We’re back………

26goingon27 is back with a ton of new features and, hopefully, fresher and more frequently updated content.

First, the new content:

1. We have a new man on the street who will be contributing to the site. As of right now, his identity cannot be revealed, but he is a frequent attendee of home and away games and will be offering a unique insight into the psyche of Yankee fans.
2. We are going to have more photos from the games and of the fans. We are also going to set up a Flickr account that will allow readers to post up pics from games or anything Yankee related. These photos should be anything a real fan would enjoy, from a Red Sox fan getting hit by a car to a burnt piece of toast that resembles Derek Jeter, feel free to add them to the pool. They will be included in our Flickr Feed or to accompany posts or because the photos just that good and they get highlighted. http://www.flickr.com/groups/26-goingon-27/
3. We’re going to respond to one reader post a week – so Red Sox and Met fans prepare to feel the pain.
4. We are introducing the Minky award in honor of our favorite punching bag Doug Mientkiewicz. Each week we are going to select the player, writer, announcer who shits the bed the most and give him a bloggified tar and feathering – should be fun for the kids.
5. The new mission statement: This is a very pro-Yankee site, while we will attempt to be objective we are first and foremost Yankee fans and make no apologies for it. While we hope that readers will find a fresh and unique perspective on this site, we also want readers to know that we think Shelly Duncan is the best player ever, Jorge Posada is a potential Hall of Famer, that Phil Hughes and Joba will be competing for Cy Young awards for the next ten years, Derek Jeter and Mo Rivera are gods amongst men, and that A-Rod actually deserves the money he’s getting paid.

Now, our predictions

AL East

1. NY Yankees – duh
2. Boston Red Sox – This team is over-hyped. The pitching is thin (Josh Beckett is already hurting, Curt Schilling is out, Dice-K is inconsistent, Jon Lester walks too many hitters and Clay Bucholz is unproven, although Tim Wakefield remains the man as the only Red Sock who gets the 26goingon27 seal of approval), their three best hitters David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Mike Lowell while dangerous are old, and until I see otherwise Jacoby Ellsbury is Juan Pierre with a better eye, not an MVP candidate.
3. Tampa Bay Rays – They’re young, they’re oozing with talent, the offense could be scary and for the first time they have pitchers who can get hitters out – Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza (plus their minors are loaded with arms). They did however remove the word Devil from their name, and pissing off the devil could earn them a demotion to 4^th place.
4. Toronto Blue Jays – this team bores the shit out of us. I can’t think of one player Blue Jay, other than AJ Burnett, who I’d pay to see. They could win 90 games and I still won’t care – you shouldn’t either.
5. Baltimore Orioles – MLB should be like English Soccer, with the worst 3 teams demoted to the minors each season. The Orioles would be a double A team.

AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers – This team is going to score a ton of runs. Justin Verlander might win the Cy Young with Johan in the NL, Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis are decent, Jeremy Bonderman could finally live up to the hype, and besides, they could all have ERAs in the high-4s and win 15-20 games because of the offense. Although the bullpen makes me nervous, and the lineup is mostly on the wrong side of 30, they should win the Central.
2. Cleveland Indians – They simply didn’t do enough in the off-season to improve the few holes they had. They should still win 90 games though.
3. Chicago White Sox – Just because KC has no pitching and the Twins have no hitting. This team is old, injury prone, and has no pitching depth, but if Paul Konerko, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye remain healthy they will score runs.
4. Kansas City Royals – still 2 years away, even if Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, and Zach Grienke bust out this year. However, given what a train wreck this organization has been for the last ten years, those 3 guys are cause to rejoice for this moribund franchise.
5. Minnesota Twins – this team can’t hit. Justin Morneau could hit 45 homeruns and not drive in 100 runs. Plus, I love how they have no money for the best starter in baseball, Johan Santana, but just signed their closer, Joe Nathan, to a big time contract.

AL West - This whole division blows, but here goes.

1. Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels - The Angels suck and Mike Sciosca is a fat whinny fuck – there I said it. I absolutely loathe every member of this team, except Vlad and Howie Kendrick, and have no way to rationally evaluate this team. But here goes, their two best pitchers, Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey, are hurt, they sign free agent centerfielders like its going out of style, and they think they’re fans are dumb enough to root for them because they added Los Angeles to their name – come on, not even Californians are that dumb – all that adds up to 1^st place in the AL West and another first round playoff exit.
2. Seattle Mariners – Seattle is my second favorite city in the world, the food is great, the city itself is beautiful, the people are nice and the coffee and beer are flavorful. So going on that, they are the second best team in the AL West. No, they should finish second because Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard are both nasty, JJ Putz is great, and the AL West is terrible – they’d finish no higher than 4^th in the East or Central.
3. Oakland Athletics – I have a sneaking suspicion the A’s could surprise people. This could be the year Rich Harden is healthy, Joe Blanton is solid, as is Huston Street. Mark Ellis is criminally overlooked, Daric Barton can hit, though the outfield is awful. To be clear when I say surprise people, I mean approach 80 wins.
4. Texas Rangers – see the Orioles comment, these guys should be relegated too.