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Exactly: What does SI have to do with it? Are their predictions always right? No, they are usually wrong. I am not criticizing them (I couldn't do better); I just don't think we should get this overhyped at one magazine's predictions.
Also, my take on the prediciton. Is there any reason the Red Sox should be any worse? Did they lose anyone important? No, whole lineup is back. We gained Bartolo Colon, if you want to talk about differences. More pitching depth was the key after the Schilling-Beckett injuries, and we got it. SI said that the main thing was "injury and age." Whose players are older?
The Yankees by far, they have only five players under 32 on their rotation, starting position players, and closer, COMBINED (Wang, Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Ian Kennedy, and Phil Hughes. I don't view Joba as a starter-if I did, than I would have to take Kennedy out of the rotation, and there would still be five.) Boston, however, has eight: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkilis, Beckett, Dice-K, Jon Lester, Clay Bucholz, and Papelbon. So, clearly, age is more of a problem for the Yankees than the Red Sox.
What about injury? Last year, on the Yankees, Matsui, Damon, Posada, Giambi (4 of 9 starting hitters) all played 144 or less games last year (out of 162, missing about 11 percent of the games). That doesn't even include pitching, where there was only one 200 inning pitcher (Andy Pettite, who only won 15 of his 34 starts).
Think the Red Sox are as bad? Manny, J.D. Drew, Pedroia, and Varitek missed at least 18 games as well. But, it was not injuries. Pedroia played part time at the beginning of the season with Cora, so that wasn't injury. And, Varitek missed all of Wakefield's 31 starts, so that doesn't count as well. That leaves two, or half of that of the Yankees. Than, in pitching, we had Beckett and Dice-K over 200 innings, double that of the Yankees. And, they won a combined 35 games, opposed to Pettite's 15, so that is even more than double. So, now tell me that injuries are less of a problem to Boston than to New York.
I have just proven that injuries and age are less of a problem for Boston than New York. The Yankees could still win, and Si could end up being right, but that current reasoning is wrong.
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