a6 page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Sunday, April 7, 1985 A Bostonian's dream: Sox to finish first, Yanks in the cellar By SCOTT G. MILLER C Baseball prognosticators have become too scientific and too serious in their prediction processes. Computers and other mechanical aides just can't judge the intangibles that are involved in the sport of baseball. What then is needed to ac- curately forecast divisional races? Emotion. Emotion plays a large role in baseball, so why not use it in making predictions. Keeping this in mind, here are the predictions straight from the heart. 1. Boston Red Sox. On the way to the Celtics game against the Pistons last week, a fellow Daily sports writer told me he hated the city of Boston and that everyone he knew from Boston is arrogant. Call this selection Boston arrogance if you like, but I have not been this excited about a Red Sox team since the great choke of 1978 when the Sox lost a 14-game lead and then succumbed to the Yankees in a one- game playoff. Led by Tony Armas (43 homers. 123 RBIs), Jim Rice (28 homers, 122 RBIs), and Dwight Evans (32 homers, 104 RBIs) the Sox have the best outfield both offen- sively and defensively in the major leagues. Add to the offense third baseman Wade Boggs-a .344 career hitter and designated hitter Mike "the hitman" Easler (27 homers, 91 RBIs) the Sox will be smashing balls into and over the Green Mon- ster in Fenway Park all season. Pitching or lack of it has always been the Red Sox major problem, but this year should be different. If the youthful starting rotaton of Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, phenom Roger Clemens, Al Nipper and Bruce Hurst reach their potential, the Sox will dominate. Lefty Bob Ojeda last week was moved to the bullpen to join relief ace Bob Stanley. This maneuver, if it succeeds, could form the best righty-lefty relief combination in the big leagues. 2. Toronto Blue Jays. This may be the Blue Jays' year. The 1977 expansion team has patiently built a contender. Last year the Jays finished in second place and could have easily won any other division in baseball. The bullpen was the Jays' major problem in the 1984 campaign. To improve that situation the team traded for relievers Bill Caudill (88 saves in the last three seasons) and Gary Lavelle. The cost of the trades was high however, as the Jays lost shortstop Alfredo Grif- fin, outfielder Dave Collins, and starting pitcher Jim Gott. But the starting lineup remains strong with outfielders Lloyd Moseby and George Bell, first baseman Willie Unshaw, second baseman Damaso Garcia, and slick fielding rookie shor- stop Tony Fernandez, Dave Steib is one of the best starters around, and if the bullpen performs to expectations, the Jays could be the team to beat. 3. Detroit Tigers. Sorry Tiger :fans. It was too easy for the Tigers last season. A 35-5 start virtually assured Sparky's boys the division crown. This season it will be much more difficult as everyone shoots to dethrone the defending World Champions. Complacency is an ugly word in spor- ts,Tand the Tigers will experience a lot of it because almost every starter has A L I been signed to a lucrative long term contract. Complacency will be a big factor in the performance of MVP and Eh a st 1Cy Young award winner Willie Hernan- _~ .dez. He will not have the drive to repeat his, incredible 1984 showing (32 saves, 1.92 ERA). Hernandez had the year of his life, but a more than likely average 1985 campaign won't be enough to keep the Tigers in contention. The Tigers have as much talent as any team, Kirk Gibson should play with in- spiration. The former Michigan State star signed a one year contract which means he should have a good season to improve his bargaining position. The starting pit- ching looks good with 19 game winner Jack Morris, 18 game winner Dan Petry, and newcomer Walt Terrell. Up the middle the Tigers are the strongest in the East with catcher Lance Parrish, second baseman Lou Whitaker, shortstop Alan Trammell, and center fielder Chet Lemon. Third base is a definite weakness with the Whitaker switch over experiment a failure. Rookie Chris Pittaro will be the next) guinea pig to try the position. Sparky Anderson will have his work cut out for him this season. The Tigers will not have the same mental edge they had last year, and in the AL East this means certain defeat. 4. Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles should improve slightly on their fifth place finish last season. Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray's run production last year dropped 118 from the O's championship year of 1983. To remedy the situation the Orioles signed free agents Lee Lacy and Fred Lynn so that teams cannot pitch around Ripken and Murray. These signings could prove disasterous for the nor- mally stingy Orioles. Lacy is in his old age, and Fred "showboat" Lynn has not done anything since his departure from Boston. The Orioles cornerstone has always been excellent pitching. The staff will be good in 1985, but not outstanding. The O's don't have as much pitching depth as they have had in the past. The starters, Mike Boddicker (AL's only 20 game win- ner), Scott McGregor, Storm Davis, and Mike Flanagan (out for half the season with a torn Achilles tendon), are strong. However, the bullpen is a question mark. 5. Milwaukee Brewers. Is there a doctor in the house? Unless pitchers Pete Vuckovich and Rollie Fingers, shortstop Robin Young (may play in the outfield), and third baseman Paul Molitor find miraculous cures for their ailments, Milwaukee fans will suffer through another long season. 6. Cleveland Indians. The city of Cleveland should be renamed Loserville, U.S.A. for sports franchises. When has Cleveland ever had a decent sports team? The Indians improved last season, but the team is still a joke. Starting pitcher Bert Blyleven is outstanding. After Blyleven can anyone name another Indians' pitcher?/ Manager Pat Corrales has some good young talent to develop. Youngsters like third baseman Brook Jacoby, shortstop Julio Franco, catcher Jerry Willard and outfielders Joe Carter, Brett Butler and Mel Hall form a great nucleus for the future, but knowing the Indians somehow these players will turn out like Joe Char- boneau. 7. New York Yankees. Where else would a diehard Red Sox fan place the Yankees? Even if they don't finish last, it's great to think they could come in seven- th place. Seriously, the Bronx Bombers are a tough team to figure for 1985. They could even challenge for the division crown, a thought that repulses me. The Yankees surprisingly had the best record in baseball, 51-29, after the all-star break last season despite the usual circus atmosphere in the clubhouse and rumors that the manager would be fired. With a batting order of newly acquired base thief Ricky Henderson, Willie Ran- dolph, AL batting champion Don Mattingly, Dave, Winfield, Don Baylor and Ken Griffey, the team will have the firepower that could make it a contender. Another strength of the team is Dave Righetti's successful transition to the bullpen last year (31 saves) that made Yankees fans forget Goose Gossage. Yogi Berra's problem will be his senior citizen starting pitching. Phil Niekro was sensational last season. But at 46 years old, can he defy nature for another campaign? Starters Ron Guidry, 34 years old, and John Montefusco, soon to be 35 years old, are not getting any younger. The Yankees are looking for a big perfor- mance from free agent Ed Whitson who was 14-8 with the Padres last year. Leave it to demented owner George Steinbrenner to sign a very mediocre pitcher to a. huge contract that is undeserved. Easler ... to tame the Green Monster Caudill ... Jay's new addition Daily Photo by DARR IAN SMITH Now playig in center field.. . Yesterday's baseball action, captured here, was not exactly what the fans had in mind. The games against Indiana were postponed until today and tomorrow, due to the poor field conditions and inclement weather. SPORTS OF THE DAILY: Men netters dumped in doubles, fallto0NU, - Hernandez ... due for a fall Special to the Daily EVANSTON - Many tennis fans are only concerned with the results of singles competition, but Northwestern proved to Michigan Friday night that the doubles matches are just as impor- tant. Michigan led 4-2 after the six singles matches, but dropped all three doubles matches and the Wildcats won, 5-4. The Wolverines took all of the last three singles matches. Playing in the fourth slot, John Royer beat Marco Wen, 7-6, 6-2. Number five Brad Koontz defeated Scott Bindley, 6-1, 6-3, and six- th singles player Franz Geiger came from behind to knock off Dan Christian, 4-6,6-3,7-6. BUT IT WAS downhill from there. Michigan's Jim Sharton and Ed Filer fell to Northwestern's Danny Weiss and Martin Hampe, 4-6, 4-6. The Wildcat team of Dave Kabiller and Mike Krebs beat Wolverines Jon Morris and Royer, 6-4, 6-2, and Christian teamed with Eric Smith to defeat Tomas Anderson and Jed Hakken in the deciding match, 6-4, 6-2. Sharton, Michigan's top player, easily won his singles match over Hampe, 6-3, 6-2. The Wolverines' second singles man, Morris, dropped straight sets to Weiss, 6-3, 6-3. North- western's Mike Krebs dumped Filer in third singles competition, 7-6, 6-1. The Wolverines are in action again this morning at Iowa. Softballers split Special to the Daily EVANSTON - Making use of a crucial Northwestern error the Michigan softball team managed to out manuever the Wildcats, 1-0, in the 12th inning of the second game of the squad's Big Ten opener. The winning Wolverine run came on a Wildcat over- throw to third and gave the team a split with Northwestern, which was the Big Ten champions last year and was nationally ranked. In the first game of yesterday's doubleheader, Michigan had no runs on one hit and one error, losing the game 4- 0. Northwestern's big inning was the sixth, when a two run homer by Karen Lamke enabled Northwestern to move ahead 3-0. PITCHING for the Wildcats was last years Big Ten MVP and All-American Lisa Ishikawa who improved her record to 6-2, while Michigan's Michelle Bolster took the loss, dropping to 2-4. The second game wont much better for the Wolverines, who managed the 1- 0 win, highlighted by the batting ability of Alicia Seegert. The sophomore from Manchester finished the day with a double and two singles. The lone run didn't come until the 12th inning, when Northwestern's defensive play left them flat. After a single and a bunt, Michigan was left with Vicki Morrow at third and Linda Allen at second, when a suicide bunt by Mari Foster was thrown away by Northwestern enabling Morrow to score. Traccsters place a Austin Special to the Daily AUSTIN - Vince Bean placed the highest for Michigan as he finished seventh in the long jump yesterday while competing for the Wolverine men's track team in the Texas Relays at Austin, Texas. Bean jumped 24'2 3l", and track coach Jack Harvey was pleased with his performance. "It was a good meet for Bean. We were expecting to see him jump well and he did," said Harvey. "This meet was the first competition Blyleven ... Tribe's bright spot Righetti ... Goose who? 40 it Reds bounce Tigers,3-I Sharton .. singles win not enough __1__I THIS WEEK'S SPECIALS - -- WHITE MARKET LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Jay Tibbs scattered four hits in seven innings, helping the Cincinatti Reds to a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers in an exhibition game yesterday. Cincinnati, is 14-12 in exhibition play. Detroit is 17-13. THE REDS scored twice in the first inning as Detroit star- ter Milt Wilcox walked in two runs. Wilcox walked four bat- ters in the game, all in the first inning. He also allowed four hit and struck out two.- The Reds got their final run off Wilcox in the sixth inning when, with two out, Duane Walker doubled and scored on Nick Esasky's single. Detroit got its only run in the second inning off Tibbs when Larry Herndon scored on a throwing error by Red's second baseman Ron Oester. The Tigers also announced their final two roster cuts. First baseman Mike Laga and shortstop Doug Baker were op- Bradley, who entered the game in the seventh inning, was 2-2 with five RBI. Omar Moreno, Willie Randolph, Henry Cot- to and Mike Pagliarulo each had two hits for the Yankees while Don Baylor hit his fourth home run of the spring. The Orioles took a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning with the help of a bases-loaded double by Dan Ford and was an RBI double by Cal Ripken. Seattle 5, Cleveland 4 TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Pat Casey homered and singled, driving in two runs, and Danny Tartabull singled in two more yesterday to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 5-4-exhibition baseball victory over the Cleveland Indians. Seattle, 12-15, jumped on Cleveland starter Vern Ruhle, 2-3, for three first-inning runs on Tartabull's two-run single and Casey's RBI single.