Altoona Curve / State College Spikes / Pittsburgh Pirates

[xero380]

So is anyone ready for baseball yet seeing as how we are being told Altoona will not consistently have alot of talent on the field at all times like in the past when trying to make them contenders in the Eastern league? Now we are being told the main focus is on Pittsburgh and bringing these people through the system...any thoughts?

State College is....well pretty much mostly going to be the same but doesn't necessarily count for much but should have a similar year to last year.

Pittsburgh is looking good so far this year but i'm still predicting number 15.

Anyone else's thoughts besides getting on here and rooting for the Phillies, etc...?

[DrumAndDestroy]

i go to pirate games to get drunk and eat pirmani bro's

curve games for drunkeness and mingling

[Lisa]

My goal is to make it to at least one State College game and one Curve game this summer with the boy. We are not big baseball fans, but who doesn't have fun at a game?

[Barfight]

The main focus should have ALWAYS been on Pittsburgh and getting talented guys through the farm system. However this wasn't, and this is exactly why Altoona for the past 5 years has had a better team overall than the big club.

Pittsburgh will win 70 games this year, they'll flirt with contention until just before the All Star break, where they will collapse again, and the count will stand at 15. Meanwhile the Cubs will have a strong season -- much better than expected, and contend for the NL Central crown, as well as Milwaukee.. at the end... Chicago wins the division. Grays Sports Almanac predicts the Chicago Cubs will win the 2008 World Series

1. Chicago - 84 wins
2. Milwaukee - 79 wins
3. Houston - 73 wins

meanwhile across the State...

Philadelphia will start off sluggish as they usually do... but by the All Star break they'll be back in contention with New York and Atlanta for the NL East division lead. Philadelphia has a strong team, but so do the Mets, and so do the Braves... the NL East will go down to the wire. The Mets won't have a monumental collapse like last September -- but they won't have a 7 game lead to blow this time either. This is likely to come down to the very last weekend this year with all 3 teams having a chance -- not much has changed for either team, with exceptions to injuries and additions to pitching. My main synopsis for how last season ended was that Atlanta had a better overall team throughout, but was crippled by injuries and a depleted pitching staff, and had the injuries not plagued them, they would have ran away with the division while the Mets were squandering it. This year will be different

1. Atlanta - 93 wins
2. NY Mets - 91 wins
3. Philadelphia - 90 wins

Here's my Playoff predictions for both leagues:

National League:

1. Los Angeles (NL West) - 105 wins
2. Atlanta (NL East) - 93 wins
3. Chicago (NL Central) - 84 wins
4. NY Mets (Wild Card) - 91 wins

Atlanta - Chicago in NLCS. Chicago wins series 4-3

American League:

1. Boston (AL East) - 98 wins
2. Los Angeles/Anaheim (AL West) - 91 wins
3. Detroit (AL Central) - 89 wins
4. Cleveland (Wild Card) - 87 wins

Boston - Detroit in ALCS. Detroit wins series 4-2

Chicago - Detroit in World Series. Detroit wins series 4-1

note: NY Yankees struggle to win 80 games, miss playoffs. In fact, Tampa Bay may post a better record than NYY. In the National League, Colorado continues the "World Series Loser" slump of not making the playoffs the following year - proving to be an emotional fluke. Joe Torre produces a winning product in Los Angeles, but falters in the Playoffs... as per the usual.

Jacoby Elsbury pitches 2 no-hitters this season for Boston, Daisuke Matsuzaka wins 25 games, A-Rod slumps and struggles to hit 30 homers, Mark Texieria flirts with 60 home runs, ending up with 56, Albert Pujols is out for the season by August, the National League FINALLY wins the All Star game, and all hell breaks loose in Detroit after they win the World Series.

just my .02

[Eldorado]

I agree with BARFIGHT. I also enjoy going and seeing the young talent develop.. I still have my Zack Duke bobble-head from a couple years back. Although his head done bobbled off because my boy is still learning the difference between "daddy's toy's" and his own...

[Barfight]

but to get back on task of Altoona/State College...

I have, and will continue to argue that a bleacher seat for a Curve game... is without a doubt the greatest 4 bucks one can spend. Especially if there is a scheduled double-header...

bad thing is.. in "AA ball", double-header = 2 games of 7 innings length, but that's still longer than 1 game.

I hear the prices to get into a Spikes game are ridiculous, and I don't think I could muster up the price to watch kids just out of High School, when I can spend just 4 dollars and watch the stars of next season in Toontown. Plus... a lot of my bias towards the Curve is based on the overall awesomeness and majesty that is Blair County Ballpark... one of, if not the best minor league ballpark in America.

[Baceman Spiff]

LETS GO BUCS!!

Living in McKean County, I doubt I'll make many Curve or Spike games this year. But I'll be watchin me Bucco's on the dish.

I hope they do better than 70 games this year. (But Ive been saying that for about 15 years now)

Look for Ryan Doumit and Nate McClouth to have break out seasons at the plate. Hopefully Gorzo, Snell and Capps can have decent seasons like they did last year. Hope is pretty much all you got when you a Pirates fan!