Brian Griffiths: Halfway

Back in March I launched into my baseball predictions for the season. Let's see where I am....

AL East: Boston, New York, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore

Amazingly, this isn't that far off when you think about it, only with the Rays and Yankees switched, both for second-third and for the wild-card (in which Tampa Bay has a 2.5 game lead over Minnesota, even with the Rays end of first half collapse). The biggest surprise right now is that the O's, at 45-48, are only ten wins off the total some genius said they would have all year. The Rays are better than they are playing, and I think that the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees are going to go to the wire.

AL Central: Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota, Chicago, Kansas City

Yeah, this was not as hot. The Tigers started the year in a funk, and only recently pulled out of it and clawed into third. The Indians collapsed and dealt C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers. I still don't think the White Sox are as good as advertised and that at the end of the year the Twins now will win the division.

AL West: Los Angeles, Seattle, Texas, Oakland

I was never sold on the Mariners winning the division. But I never expected the worst record in the American League, with Bedard probably out the door very soon. Oakland obviously is much better than I expected, though it's hard to see them finishing ahead of Texas after trading Rich Harden. The Angels are going to cruise from here.

NL East: New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Florida, Washington

I get saved only because the Phillies and the Marlins haven't exactly been wordlbeaters. The Mets stunk for most of the first half (not something you want to see from the team you predicted would win it all) and are lucky that they haven't been blown out of the water are are in second. Washington was and easy team to predict, because we all knew the Nationals would be terrible. The Marlins at this point may be the team to beat, depending on what other pieces the Mets and Phillies can add.

NL Central: Milwaukee, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Houston, Pittsburgh

I don't think anybody had the Cardinals doing much of anything this year. Now they have two guys not named Pujols with 20 HR (Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel) and they have a half-game lead over the Brewers for the wild-card. I figured that the Cubs would take a step back, but enter the break tied with the Angels for the best record in baseball. Two of the top three teams in this division are likely to make the playoffs, and it's hard to argue right now against the Cubs and the Brewers given their pitching acquisitions.

NL West: Colorado, Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

So I thought that the Rockies would win the division and the Diamondbacks would win the wild-card from what I thought was the best division in baseball. Yeah, not so much. The Rockies are 17 games under .500 and still have a prayer because the division leading D-backs are also under .500. That puts Colorado only 8 games out of first. San Diego's self-destruction from the one-game playoff for the wildcard last year to the second worst record in baseball is pretty sad, though predictable. And the Giants seem to be better without Barry Bonds than with.