MLB

Since pitchers and catchers reported to Mesa in February of 2004, every year has had hype of that being the year the Cubs break the curse. The year, they finally get all the stars aligned just right, get a huge amount of help from Lady Luck, and hoist the World Series trophy.

I recently posted that I believe the Arizona Diamondbacks will take the NL West with 88-plus wins in 2010.

Well, that wasn’t just a bunch of silly nonsense that I predicted just because I like Justin Upton (even though I do). I truly believe the D’Backs are the team to beat in 2010.

My reasoning? Well, position for position, I think they have more talent.

So let’s indulge ourselves for a little bit. Here are my breakdowns in the NL West in 2010.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a fascinating history, however short it may be.

When they played their inaugural season in 1998, owner Jerry Colangelo had a sole purpose, to win the World Series, and he wanted it soon.

Unlike their fellow expansion team, the Tampa Bay Rays, who were owned by Vince Naimoli and struggled for most of their existence, Colangelo financially supported the team from the beginning and his dedication led them to their eventual championship in the 2001 season.

The Boston Red Sox came so close but they failed to make it past the ALDS by losing to the Angels in the first round of last year’s playoffs. However, it was an up and down year for the Sox that saw them finish with a 95-67 record.

The Baltimore Orioles are looking to make a run in the AL East or at least trying to improve on their past seasons. Last year the Orioles finished dead last in the AL East with a 64-98 record, worse than their 2008 season. Already this season they started off losers by not signing Matt Holliday and letting go long-time third baseman Melvin Mora.

On Aug. 31, 1961, the Detroit Tigers trailed the first-place New York Yankees by a mere one and one-half games, but by just a single game in the all-important loss column.

With the passage of time, it is often forgotten that the great 1961 Yankees were in a torrid pennant race with the Tigers most of the season.

1. Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox were humbled last postseason after getting swept in the ALDS by the Angels, and now they're determined to take back the throne.

The Red Sox improved their already great pitching staff by signing John Lackey to a five year, $80 million contract.  

They now have Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Clay Buchholz in their rotation. Tim Wakefield and Junichi Tazawa provide excellent depth and insurance.  

Put on your slippers and get your baseball stats book ready. Dust off the remote control and get ready for endless channel surfing through spring training games as you try to get a leg up on your competition. That's right, April is just around the corner and so is fantasy baseball season.

Of course, the goal of any fantasy baseball GM is to draft only the best players from each MLB team in order to secure their own fantasy baseball title. Sometimes championships are decided by how many saves a closer gets a fantasy GM (See K-Rod, 2008) .

With Spring Training in full swing for the Red Sox, the fun (and drama) can really begin.

After an off-season full of wheeling and dealing, Boston found itself with more players than it knew what to do with. Now, many of the long-time Sox players will slowly be pushed out of their starting jobs, and things could get very awkward.

The ability to hit 25 Home Runs in one season is a special skill. The ability to steal 25 bases in one season is a skill just as special. The ability to do both is exceptionally rare and is a talent that can not be ignored or denied. However players like these somehow find a way to fly under the radar.

But how?

How could a player with such rare skills be passed on so long in a fantasy baseball draft?