Column:

Time for your checkup, Major League Baseball

Here's a rundown of the MLB's past, present and future.

By Matt Gerstner

Published June 2, 2009

You always gotta love baseball season.

Already the season has had more ups and downs than Zack Greinke's career. I think it's time for a recap and predictions.

The offseason's hottest dead horse, steroids, is almost all but forgotten thanks to Alex Rodriguez's first-pitch-back jack. Personally, I don't think I've ever seen a conversation about a person switch so quickly from, "You're a cheater, Alex" to "Welcome back! I'm sorry, what were we talking about again?"

Early on, it looked like the Damn Yankees would be the laughing stock of Major League Baseball, sitting in fourth place with a roster that cost more than their new stadium. They have (unfortunately for the rest of the league) turned around, although it helps that the young Rays are struggling to win while going through puberty. I do expect it to be a tight race going into football season.

In the National League, the Dodgers keep winning even without Mandy Ramirez. What baffles me more is the fans think he's still playing, hence why he's fourth in the All-Star voting. And when he doesn't show up, you know there are going to be fans that will blame his absence on his disregard for the fans.

As for the hometown (well, close-proximity) teams, I have decided the Royals and Cardinals are negatively-related. For those who slept through every science course imaginable (not that I blame you), that means when one team gets hot, the other gets cold. When the Royals win, the Cardinals seem to crap their pants. When the Cardinals win, the Royals just go back to the same black hole of losses that Kansas City natives are used to. The Cardinals are keeping their pants clean, so Kansas City is dropping back to the all-too-familiar cellar. The thing is, there's always a silver lining.

For the Royals, that silver (gold, bronze, platinum and pretty much every precious metal) lining is Greinke. The early Cy Young award winner (yes, winner) can make hitters look like they just got called up from the T-ball League. His stuff is nastier than the swine flu (I'm sorry, H1N1 virus). His ERA is microscopic, and yet, the Royals still seem to lose when he's on the mound. It seems like when the Royals do get runs, it's when they don't need them. They either win 11-3 or lose 4-2 or 5-3 or something like that. Let's get some balance, shall we? Oh, and Santa, if you can fit it in, a bullpen would be nice.

I have noticed if St. Louis just keeps its opponents to three runs or less, Albert Pujols will take care of the rest by himself. Greinke might be the Cy Young award winner, but Pujols is the MVP by a landslide. I fully expect the Cards to be in the playoffs, most likely as the Central Division Champions, depending on if the Cubs show up to the party or the Brewers somehow keep winning.

Come playoff time, I see in my crystal ball, the Yankees, Tigers and Angels (sorry, Rangers) as division winners and the Red Sox with the wild card in the American League. I also see the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers and the Mets (yes, those Mets) out of the minors, I mean the National League. Only a couple surprises, hey it's early and I have to try and avoid this coming back to bite me in the ass.