It's baseball season, and for me, it couldn't have come at a better time. This is the best time of the year. You have March Madness, beginning of baseball season, and Wrestle Mania. Yeah, I said it.

 

As you get ready for the baseball season, you have to think about some of the things you expect to see. I'm not just talking about the things you will see in Baltimore with the Orioles. I'm looking at MLB as a whole.

 

Here's my look at the season from each division's standpoint:

 

American League East

The New York Yankees are still the best team in the League, as far as we know. I have to admit, I have my doubts about the Yankees. Johnny Damon is no longer a great player, if he ever was, but I'm not sure if Curtis Granderson can produce the numbers Damon did last year. Not only that, but World Series MVP Hideki Matsui moved on as well. That's a lot to overcome, in one year, for one team.

 

The Boston Red Sox are potentially a third place team. Now, they have one of the better minor league organizations in the game, and could parlay that into some bats down the stretch. Mike Cameron is NOT going to be an adequate replacement for the departing Jason Bay, and their defense could take a hit with the older Cameron playing center field instead of the, sometimes shaky, Jacoby Ellsbury.

 

I get it, Boston may have the best pitching, from top to bottom, in baseball, but that's what we heard last year too, and they finished in second in the East. Their line-up is not what it was last year, and they will not be as good.

 

The team to look out for in the first half will be the Tampa Bay Rays. They can really do well before the All-Star break, but if they don't extend their better players, they could end up trading their way out of contention. It all depends on their place in the standings.

 

The most improved team will be the Baltimore Orioles, while the team that has the biggest fall will be the Toronto Blue Jays. Look for them to lose 12-15 games in the win column. Look for the O's to do the opposite.

 

Rob Long