Face-off
Kevin Hess and Daniel Abraham
Sports | 3/23/08
Who will surprise MLB this year?
Kevin: The Tampa Bay Rays have never had a winning season in franchise history, but that could change thanks to a roster lush in young talent. Carl Crawford is the established leader of the group and a bona-fide All-Star outfielder. His defense is superb, and he may be the fastest player in baseball. Second baseman BJ Upton has flashed a quick bat that have led to some scouts hailing him as the next Manny Ramirez, and first baseman Carlos Pena was the AL Comeback Player of the Year last season. If the Rays find any consistent pitching to go with Scott Kazmir, a young fire-baller himself, watch out.
Daniel: The Chicago White Sox, without a doubt, underachieved last season. But the thing about underachieving teams is that they always have potential to play to their abilities and that's dangerous.
The Sox added Orlando Cabrera to help bring firepower to their offensive attack, which should also help translate into wins. Manager Ozzie Guillen always has some tricks up his sleeve. Don't forget that they were 18 games over .500 in 2006 and won the World Series in 2005. They have the talent and are due for a strong season here in 2008.
Who has disappointed the most at the NCAAs?
Kevin: The selection committee must have been right giving Arizona a 10 seed, because I really thought they'd get past West Virginia and go as far as even the Elite Eight. On paper, the duo of Chase Budinger and super frosh Jerryd Bayless should've given the Wildcats a one-two punch that could play with any team in the nation, and Jordan Hill was emerging as a go-to player on the inside. But for whatever reason, they lacked assertiveness and the team just couldn't put it together. And now, thanks to their first round exit, I can't put my bracket together, either.
Daniel: The team that finished second in the ACC this season with a 28-6 overall record got bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and came within a point of being sent home after the opening game. The Duke Blue Devils came into the Tournament as a No. 2 seed after being ranked amongst the top 10 teams in the country throughout the season only to completely lay an egg when it mattered the most. How could anyone not be disappointed with the earliest top three-seeded team to lose?
Kevin: The Tampa Bay Rays have never had a winning season in franchise history, but that could change thanks to a roster lush in young talent. Carl Crawford is the established leader of the group and a bona-fide All-Star outfielder. His defense is superb, and he may be the fastest player in baseball. Second baseman BJ Upton has flashed a quick bat that have led to some scouts hailing him as the next Manny Ramirez, and first baseman Carlos Pena was the AL Comeback Player of the Year last season. If the Rays find any consistent pitching to go with Scott Kazmir, a young fire-baller himself, watch out.
Daniel: The Chicago White Sox, without a doubt, underachieved last season. But the thing about underachieving teams is that they always have potential to play to their abilities and that's dangerous.
The Sox added Orlando Cabrera to help bring firepower to their offensive attack, which should also help translate into wins. Manager Ozzie Guillen always has some tricks up his sleeve. Don't forget that they were 18 games over .500 in 2006 and won the World Series in 2005. They have the talent and are due for a strong season here in 2008.
Who has disappointed the most at the NCAAs?
Kevin: The selection committee must have been right giving Arizona a 10 seed, because I really thought they'd get past West Virginia and go as far as even the Elite Eight. On paper, the duo of Chase Budinger and super frosh Jerryd Bayless should've given the Wildcats a one-two punch that could play with any team in the nation, and Jordan Hill was emerging as a go-to player on the inside. But for whatever reason, they lacked assertiveness and the team just couldn't put it together. And now, thanks to their first round exit, I can't put my bracket together, either.
Daniel: The team that finished second in the ACC this season with a 28-6 overall record got bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and came within a point of being sent home after the opening game. The Duke Blue Devils came into the Tournament as a No. 2 seed after being ranked amongst the top 10 teams in the country throughout the season only to completely lay an egg when it mattered the most. How could anyone not be disappointed with the earliest top three-seeded team to lose?
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