The Chicago spring tease is on and the snow that was frozen into impenetrable blocks of polar ice blocks is finally begin to melt and all I can think about is baseball, baseball, and baseball. I feel like ignoring the return of the steroid scandal (I thought that tumor was benign) and daydreaming about the bleacher seats and the box scores.

First off, the ESPN-verse may be focusing on the teams in their own backyard, but I think AL pennant winner resides in the confounding AL Central. I am calling the Twins number this season. The New York Yankees may have just completed with a bailout from Brian Cashman that would make George Steinbrenner proud and the Boston Red Sox may have kept a very solid team intact, but the Twins have that small market spirit and a winning front office that I think is due.

The NL Pennant will not go to the Chicago Cubs. I still implore Windy city baseball fans to enjoy Cubs bleacher seats, but the team has failed to take advantage of the reprieve most damned franchises have had in the 21st century. This is some deep-seated curse/culture that even the fiery Lou Piniella cannot exercise with his fire and brimstone tirades. No, the pennant will land with the New York Mets. I simply am not convinced that the Phillies have the pitching to repeat and believe that the Mets have the total package.

A-Rod will let the distractions from A-Fraud and A-Roid get to him and fall flat on his face this season. The seats may be new, but boos will be just as loud and the chants of Choke-Rod will continue to haunt him. I would not be surprised if he further assaults his reputation as a player by taking a swing at one of the judgmental New York Yankees fans. Watch for the Boston Red Sox to pull a Philadelphia Phillies sequel and score with another MVP. This time Kevin Youkilis will have a .300-30-100 season.

Still the best players will play for losing teams and not get a shot at the MVP. Kind of like last season with the Tigers Miguel Cabrera. Speaking of the Phillies, the will find that Ryan Howard will settle in to his nice big lucrative contract by breaking the single season record held by last year’s champ Mark Reynolds. He will also hit 40-plus home runs again so nobody will care and he will win the MVP.

Francisco Liriano will get lots of attention as he finishes as the Twins best pitcher with 20 plus wins and an ERA around 3.00. Because of the Twins Central Division title he will be awarded the Cy Young. In two years the Mets or the Yankees will sign him away to a contract worth $20 million a season.

It seems that the only individual award that a player on a losing team is able to bring home is the Cy Young. This trend in the National League will continue as the best pitchers are on terrible teams. The Arizona Diamondbacks Brandon Webb, the San Francisco Giants Tim Lincecum, and the Cincinnati Reds Edinson Volquez will all have terrific seasons, but the league will have pity on Volquez for playing in Cincinnati and give him the Cy Young so he does not feel so bad about playing in the Great American Ball Park.

The day is so nice I cannot tell if these predictions are reasonable or if they are the ramblings of man drunk on the smell and feel of warm air. Hopefully I am too far off, but everyone should enjoy MLB tickets and celebrate the end of winter.