Baseball season is almost upon us, and like much of America, I could not be happier. With the National Football League off-season looking more and more like a complete labor disaster and the National Hockey League literally beating the hell out of each other (thanks, Pittsburgh and New York), I’m ready for some good old fashioned athletic competition.
With the arrival of Cliff Lee in Philadelphia and the Boston’s acquisition of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, the baseball off-season has given countless fans of two of baseball’s storied franchises something to look forward to.
The Philadelphia Phillies now have arguably one of the most dominant pitching rotations in baseball history. Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt lead the rotation. Among these four individuals there are two Cy Young Award winners and one World Series MVP.
If there is one line-up in major league baseball that is built for competing with the Phillies’ all-star rotation, it is the line-up of the Boston Red Sox. Crawford and Gonzalez give the Red Sox a combination of power and speed, which makes the Sox an incredibly versatile baseball team. Keep in mind, this is a line-up which already contains the likes of former American League MVP Dustin Pedroia and third baseman Kevin Youkilis.
Despite these impressive additions, it should be noted that the defending champion San Francisco Giants will be returning to the field with pretty much the same team they won it all with last year.
There is no reason to believe that starting pitcher Tim Lincecum won’t be as dominant this year as he has been in the past. The loss of infield veteran Edgar Renteria may hurt their line-up but there is still no reason to believe they can’t compete for another title.
As far as the defending AL champion Texas Rangers are concerned, the loss of Lee to the Phillies may profoundly alter their pitching staff but their line-up still looks to be one of the most powerful in the league containing the likes of designated hitter Michael Young and outfielder Josh Hamilton.
As for Cleveland fans, although the Indians did not make any major off-season moves a healthy lineup with the likes of Shin-Soo Choo and the possible return of Grady Sizemore gives Cleveland a shot in a weak AL Central Division.
Even though baseball has been overshadowed for years by the power and prestige of the NFL, this new season and the current labor woes of the NFL have created the perfect opportunity for Americ
a’s attention to be drawn back to the sport of baseball. Labor stoppages have had a rough history for professional athletics and they often result in fans moving away for particular sports. This is something Major League Baseball knows all too well from the labor strikes of the early 1990s.
If the league plays its cards right and the NFL continues to sink into the trap of labor disagreement, baseball may begin to step away from the shadow of steroids and into the hearts of American fans. It has been a long time since Baseball truly was America’s pastime and with a little help from the NFL Players Association it may be once again.