MORE CLUELESS PREDICTIONS by ST

I'm starting to see prediction seasonal results as about the biggest exercise in futility in sports. Week to week? Fine. Watch the games, get a feel for who is hot or not and tell me who covers the spread this week. I went back over the predictions for the 2010 baseball season(self included), and it's hysterical. I surveyed the so-called experts from ESPN and Sports Illustrated. About 3 dozen in all including guys like Rob Neyer, Tom Verducci, Keith Law, Orel Hersheiser and Tim Kurkjian. 4 had the Giants winning the West, 2 had them as a wild card. Tristan Cockcroft had the Giants winning the World Series, besting the Twins. No one even had the Rangers winning the American League. For the record, I had Red Sox over the Twins in the AL, Philly over the Cardinals in the NL with Boston taking out the Phils for all the marbles. I did pick Texas to win the AL West, nearly by default due to what the Angels lost and the inept offenses in Seattle & Oakland.
Lot of my New York bretheren confused how those lethal Texas bats suddenly went silent in the World Series after exploding in the ALCS. DUH! It's because they faced A- or A pitching with San Fran as opposed to the Yankee's C-, overpaid, underachieving cast of clowns.
You've got to love the subtleties of baseball. No score, top of the 7th, 2 on and up comes Aubrey Huff with nobody out. Gotta bunt right? Sure, but he's got no sac's all year and has been an AL hitter his whole career where they never bunt. Lays down a textbook sacrifice. Thing of beauty. Cliff Lee digs down and strikes out Pat Burrell, though he'd been awful. Up comes Edgar Renteria. Aaron Rowand on deck, base open. Obviously they should have walked Edgar. 3 run, series winning bomb.
Gotta be happy for Giant's skipper Bruch Bochy who'd been this far with the Padres in 1998 but got swept by the Yankees. He just seemed to push all the right buttons this post season. Even pulling Tim Lincecum after 8 dazzleing innings in favor of the guy who'd become the face of this great run, Brian Wilson. All ended well! Now it's time for the major awards, free agency and the countdown to pitchers and catchers reporting(106 days).