MLB 2011, Part One

With all of the hot stove league action coming at us this off-season, it’s almost like baseball never stopped. The Giants had barely fitted their rings (man, what a fun ride that team was down the stretch!) when talk turned to Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Zach Grienke and a host of other rising or peaking talents who were seemingly destined for the MLB holy triumvirate of Boston, Philly and New York (and no, I don’t mean the Mets). Now, with the arrival of spring training, it’s time to start looking at the results and venture into those favorite waters of pundits worldwide. In short, it’s time for some early predictions.

NL East: Is there really any question here? The Phillies’ rotation ranks among the best in recent MLB history (really, only SF rivals them going into the season). Their unexpected signing of Cliff Lee was the most momentous pickup of the offseason, and has positioned them for a third World Series appearance in four seasons, and the most pressing question headed into the season would seem to be whether or not Philadelphia can crack 100 wins for the first time in franchise history (of course, avoiding a prolonged slump at the plate this time out would help that venture tremendously). Best of the rest? The Braves’ surprising playoff appearance smells of one and done to me (though the first season without Bobby Cox since the Nixon administration does bear some interest), and I’m not impressed by the offseason posturing of any other NL East clubs. Florida might make a wild card push, and I’m curious to see what becomes of the snakebit Nationals (Will we ever again see a genuine Strasmas start, or has their young fireballer already flamed out?). The Mets? Well, let’s just say that most of the pressure in NY should fall squarely on the Yankees this season.

NL Central: Will the real Cardinals please stand up? With All-World Albert Pujols’ contract status still up in the air, will the redbirds step up to reclaim their division? I think so. It’s not a strong feeling. I wouldn’t go “all in” on it, by any means. It’s just that they were rolling along nicely last season before an unexplained late-season swoon gave Cincinnati a shot at the postseason, and I somehow think that they’re going to bounce back. Speaking of the Red Stockings, is anyone convinced that last year was more substance than fluke? Joey Votto’s the real deal, and they’ve got a couple of solid hurlers in the rotation, but the chances that they build upon 2010’s breakthrough appear to be slim and none. Still, an outside run for that wild card slot isn’t beyond possibility. A more likely challenger would appear to be the Brewers, whom may well steal the division if St. Louis falters. Zack Greinke was a steal and could well put Milwaukee over in what may be their last Prince Fielder season. As for the field… well, it will still be fun to attend games in Houston, Chicago and Pittsburgh. In May, at least. Chicago could surprise us all with a decent midseason run, but don’t be fooled if they do. The Cubbies will be at home, watching the playoffs as usual. As will the Astros and Pirates. Book it.

NL West: What’s more likely, the Giants repeating their unexpected title run, or the Padres taking the division title race down to the wire again? I’d hazard the former, as the loss of Adrian Gonzalez has signaled the end of San Diego’s poorly timed near miss (the front office would have much rather blown up the existing core and started over, but were unable to pull the trigger so long as the club was in contention). San Francisco barely made the postseason, needing a lot of luck and a smattering of assistance in order to qualify on the final day of the season. Still, once there, it was easy to see why the Giants should be a contender for years to come, if only they can add a little pop to their patchwork lineup (does anyone really expect Cody Ross to be more Superman than Clark Kent as a full season gets underway?). With or without another stick, SF looks to be the class of the division, with only the Rockies posing any real threat (their late swoon makes it easy to forget just how close they seemed to stealing the division with two weeks to go). The Dodgers again figure to be more fun off the field than on, though seeing Donnie Baseball in the dugout figures to add some national interest until they fall from contention. Arizona is still in full-on rebuilding mode.

So, to sum it up –

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central: St. Louis

NL West: San Francisco Giants

NL Wild Card: Milwaukee Brewers

NL Championship: Philadelphia over San Francisco

But hey, the fun is in the journey. Can’t wait to see how it all turns out in 2011 (though I’m already dreading the late-nights that a compelling playoff matchup inevitably brings to European baseball fans). Up next – a look at the American League!

Following the NBA in Europe

So you’re a hoops head, but you’re 6, 7, maybe 10 hours away from the preferred starting times of the game’s top practitioners. You love Kobe and KD. Or perhaps follow one of the Eastern Conference’s big trios. The question is, how to get your roundball fix on this side of the pond?

Unfortunately, for most of us, it’s not as simple as signing up for ESPN America. It’s the most conspicuous absence from their stellar lineup (MLB, NFL, NCAA football and basketball, NHL) of both live and tape-delayed sporting events. There are other cable-based options, depending on which country you’re residing in. Germany, for instance, has recently struck a deal that ranges across several channels, a mix of paid subscriptions and free-to-air that includes ProSieben, Premiere, sports channel DSF, SAT.1, ARD, ZDF and RTL. Whether or not that option then forces some less than stellar German commentary upon the viewer has yet to be made clear (hopefully it’s better than the German language broadcast of NFL play-by-play that we get here in Austria…

Of course, being that this is the age of the internet, we’re certainly not limited to the meager offerings on the boob tube. Streaming options range from the “free but morally questionable” offerings of MobiTV, Veetle, Sopcast, stream torrents, etc, on up to the NBA’s own league package for Europe (a very reasonable $110 US for the entire regular season, every game from every club, or several other similarly priced offerings for more enhanced options, playoffs extra).

Personally, I’ve opted for the NBA’s online package (at the price/level mentioned above). The big benefit to me, other than consistency and quality, both of which are quite solid, is the time-shifting option. I rarely stay up late for games, with possible exceptions come playoff time. And this isn’t the NFL we’re talking about, with Euro-friendly 7pm start times on the weekend. So being able to watch games the next day, be it morning or evening time, is great. For a few more bucks, one can have access the entire season’s archive, but that just didn’t appeal to me, when there’s always a new game upcoming. And the price was quite reasonable, if one makes use of it. You could follow your home team for about $1.25/game, or spread the love around a bit and have it come out even cheaper. Quite a deal, especially when compared to the NFL’s exurbanite rates for far fewer games.

So, what do you think? Anyone else out there who’s putting hard-earned cash on the line to watch some ball, or is everyone focused on spring training?