Flint Township View

Fat Guy’s Corner

Thrashing out the leagues



Jeff Day — Sports Columnist

Jeff Day — Sports Columnist

The Mid-summer Classic has arrived and it’s time to look at the baseball standings like we do every year at this time. Let’s start with the National League. The National League East has the Atlanta Braves leading by a solid six games over the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals. The Phillies are the suprise playing .500 baseball. This division will be decided in September as the Braves and Nats will battle it out. I like the Washington Nationals to win this division. I think they are the more talented baseball team.

The Central Division is an awesome division to watch. The always-tough St. Louis Cardinals are sitting atop the division. No shocker there, really. The shocker is they are in a virtual tie with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yes, the Buccos are 19 games over .500. Why is this siginificant? How about they have not been over .500 since 1992. My math says that’s 21 long, painful years. The streak will be broken, though. I like the Pirates to win the divisison here in 2013. Keep an eye on the Cincinnati Reds, who are only four-and-a-half games out. St. Louis will fade.

The National League West has Gibby’s boys, the snakes from Arizona, in front. The L.A. Dodgers are finally playing decent baseball, as they only trail by two games. The high-payroll Dodgers are supposed to win this division with ease. They have the rookie sensation, Yasiel Puig, capturing the baseball world with his play. L.A. will win the West, as it has the pitching and better talent than the Arizona Diamondbacks. The San Francisco Giants have been a disappointment and can’t hit a lick. No back-to-back World Series for the Giants.

Explain that

The American League East is a division of disarray, in my opinion. The Red Sox and Yankees were supposed to be bottom feeders. The Blue Jays as the division winners?! Oh, how it hasn’t played out that way. The Toronto Blue Birds have stunk and trail by 11-and-ahalf games! Ouuch! The Boston Red Sox are leading the division and I really can’t explain how.

The Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays are in the mix to compete for a division title.

The Rays are the sleeper team to watch here, as they have great pitching. The Yankees are toast and Jeter needs to retire. The Yanks are just old and have zero pitching. Tampa Bay will win this division.

Fading light

The American League West has the young Oakland As leading the Texas Rangers by two games. This A’s team can flat out pitch! Hitting the baseball is another story altogether. I predict Oakland will win the West.

The biggest disappointment is the L.A. Angels, who are a woeful five games under .500 and 11 games out!

The American League Central will be won by the Tigers, make no mistake about that.

The Cleveland Indians have been a great story so far here in 2013. They will fade by mid-August, trust me, because they have pitching issues. Bring on the second half of the baseball season!! Max Scherzer is no longer undefeated. We shall see.

Across the pond

The British Open is this week at Muirfield. The Tiger Woods major-tournament drought will be the talk of the golf world. Tiger has not won a major since 2008 when he won the U.S. Open. Here’s a news flash; he won’t win this weekend either.

I love watching the British Open because it’s on television all day long and comes on early in the morning. My pick to win at Muirfield? Jason Day! Just a hunch I have.

Football training camp is getting closer. I can’t wait. the fatguy@mihomepaper.com.


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