Well, it\'s not a nervous breakdown, but anyone who engages in hyperbole which suggests the Mets would be swept by any AL team (i.e. the Royals, who recently posted their own sweep against one faltering squad) is clearly nervous. So to put everybody at ease, I will now briefly \'break down\' the strengths and weaknesses of a few of baseball\'s best teams, and hopefully, steer this thread towards legitimate baseball discussion. No really, it\'s my pleasure.
Rivera and their lineup alone make the Yankees a contender. Their starting pitching isn\'t great, and you have to worry about Johnson, but it\'s still better than a lot of teams. They\'re in first place despite missing two of their key offensive components. They\'re one of the AL\'s frontrunners and can make a case to win it all, as much as that would sicken me.
Detroit may have the best pitching in baseball. They also hit a ton and have a renewed attitude with playoff-savvy Jim Leyland as their manager. The same people who say they\'re not for real are the same people who said this about the White Sox last year.
Speaking of the White Sox, I personally don\'t think their starting pitching will hold up, but like the Yankees, their dominating closer in Jenks and their slugging offense makes them contenders. And let\'s not forget, they are defending World Series champions, having swept the Red Sox along that path.
And yes, the Red Sox. Well, Beckett gives up five homers a night, Papelbon can\'t save every game, and Wells bleeds vanilla pudding. Their pitching is extremely suspect, but then again, if you looked at their roster at the start of the season, you already knew that. Unfortunately, their lineup makes them contenders, especially considering the mediocrity of most other team\'s pitching. That said, I stick by my preseason prediction that they will not make the playoffs.
The Mets are as balanced as any team in baseball, featuring starters with a wealth of postseason experience, a solid closer, tons of speed, and a lineup to be feared. They\'re clearly the favorite to emerge from the NL and are as strong a World Series contender as is there is in the game. Their record and domination of their division cannot be dismissed despite the weakness of the NL.
The Cardinals likely represent the best threat to knock off the Mets, but their pitching is lacking and their offense seems to be down a notch from previous seasons.
World Series Prediction: Mets over Yankees
