Over the past couple of weeks we’ve collected predictions on the upcoming baseball season from the smartest people we know (our members), the coolest people we know (like Jeff Miller from Caedmon’s Call), and also Andy Osenga.

If you haven’t blocked it out yet, Andy won our NFL Predictions contest this past season despite thinking football is a joke. And he enjoyed his coronation so much he’s back to embarrass us all again on the baseball diamond.

Will it happen? You never know. But in the spirit of making truly asinine predictions (he predicted Sam Madison as NFL MVP last year) Andy has chosen a New York Yankee as his pick to lead the Majors in homers this year. Teixeira? nope. A-Rod? uh-uh. Jorge Posada??? Not even close.

His pick for MLB Home Run king this year is

…wait for it…

…Chien Ming Wang!!!

If you didn’t get a chance to submit your picks for our contest, leave your selections in the comments.

Good luck to everyone this year, should be a great season!

Here at Prayers For Blowouts we love to let our members spout off their opinions on anything and everything.

This week we we asked them for their thoughts on the baseball Hot Stove so far in the 08/09 offseason.

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I was under the impression that the Yankees spent all the money that was allowed to be spent by all MLB clubs combined rendering all other teams incapable of signing any new FA’s.

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What is the MLB?

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The Red Sox will be thankful they didn’t spend 200 million on Teixeira when Lars Anderson is hitting .300 with 30 HR’s annually starting in 2010.

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Ahhh, baseball. Well, my Royals were in the Rafael Furcal hunt before that got all soap-opera-y between the Braves and Dodgers. I’m pretty happy that they didn’t land him. While he would have filled a need at the SS position, last years SS Mike Aviles performed admirably and the team played much better once he was inserted into the everyday starting lineup midseason.

The one that kind of chaps my hide is the Rays signing of Pat Burrell. Now, he’s not much of an outfielder, and the Royals have a glut of DHs with Butler and Jacobs, but 2/$16 seems to be a real bargain, something my Jose-Guillen-contract-hamstrung Royals could even swing. I certainly realize that the Royals have to pay a premium to get free-agents to sign, but still, 2 for $16? That’s it? With a team that is always starved for power, that would have been a nice pickup.

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First thought: I’m glad that I can hate the Yankees once again. I had hoped that they might actually try to develop their farm system instead of using the rest of the MLB as their farm system. My team: I’m not totally sold on the Cardinals’ moves this offseason, but they certainly have some pretty good potential. What they do in the next 4 weeks will be crucial.

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I’m excited about the Indians getting Mark DeRosa from the Cubs–smartest move they’ve made recently. Still concerned about our starting pitching, though.

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I suppose I have to trust that Jim Hendry knows what he’s doing, but there’s a lot of tinkering going on with the Cubs. The signing of Milton Bradley is a good one, though the dude’s name always makes me think of board games. I hate to see Mark DeRosa get traded, though.

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I’m a Red Sox fan, and looking at what the Yankees have been able to do this offseason nearly sickens me. It really feels as if Hank and Hal(even if they are being financially ridiculous) actually give a crap about making their team better. Let’s face it. Josh Bard and Brad Penny are not going to put us over the Yankees and the Devil Rays. I really don’t know what we can do, outside of resigning Manny(which i would love, personally).

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We Yankees fans get trash talk from all the other (jealous) baseball fans when it comes to payroll. I suppose 2009 will be no different.

I’m not yet sold on having CC in the rotation (he’s a great pitcher, but I question how well he’ll do in New York). Other than that, I’m pretty happy with the Yankees moves so far this off-season. One could say that it looks like the Yankees are trying to buy a championship…

It’s understandable that they want a championship for year #1 of the new stadium, but I’d rather see them find depth in their farm system. It’s going to be hard to get the 2009 team to match the teamwork that the teams of the late 90’s had. Hopefully the raw talent they’ve picked up will make a difference. If it doesn’t, well, I’d hate to be Joe Girardi after the season ends.

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Only thoughts on the free agent signings is that I am sad to see the Yankees pick up all of these guys. I am an Orioles fan and they just don’t have a chance in that division, even if they signed several decent free agents before spring training. I really don’t understand why baseball can’t have a salary cap, all the other pro sports have it and it seems to be pretty effective. But the players will never sign off on that just like we’ll never have a playoff in Division I college football.

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I don’t really follow baseball (I’m that guy, sue me), but it is interesting that America continues to be infatuated with large market teams continual attempts to purchase championships.

While a part of the American psyche (Patton’s “America loves a winner” and St. Woody’s “Without winners, there wouldn’t even be any civilization”), as a Christian I wonder how the “win at all costs” fits with Christ’s teachings, especially those about the way we spend our money. Like I said, I’m that guy.

Oh, and I like Albert Pujols, because his name is fun to say.

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Cubs have gone out and signed Milton Bradley this week. I’m quite happy with this, despite having to give up Mr. Every Position, Mark DeRosa. As valuable as DeRo was last year to the Cubs, I just don’t think he’s going to be able to do that again. So now the Cubs have a left handed hitting bat so maybe they can go into the playoffs next year and not suck.

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I’m kinda sad for Manny, mostly because I feel he’s being manipulated by his agent. he needs to take the money that the LA Dodgers are offering him, unless some sadsack AL team throws their entire budget at him in order for him to DH for them. Also, I’m pleasantly surprised that the free agent money being thrown around (outside that spent by the NY Yankees) is relatively down, reflecting the current state of our national economy.

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I’m a Reds fan. I don’t want to talk about it.

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Yankees are mopping up. I wish Ted Tuner still owned the Braves.

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Not that excited about the BoSox signings. Apparently we got a decent set-up man in the bullpen in the coco-crisp trade, and who knows about Penny, could be huge, could be nothing. I’m more excited about the Yankees going berserk and battling them all year long. I really feel like they’ve been the joke of the MLB for a few years now with that payroll and no results, so this only adds to that angle. Pretty sure they now have a 3 quarter billion dollar infield at this point. So foolish.

The one area i’d love to see the Sox go crazy for is a power hitting shortstop, (is there one available, or even one out there anymore?) Lowrie is good, but not great. Not since Nomar’s heyday have we been 100% at that position.

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I’m over baseball at this point. Is it really even fair anymore?

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The Rockies haven’t done much for Free Agents to far this off season. However, we just picked up Jason Marquis from the Cubs. This trade should help the starting rotation this season. The fingers are cross as well as the eyes, toes, and anything else I can cross, we need it.

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I hate the Yankees. I hate the Yankees. I hate the Yankees. As for my favorite team, losing Woody still stings when I picture him in an Indians uniform and trading away Mark DeRosa was definitely not my favorite move (though I might be pulling a little more for the Indians this year). Signing Kevin Gregg didn’t make much sense and I would have rather had the trade for Jake Peavy go down than the signing of the fragile (physically and emotionally) Milton Bradley, even though he did lead the AL in OPS last year..

We’ve got your 2008 MLB Playoff coverage right here…only we’ve got it with a bit of a twist.

Baseball has given us 8 teams ready to play into October, and in return we’re giving you 8 worship leaders that are at the top of their games right now. Who’s going to stand alone as World Champions in a few weeks? Let’s take a look at the contestants:

The Chris Tomlin Angels: The only team in the majors to win 100 games this year is paired with the current king of the CCLI charts. They’re the best right now, but the question is, can they continue the success when it matter most?

The Hillsongs Red Sox: Hard to argue with the recent success of these powerhouses. In the last 5 years they’ve combined for 2 World Series titles and well over 10 CD releases among their many franchises.

The Lincoln Brewster Rays: 2008 might be the best year yet for both of these up and comers. The Rays went from perennial AL East doormat to division champions this year, while Lincoln’s recently released CD, “Today is the Day”, went to #1 in the iTunes Christian section. Are they just happy to be here, or are they focused on winning it all?

The Shane & Shane White Sox: This would have made so much more sense if the Twins would have won the play-in game against the White Sox. Just when I have a great visual gag setup, Ozzie Guillen foils me again.

The Paul Baloche Dodgers: Few teams can combine the historical legacy and current relevance like Paul Baloche and the Dodgers. Paul’s been involved in worship ministry for over 25 years, and the Dodgers have 6 World Series titles under their belt. Besides, don’t you think Paul would look great in Manny Ramirez’s dreads?

The David Crowder Cubs: When you’re trying to break a 100-year drought you have to get a bit unorthodox. Who better to do that than the worship leader with the funky hair and uncanny knack for taking everyday language and using it to glorify God.

The Matt Redman Phillies: The guy who has penned some of the most familiar worship songs of the past 10 years gets paired with the city who hasn’t won a championship in any sport since 1983. If he has his way, the city of Philadelphia will be singing “better is one day with a championship than thousands without one”.

The Desperation Band Brewers: Is the whole greater than the sum of it parts? The Desperation Band consists of Jon Egan, Jared Anderson, and Glenn Packiam, a trio of songwriters with a bright future in the industry. Similarly, the Brewers troika of Sabathia, Braun, and Fielder hope to make some beautiful noise of their own in October.

The brackets are set and the games are ready to begin!

Who do you think has the edge in this battle of congregation leading musicians? Leave your predictions in the comments.

Why is it that we like to make predictions for an upcoming sports season?

To sound smart? To say “told you so” if our guesses turn out to be right? To convince ourselves that our team has what it takes? To me, making predictions is about hope. Not necessarily about the hope of an individual team, just the hope of a new season.

In my opinion, each new sports season is great because it’s like getting your hands on the newest book in your favorite series of books. Major League Baseball has been around for a while, so this year’s book has got to be Volume 158 or something like that. (I’ll let my editor do the research)

(editor’s note: I have no editor)

Those of us who are baseball fans all read the last book that came out in the series called “The 2007 MLB Season”. It was a great book. There were good guys, bad guys, plot twists, historic moments, mysterious events that changed the course of the book (remember those flying midges on Joba Chamberlain’s neck in Cleveland?), and of course, a big finish.

Not everyone loved the way the last book ended of course, but that’s the beauty of a new season. There will be new characters introduced to go along with the ones we love and love to hate (world, meet Evan Longoria), there will be pages of comedy, tragedy, and plenty of moments that inspire (like on Page 1 of this year’s book when Ryan Zimmerman hit a game winning homer in the Nationals brand new park). Inevitably there will be plot twists we never saw coming and ultimately there will be a big ending that maybe, just maybe, will be the one you are hoping for.

With that in mind, I give my predictions for how this book, “The 2008 MLB Season”, will play out. While I’m not a baseball expert, the reality is I’m not much different than Peter Gammons, Jayson Stark, Buster Olney, or Atreyu. They don’t know how this book will end any more than I do. And even though they know the previous books in the series a lot better than I do – seeing as how it’s what they do for a living – in the end we’re all just guessing.

OK, enough with the overworked analogies and Neverending Story pics…here’s how I think this will play out

13 Predictions for 2008

1. The Yankees will win the AL East – do I really think this is going to happen? I don’t know. I’m torn between the Sox and the Yankees. While I’m not sold on Girardi as the right manager for this team, I do think the pinstripers are going to have another monster season at the plate. Cano might win the batting title, Giambi is in a contract year, Matsui and Jeter will be as solid as ever, and A-Rod will probably put up MVP numbers again. Most folks think it will come down to their young arms, and I tend to agree. So I guess what I’m saying is that Joba, Phil, and Ian might all be the real deal.

2. The Mets will win the NL East – Without Santana I’d be picking the Phillies or Braves here, but Johan will be strong in September when they need him most.

3. The Diamondbacks and Angels win the Wests – I see the Rockies regressing, and I don’t see the Mariners living up to the hype. If the Big Unit (worst.nickname.ever.) can get healthy and give the D-Backs 12-15 quality starts, he’ll be a great compliment to Haren and Webb. Over in Seattle, I’m with the chorus of experts who think the M’s won’t score enough runs to keep pace with the Angels.

4. Ryan Howard will lead the NL in homers this year – rounding out the top 5 will be Ryan Braun, Adam Dunn, Alfonso Soriano, and Matt Holliday. In the AL it will be A-Rod, Manny, Carlos Pena, Miguel Cabrera. and Big Papi who make up the top 5.

5. The Cubs will win the NL Central - and it has nothing to do with the 100-year anniversary thing. I’d consider picking the Reds as a sleeper over the Brewers to keep it close, but my buddy Geof would probably kill me. This is the one pick that most experts seem to agree on, which is probably bad news for the Cubs.

6. The Houston Astros will finish in the bottom 3 of their division – I only add this to the list because Cliff Young and Jeff Miller of Caedmon’s Call were adamant with me last month that the Astros had a shot at winning their division. I think they’ve been smoking some of their 40 Acres.

7 – The worst record in baseball will belong to the Orioles – Not only are they bad, but the rest of the division is great. I’m not as high on the Blue Jays as many are, but I’m predicting the Orioles will fare no better than a 6-13 record against any of their division foes this year.

8. The Tigers will not win their division - But they will win the AL Wild Card. Their lineup is great, and so is Verlander. But Bonderman, Willis, Rogers, and Robertson? I’m not ready to write them in for 100 wins yet. I’m going with the Indians in the AL Central, but I think it’ going to be close. These two teams might finish 1-2 record-wise in the AL.

9. The Cy Young awards will go to Santana and Halladay – I like Roy and Johan to win 21 games each and walk away with some hardware. I was tempted to pick Kazmir in the AL, but his recent elbow issues scared me off.

10. The final playoff spots will be won by the Phillies and Tigers – the fightins’ will hold off the Dodgers and Braves for the Wild Card, and the Tigers will eliminate the Red Sox in the last week of the season.

11. The Yankees and Indians will meet in the ALCS – The Yankees will out-hit the Tigers and the Indians will out-everything the Angels to meet in the ALCS. Without the midges, I think the Yankees will come out on top.

12. The Diamondbacks and Cubs will face off in the NLCS – Unless the Mets can figure out how to clone Johan this summer, they will fall to the D-Backs in 6 games. Same goes for the Phillies, who will wish they had a few more Cole Hamels when they lose to the Cubs. I like the Cubs to take care of business in the NLCS, not because I think they have a better club than the D-Backs, but because I have no desire to see a Yankees-Diamondbacks matchup in the World Series.

13. The Yankees will beat the Cubs in the World Series – If you think this whole thing was me trying to jinx the Yankees, you’re crazy. (not that I would complain if that happened). I just think Jeter, Posada, and company have one more title run in them before they start to fade into Bolivian. I hope I’m wrong. Wicked wrong.

OK, one more creepy Neverending Story pic.

Falcor says, “Enjoy Opening Day, everyone!”

(I originally posted this piece on my personal blog)

With the Colorado Rockies one of only four teams left in the MLB playoffs, and the media looking for storylines in a completely unglamorous NLCS, you can bet that the Rockies’ organization is going to be getting some attention for the way they run their ball club.

It’s already started actually. Will at Deadspin has a new post up today referencing this article from the UK rag, The Independent.  And of course, there’s the article from USA Today in June of 2006 when shed the first national light on the values and beliefs that permeate the Rockies organization from top to bottom.

According to the articles, the Rockies’ CEO, General Manager, President, Manager, and many players all profess to be Christians.  They have clubhouse rules that are a bit more strict than other clubs: No nudie mags, no obscenity-drenched music, and no sacrificing of small woodland creatures to Beelzebub in this locker room.

How is their faith coming across in interviews and articles? I’ve heard worse, that’s for sure. But there were a few things bothered me. For instance, CEO Charlie Monfort said:

“I don’t want to offend anyone, but I think character-wise we’re stronger than anyone in baseball. Christians, and what they’ve endured, are some of the strongest people in baseball. I believe God sends signs, and we’re seeing those.”

When you have to qualify a statement with “I don’t want to offend anyone” it usually means you’re about to offend someone.  The notion that Christians as a people group have endured things that make the Rockies the strongest team in baseball? I’m not really sure what that means, but I’m guessing African-Americans might take umbridge with that statement. What exactly have they endured?

And consider this: even before the Rockies’ finished the season with that amazing run 14 wins in 15 games, their GM Dan O’ Dowd said,

“You look at some of the games we’re winning. Those aren’t just a coincidence. God has definitely had a hand in this.”

I always cringe a bit when i hear team’s suggest that God has had a hand in their winning of games. While I believe God is capable of intervening, and while I believe He does have a hand in our lives more than we probably know, to say that He was helping your team win and the other lose reeks of piety and arrogance to me. I know the statements are meant to give God glory for something they feel he is doing, but they almost never come across as intended. To me, it’s always better to thank God for your talent and opportunity to play and to leave it at that, but what do i know?

That said, I have never agreed with the logic that The Independent uses in a tongue-in-cheek manor to suggest that God wouldn’t intervene in a baseball game because there are more important things to deal with:

“Anyone who fancies the Almighty has better things to do than determine the outcome of baseball games might want to consider just what the Rockies have achieved.”

The notion that God has “better things to do” suggests that he is capable of doing a limited number of things at one time. While I don’t claim to know more about God than anyone else, I don’t think God is up there saying, “Gee, I’d love to help the Christian Rockies win that game tonight but it’s #4,767,809 on my list of important things to do and I’m stuck here on #3 and I keep wasting time reading my email.”

I don’t think God acts in situations based on how important we think they are, and I don’t think He acts in situations based on how tied up He is with other things. I think He does what He does, and we can’t even pretend to understand the how’s and why’s.

It will be interesting to see how much play the faith of the Rockies’ gets over the next week or two. We’ll be sure to pass along everything we hear.

(h/t: Deadspin.com)