Newsday's 2007 Baseball Preview

Jim Baumbach: Bookmark this Web gem

So where do you get your news these days? It's OK. You can admit it. We already know what most of you are going to say, anyway. It's the Internet, not the newspaper. Don't be ashamed. The world is changing, and you're on board with it.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

NL East: Phillies vs. Mets

This division stands out not for its elite teams, which are pretty darn good, but for its weakest link. Wow, do the Nationals figure to be awful.

AL East: Yankees and Red Sox continue their quest for dominance

Is there any tougher location in baseball than The Rivalry's neighborhood? Year after year, the Blue Jays (fully), Orioles (sort of) and Devil Rays (not really) attempt to upend their rich, talented division mates, the Yankees and Red Sox. Last year, the Jays actually finished in second place, one game ahead of the Red Sox. But that won't happen again.

AL Central: Tigers are class of a competitive division

Remember when the Indians used to pick on the rest of the AL Central back in the mid-to-late 1990s and 2001? How about when the Twins picked up the baton from there, winning three straight through 2004?

AL West: Rangers may be the best of a bad lot

The American League is widely and accurately regarded as the superior league in baseball. But the gap seems to be closing between the AL and the National League, and you can look west for Exhibit A.

2007 Baseball preview

NL Central: Perhaps Brewers finally can rise

It's arguably baseball's worst division, yet it has the defending world champion. Gotta love small sample sizes. In any case, those reigning champs, the St. Louis Cardinals, lost a significant amount of talent after the celebration, and they'll be facing challengers to the west, east and north.

2007 Baseball preview

NL West: D-backs should slither past talented foes

No division received more of an offseason energy burst than the NL West. And now this quintet of teams, the laughingstock of the industry back in 2005, should feature one of the most exciting, well-played races.

Rankings: National League starting rotations

David Lennon ranks the best starting staffs in the National League.

Some milestones within reach this season

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