0104020103
DETROIT FREE PRESS
010402
Monday, April 02, 2001
METRO FINAL
3E
Photo
column sigs only for:
Mitch Albom
Gene Guidi
John Lowe
Drew Sharp
MITCH ALBOM, GENE GUIDI, JOHN LOWE AND DREW SHARP
BASEBALL 2001
Copyright (c) 2001, Detroit Free Press
STAFF PICKS
MITCH ALBOM
AL Central:
1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Kansas City
4. Detroit
5. Minnesota
AL East: N.Y. Yankees
AL West: Oakland
AL wild card: Texas
NL East: Atlanta
NL Central: St. Louis
NL West: Colorado
NL wild card: N.Y. Mets
World Series: N.Y. Yankees over St. Louis
On the Tigers: Let's see. Last year, they told us a new stadium and Juan
Gonzalez would make them contenders. This year, the stadium is no longer new,
Gonzalez is gone and their best catcher is out for the season. You tell me
what that makes them.
GENE GUIDI
AL Central:
1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Kansas City
5. Minnesota
AL East: N.Y. Yankees
AL West: Seattle
AL wild card: Boston
NL East: New York
NL Central: St. Louis
NL West: Colorado
NL wild card: San Francisco
World Series: St. Louis over N.Y. Yankees
On the Tigers: Good-bye Gonzo, hello Mitch and Roger. Outfielder Bobby
Higginson hopes the budget-conscious, new-look (sort of) Tigers will be
"pesky" this season. Translation: The Tigers will look to nibble teams to
death with one- and two-run innings. New addition Roger Cedeno is expected to
be the featured performer in Little Ball Comes to Comerica Park. That's a
different philosophy than last season, when Juan Gonzalez was supposed to help
provide runs in bunches. It didn't happen, and the Tigers finished under .500
for the seventh straight season. With the law of averages squarely on my side,
I'm predicting an end to the string of losing seasons -- barely.
JOHN LOWE
AL Central:
1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Kansas City
4. Detroit
5. Minnesota
AL East: N.Y. Yankees
AL West: Oakland
AL wild card: Texas
NL East: Atlanta
NL Central: St. Louis
NL West: Arizona
NL wild card: Florida
World Series: St. Louis over Oakland
On the Tigers: By cutting payroll and not bidding on free agents, ownership
hasn't given the Tigers a fair chance to win. So most pundits don't give the
Tigers much of a chance to win. What would it take for this group of players
to become a surprise contender? Possibly this combination: Bobby Higginson and
Todd Jones approach what they did last season; Tony Clark pounds the ball all
season; the trio from Houston delivers; Jeff Weaver becomes the ace; Dave
Mlicki rebounds; Matt Anderson pitches to his 100-m.p.h. potential; and the
hitters and pitchers realize from Opening Day onward what an advantage their
big home park can be.
DREW SHARP
AL Central:
1. Cleveland
2. Kansas City
3. White Sox
4. Detroit
5. Minnesota
AL East: N.Y. Yankees
AL West: Oakland
AL wild card: Seattle
NL East: Atlanta
NL Central: St. Louis
NL West: San Francisco
NL wild card: N.Y. Mets
World Series: N.Y. Yankees over whomever -- opponent doesn't really matter.
On the Tigers: Pitching will not be the problem this season. Greater concern
will be their ability or inability to drive in runs. Catcher Brandon Inge
might start more games than expected, underscoring the problems this team will
have.
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