OUT WEST...

It has been an interesting off-season in the national league west. Through the trades, and signings the Los Angeles Dodgers are head of the class. The Dodgers did a deluxe job in executing their off-season plans on strengthening the roster. They acquired the ace pitcher that the starting rotation has been lacking by signing Jason Schmidt, and solidifying the outfield spots with Luis Gonzalez, and Juan Pierre. They did fail to bring in a power bat, but there is still time for dealin', and wheelin'. The San Francisco Giants did a nice job in shoring up the rotation. They brought on board Barry Zito (my favorite ball player), Bengie Molina, Dave Roberts, and Ryan Klesko. These are all solid moves, but by no mans does it put them over the top. The San Diego Padres began the off-season by losing a steady presence in Bruce Bochy. The Padres rebounded, and brought in Greg Maddux, Marcus Giles, and Kevin Kouzmanoff. All in all, nothing special. This team reeks middle of the road team. The Arizona Diamond Backs started the off-season by changing their colors, as they got tired making Mr. Blackwell's worst dressed list. As for roster moves, its all about Randy Johnson. That's all they have been able to do. But this is not Randy Johnson from three years ago. This is an aging power pitcher with a back problem. The D'backs should start making vacation plans by June. Then there are the Colorado Rockies, who have been rebuilding since 1995. Not much is expected from them, although they have a number of good young players like, Matt holiday, Brad Hawpe, Garret Atkins, and Jeff Francis. The Dodgers should win the division comfortably. But then again, this is baseball, and anything can happen.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!