Baseball 2006 – Which Teams Will Earn Their Tickets to the World Series

Eighty-six years after the infamous “Black Sox” scandal, the Chicago White Sox are again the champions of baseball, while the game is again on the verge of disgrace. The BALCO hearings in 2005 brought to light the rampant steroid abuse in the major leagues, a problem that many people suspected for years. Fans once cheered as seemingly insurmountable records were toppled by seemingly superhuman players. Now they are jeering the exploits of these juiced-up antiheroes.

At the center of the controversy is Barry Bonds, the 41 year-old San Francisco Giant who needs only six home runs to eclipse Babe Ruth’s lifetime total, and 48 to surpass Hank Aaron as baseball’s home run king. A book called “Game of Shadows” thoroughly details allegations of Bonds’ steroid use. While he may or may not break the home run record, his legacy looks to be clouded in controversy. Some feel that Bonds should be erased from the record books. Others feel that an asterisk should be placed next to his name. Still others claim that his records should stand no matter what, and are rooting for him to overtake Aaron’s legendary mark.

One long-standing record that many fans do hope will fall is the Chicago Cubs’ World Series drought. It has been 98 years since the most popular team in the Windy City won baseball’s biggest prize. Heartbreak has been the byword in recent seasons, with the legion of Cubbies fans watching in horror as their team implodes again and again in the playoffs. This year’s team has a great deal of promise, with a strong pitching staff anchoring the squad. The National League Central Division should be decided between the Cubs and the Houston Astros, who lost to the Chicago White Sox in last season’s World Series.

As baseball’s defending champions, the White Sox will fancy their chances of retaining the title. They have only gotten stronger in the off-season, adding Javier Vazquez and Jim Thome to an already-dominant squad. A potent pitching staff should shut down other teams with little trouble, while Thome, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye offer plenty of pop at the plate. The White Sox may not be the most popular team in their own city, but they’re still the best team in the league and should prove it again this season.

Two other teams expecting to challenge for the World Series will renew their legendary rivalry again this year. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have already sparred in spring training, with the number of hit batsmen on the rise even before the start of the regular season. The Yankees are a long way from their glory days on the 1990s. Ever since Arizona Diamondback Luis Gonzalez hit a game-winning single in the 2001 World Series, New York has not been the force that they once were. The Red Sox, on the other hand, broke their championship jinx by winning the World Series in 2004, beating the Yankees in an historic series en route. While the Toronto Blue Jays look capable of pushing their wealthier rivals, the safe money is on the Yankees and Red Sox taking the playoff spots.

Anticipated Final Standings:

Champions:
Chicago White Sox

Runners-Up:
Chicago Cubs

National League

East
Atlanta Braves
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
Florida Marlins

Central
Chicago Cubs
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates
Milwaukee Brewers

West
San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
Colorado Rockies

American League

East
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Central
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers

West
Seattle Mariners
Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Texas Rangers