This weeks Pop Quiz question came from Gary Mintz of South Huntington:Name the well-known Astros pitcher who can be seen in action during a Minute Maid Park scene from the 2014 film Boyhood.
Monday, at Yankee Stadium, was Opening Day number 26 for me, liberally counting the 1989 and 1993 home openers Yankees and Tigers, respectively that I attended.
To my personal inventory, lets add last years game:
25. March 31, 2014, at Citi Field (Nationals 9, Mets 7, 10 innings): For a franchise owning a history of heartbreak, the Mets outdid themselves, at least in the Opening Day category. They blew leads of 3-0, 4-2 and 5-4; Bobby Parnell blew the save with one out to go in the ninth and wound up missing the rest of the season with a torn elbow; and Long Islander John Lannans Mets career started awfully (and finished soon after).
Ill wait until a year from now to write up Monday, though heres my column.
Last Thursday, The Post released its annual baseball preview section, replete with predictions. Heres a breakdown of whom I predicted and why. It isnt too late to go to Vegas and bet against these.
AL East
1. Orioles2. Blue Jays3. Yankees4. Red Sox5. Rays
Mondays results notwithstanding, I still think you can justify any 1-through-5 order of this division. I wouldnt call it wide open as much as I would confounding.
The Orioles barely lifted a finger in the offseason, yet they have Chris Davis, Manny Machado and (they hope) Matt Wieters returning and Kevin Gausman possibly soaring.The Blue Jays made two huge pickups in Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin, yet theyre relying heavily on rookies and suffered a huge spring-training loss in would-be ace Marcus Stroman.
The Rays are trying their annual limbo of rebuilding and contending, only without longtime baseball operations head Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon.The Yankees winter and direction actually make the most sense to me. Theyre in a transition year. They just cant say that to their fans.
The Red Sox? You could argue that the Red Soxs run of the last four years ranks among the most bizarre timelines in baseball history:
2011: Epic collapse out of the playoffs. Championship manager (Terry Francona) pushed out. Championship GM (Theo Epstein) jumps out.
2012: Last place. Manager (Bobby Valentine) fired after disastrous one-year term.
2013: World Series champs.
2014: Last place.
So what do we make of all this? I went with the Orioles out of respect for their talent, even after losing Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller, and the culture they have established underGM Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter.
Picking the Yankees third is a sign of respect for their culture, as Joe Girardi has managed to squeeze the most out of his talent and results the prior two seasons. The Yankees havent produced a positive run differential since 2012, and Id be surprised if they did so this year. I have them finishing 78-84.
Which means I have the Red Sox tallying fewer than 78 wins. I am skeptical of their ace-less starting rotatiounderstanding they have the chips to trade for an ace such as Cole Hamels, whom they smoked on Monday, and I have seen too many big names and big contracts struggle to adjust to the New York-Boston corridor to think that Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval can do so smoothly.
AL Central
1. Tigers2. Indians (Wild Card)3. White Sox4. Royals5. Twins
Justin Verlander will miss the start of the season.Photo: AP
I made these before Justin Verlander went down, so I guess Im going with the idea Verlander will return shortly, as the Tigers profess, and will pitch competently. And I still think their model of recent years a top-heavy roster and payroll can pay off, with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez still having enough left.
The Indians seem to be the popular pick this year. I have them as the wild card, so Im not necessarily shaking my fist at the bandwagon. I just have questions about their pitching depth behind reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber.
Have the defending league champs ever looked worse than they do this year? The Royals offseason moves inspired few, and you remember they won just 89 regular-season games last year. Hard to see them replicating their 2014 magic without major steps up from homegrown guys Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas.
AL West
1. Mariners2. As (WC)3. Angels4. Rangers5. Astros
I submitted these picks during the last week of spring training. The next day, at a Grapefruit League game, I crossed paths with an NL teams talent evaluator who spends a lot of time out West. He wondered why the Mariners were getting so much media love and proceeded to destroy everyone on their roster besides Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez.He picked the Angels, for what its worth.
I went with Seattle because I think Cruz will help expand the lineup in the short term, and because I think James Paxton and Taijuan Walker can back up King Felix. I also went with the Ms because I dont think the Angels can count on repeat performances from guys like Matt Shoemaker and Garrett Richards (currently on the disabled list), who helped them get to 98 wins last year.
The As? I think the As can pull off another impressive tightrope walk of simultaneously rebuilding and reloading.
ALCS: Tigers over Mariners. Elite hitters, elite starting pitchers, and Detroits bullpen cant be that awful again, can it?
NL East
1. Nationals2. Marlins3. Mets4. Braves5. Phillies
Can Terry Collins and the Mets steal the division from Matt Williams Nationals?Photo: UPI
There were times in spring training when I looked around the Mets clubhouse and thought to myself, This team can win the division. Maybe it can. Yet after talking to enough trusted voices in the game, I stuck with the Nationals up top, despite their current injury problems, and decided the Mets werent quite ready for such a leap. 84-78 sounds right.
Why? While I applaud Mets ownership for picking up the tab on lefty Jerry Blevins last week, we still need to see a big July trade to believe this team really possesses the necessary resources. I also am curious to see how Terry Collins performs in a more pressurized environment after doing strong janitorial work from 2011 through 2014. We all know game management has not been Collins strength.
I didnt love the Marlins offseason moves Im not a big Dee Gordon believer but many of those trusted voices were more enthusiastic, pointing in particular to the Martin Prado acquisition.
NL Central
1. Pirates2. Cardinals (WC)3. Cubs4. Reds5. Brewers
I am high on the Pirates, who are going for their third straight postseason berth. I think Pittsburgh can get A.J. Burnett to finish his interesting career on a high note. I think Gerrit Cole, at 24, can make The Leap. And I think Andrew McCutchen is about as perfect a non-Mike Trout player as youll find in the game.
GM Neal Huntington, after a rocky beginning, has displayed a real knack for filling holes. A hole emerged when Martin left for the Blue Jays. Can former Yankee Francisco Cervelli fill the void? Im betting on Cervelli having his first bona fide, full and productive big-league campaign, and others in the lineup (Pedro Alvarez, Gregory Polanco) helping, too.
The Cubs are exciting, what with Maddon in the managers office, Jon Lester leading the starting rotation and Kris Bryant coming up as soon as he improves his defense. But they probably need another year to marinate.
NL West
1. Padres2. Dodgers (WC)3. Giants4. Rockies5. Diamondbacks
Matt Kemp had an RBI double against ex-teammate Clayton Kershaw, but the Dodgers rallied past the Padres on Opening Day.Photo: AP
I made these before San Diego added the games best closer, Craig Kimbrel, in a trade with Atlanta. Usually, a stats geek like me prefers a more methodical approach to team-building, but weve never seen anything quite like A.J. Prellers rookie year as a GM. I think its going to work.
I still have the Dodgers overcoming concerns about their pitching staff, as well as the stress surrounding Don Mattinglys job security, to qualify. And advance further than the Padres in the postseason.
The Giants? See: the Royals. Brutal winter, and even an Opening Day victory was tempered by the newsthat Matt Cains right elbow is barking and Jake Peavys back is stiff. Yeesh.
NLCS: Pirates over Dodgers. Ill go with the best player, McCutchen, over the best pitcher (Clayton Kershaw, of course). And the heartbreaking tale of Mattingly failing to make the World Series once again.
World Series champ: Pirates. A Midwest Fall Classic in November! The Pirates better-rounded roster trumps the Tigers stars for Pittsburghs first championship since 1979.
The Pop Quiz answer is Roger Clemens. If you have a tidbit that connects baseball to popular culture, please send it to me at kdavidoff@nypost.com.
Source: http://nypost.com/2015/04/07/red-sox-in-last-pirates-as-champs-explaining-my-mlb-predictions/
