gone. What’s back? A top three to five rotation in baseball that will get more of Zack Wheeler than last year. Schwarber won the NL home run title, Turner won the NL batting title, and neither seems to be slowing down yet. Bryce Harper is looking healthy and should be expected to bounce back majorly. The bullpen has three legitimate beasts at the end and depth out to five, at least. This team does become more league average as the lineup moves beyond its third hitter, but it doesn’t really go below that anywhere. Justin Crawford hit .334 with an .863 OPS last season in AAA, and while those numbers would be unbelievable, even getting close to that would really improve the Phillies. Aidan Miller’s impending arrival sometime late in the Summer is also super exciting- and could tip the scales.
Philadelphia Phillies 96-66
New York Mets 91-71
Atlanta Braves 86-76
Miami Marlins 76-86
Washington Nationals 58-104
The American League West
Not enough people are talking about Seattle. This team was one win from being in the World Series instead of Toronto. This team has a positively badass rotation lead by Logan Gilbert on Opening Day, but not dropping off at all with Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Emerson Hancock. Their bullpen lacks big names, but was more than effective last year. Hopefully Cal Raleigh can be nicer to Randy Arozarena, because they are big parts of a big time lineup. Julio Rodriguez has superstar talent and can take this team to new heights and Josh Naylor is certified.
For so many years the Houston Astros dominated this division. Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, and Christian Javier put together four starters that give them hope of a return to glory, while the fifth starter spot will likely move around a lot. The bullpen has the potential to go either way, lacking that marquee name they’ve had for years, but having plenty of depth. Some of the big names in the lineup- Altuve, Alvarez, and Correa- are still around, but are joined by a younger core now that features players like Cam Smith. Ironically, a lot rides on a big bounce back by Christian Walker from an awful first season in Houston.
The Texas Rangers may not be a trendy pick to win, but I love that rotation. Nate Eovaldi and Jacob de Grom might not be young, but they’re both still good. Mackenzie Gore, Jack Leiter, and Kumar Rocker are all young, talented, and unproven to different levels. If everything clicks between health and talent, they’re as good as anyone. The bullpen is unproven, but talented. Corey Seager is the face of the lineup and a certified boss. They added Brandon Nimmo and Andrew McCutchen, which are very different moves. Joc Pederson could be fun in Texas.
The Athletics (I initially wrote Oakland) is like Baltimore, really fun, but probably not ready to contend. Luis Severino is the only starter with a long track record and their ballpark isn’t known as super pitcher friendly. Their bullpen is similar. The lineup though? Fun. Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson are ballers. Brent Rooker has consistently been a top five DH for a few years now. Shea Langeliers is hitting his prime. Denzel Clarke is fun to watch. Jeff McNeil provides them a veteran hitter. They need to score a lot to win, can they?
Anaheim, Los Angeles, whatever I’m supposed to call the Angels- it’s going to be a while. Mike Trout is there, assuming he plays enough, so that’s worth watching I guess? It’s sad he’s rotting there like this, he’s one of the best players I ever saw. Jorge Soler will hit some bombs. I like Jo Adell and Josh Lowe. The lineup on the whole isn’t great. The rotation isn’t much better and their bullpen includes Jordan Romano, so you know what that is.
Seattle Mariners 98-64
Houston Astros 90-72
Texas Rangers 82-80
Sacramento Athletics 74-88
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 60-102
Season Awards
So I’ll get it out of the way- Judge and Ohtani are the clear MVP favorites and Skubal and Skenes for Cy Young are the same. Let’s be creative for a moment and assume they all fail to win. So who are the picks then? For AL MVP, the next four (in order) for me are Bobby Witt Jr., Roman Anthony, Julio Rodriguez, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. For the NL MVP, again in order I’m going Juan Soto, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Bryce Harper, and Ronald Acuna Jr. In the NL Cy Young race, my top four in order are Zack Wheeler (yes, what a story that would be), Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Logan Webb, and Cristopher Sanchez. In the AL Cy Young race, my top four are Garrett Crochet, Bryan Woo, Jacob de Grom, and Max Fried. Now again, the favorites are the real favorites, but what fun is that.
Konnor Griffin will arrive in the majors soon and win the NL Rookie of the year, with Nolan McLean, JJ Wetherholt, Justin Crawford, Carson Benge, and Andrew Painter all hanging around. Kevin McGonigle will be the AL winner, with Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto both contending. Dan Wilson will be AL Manager of the Year and Craig Counsell will win the NL.
Now, the Playoffs…
In the AL I have Seattle as the top seed and Detroit as second. That means Boston plays New York and Toronto plays Houston. In the NL I have LA as the top seeds, Philadelphia as two, and the Cubs meeting the Braves and the Mets meeting the Padres.
I think the Braves will be healthy by this point, pitching wise, meaning a tough match up for the Cubs. Steeler’s return this season will be just enough for a Cubs win. I like the Mets over the Padres too.
Houston upsets Toronto to advance and well… that other series… damn. Fried, Cole, and Rodon vs. Crochet, Suarez, and Gray… I’ll take the Yankees.
In the NLDS, I have the Dodgers beating the Mets up, largely on pitching and my Phillies outlasting the Cubs.
In the ALDS, I’ll take the Mariners to edge out Houston and the Yankees to beat Detroit in an epic.
In the NLCS, I’ll just say I think the Phillies can win this series and the series too. The Dodgers have to be favored, right? And every time I pick them, they lose. So, fine, LA wins again, because Ohtani walks a couple times.
In the ALCS, Seattle beats New York in another nail biter. Sad for Judge if this happens.
Again, I’m picking the Dodgers, because they have the best roster and I hope it jinxes them.
If you’re still stumbling, you drank too much. Happy week after St. Patrick’s Day. They told me not to, but I did. I took Florida in some brackets, Arizona in others. Figures that the one who is the defending champions were the ones who burned me. March Madness gave us the expected, such as Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Michigan State, and UCONN, and little to no fun. For the second straight year, and second time in the modern era, all the teams in the Sweet 16 come out of The Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12, and Big East. In the era of the portal and NIL, good players leave mid-majors after two years to go play on power programs. Hey, at least we have St. John’s. At least it’s not the women’s tournament either, which is basically just UCONN, UCLA, and South Carolina dogging teams until they get to each other. Texas and their enormous athletics budget arrived as a #1 in the women’s tournament too, and has lived up to it, while their men won three games last week. Local teams Lehigh, Villanova, and Penn all got run out of the men’s side as well. Villanova and Princeton’s women were both sent packing too. Unrelated, but I lost every parlay I tried.
Penn State won the NCAA Wrestling title in the least shocking result ever. Meanwhile, Venezuela beat the United States in the World Baseball Classic final. I guess we take their President, they take our trophy. Cuba probably won’t get to keep either for themselves. Despite some socialist white kids from the U.S. visiting, the country is imploding under it’s own weight. Yes, I know we’re blockading them, which we basically have for 70 years, to varying degrees. Anyway, back to sports, Opening Day for MLB is on Thursday. I’m obviously quite excited, but you’ll get my predictions later this week. I’ll be at a AAA game on Saturday to see Zack Wheeler rehab and the Phillies and Nats on Monday. I’m more excited for betting my pitcher strikeout parlays again. I win on those most days.
In case you were wondering, we’re still fighting the war we won a couple of weeks ago in Iran. The Straight of Hormuz still isn’t open and the national average of gasoline is $3.97 a gallon, because Joe Biden. Israel is still fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as kind of fighting Hamas in Gaza, and fighting Iran in Iran, which only makes sense when you realize the same people are funding Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran. Here at home the Homeland Security Department government shutdown continues, and TSA is a mess. I mean, Al Jazeera calls it a crisis. Workers haven’t been paid in weeks, and some just don’t even show up for work now. Can’t say I blame them. President Trump wants to really fix this crisis, so he’s sending in his “A Team,” putting ICE at airports across America. In other mildly political news, Robert Mueller, the former FBI Director who investigated Russian interference in our 2016 Election and determined it happened and that the President couldn’t be prosecuted for it, died. Yes, Donald Trump celebrated it. He did not celebrate Chuck Norris dying though, though I doubt he knows he was a conservative Republican. It’s a real party in the USA these days.
The Bachelorette was canceled for this season. Apparently Taylor Frankie Paul, the star for this upcoming season, beat the living shit out of her ex/baby daddy, and the video leaked. Look, shit no one is proud of happens sometimes, but hear me out. A few dozen (?) “men” were going to go on a show and share a girlfriend for a few weeks, begging for love from a woman who will kick their ass when she’s pissed. The cucked American male is simply wildly out of control. Like, don’t you have any respect for yourselves? Don’t answer that. Apparently some guy who was on the show named Brad Ledford was actually the driver of the car that crashed into former North Carolina Congresscritter Madison Cawthorn and put him in a wheelchair. Seriously, first you picked the violent mom from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” as the prize of the show, then you put these clowns on the show? This show wouldn’t be crazier if it were cast in a halfway house.
Apocalypse Vibes 