Bold Predictions for Every MLB Team - by Brian Phillips

Our editor asked me to come up with five bold predictions for the upcoming baseball season. I'll do you better boss. Here's one for every team:

Arizona Diamondbacks

It's been the talk of the off season among fantasy nerds like myself. The D-Backs are installing a humidor to make the balls heavier to help out their pitchers. When they struggle offensively that contraption will be gone by June.

Atlanta Braves

A.J. Minter will be closing by mid season. Fastball at 96. Wipeout slider that garners a 23% swinging strike rate. If he can prove he's tamed the walk beast he's in.

Baltimore Orioles

On their way to a last place finish the O's look to replenish a weak farm system by trading Manny Machado. The Yankees offer a package that includes top prospect Miguel Andujar. Holding their noses about trading with a division rival, Baltimore pulls the trigger. New York gives Machado a 6 year deal in the off season.

Boston Red Sox

Mookie Betts goes 30/110 with 25 steals and hits .320 to win AL MVP. A deep dive into his 2016 reveals he may have been the unluckiest regular in the league last season. A .268 batting average on balls in play will do that. Everything else looked normal.

Chicago Cubs

In his first full season on the northside Jose Quintana has a career year. 18 wins in 32 starts. 200 innings. 220 strike outs. Seriously considered for NL Cy Young.

Chicago White Sox

Struggling to maintain a .280 on base percentage, shortstop and lead off hitter Tim Anderson is moved to 9th in the order and eventually optioned to triple A to learn plate discipline.

Cincinnati Reds

Jesse Winker wins a regular starting job. Seizes lead off spot. Hits .310 and scores 85 runs. His on base percentage is sabermetric porn at .380

Cleveland Indians

With Jason Kipnis going on the DL.... again... The Tribe call up #1 prospect Francisco Mejia. Though he's a catcher by trade Cleveland has been working him out at third. Jose Ramirez moves to second full time. Meija talks over at the hot corner and rakes. With a cannon arm he grows into the position and remains a fixture at 3rd for the next several years.

Colorado Rockies

The trade deadline arrives and Colorado has been unable to deal Carlos Gonzalez. Cargo is mired in his second straight terrible season. David Dahl has long ago taken his place in right field. Gonzalez is DFA'd. The Yankees acquire him after he clears waivers for a single A pitcher. Gonzalez pinch hits in game five of the divisional round and hits a series winning home run because Yankees.

Detroit Tigers

Nick Castellanos is a bright spot for an otherwise bleak rebuilding season. He goes 32/110 and hits .290, out producing Miguel Cabrera.

Houston Astros

Free from Pittsburgh Gerritt Cole is given his full arsenal of weapons. Allowed to work his breaking stuff Cole wins 17 games and posts a sub 3.20 era. He starts game one of the World Series.

Kansas City Royals

Jake Junis (who?) leads the club in starts, wins, strikeouts and ERA. Represents KC at the All Star Game.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Crushed by the pressure of trying to be a two-way player in the best league in the world Shohei Ohtani has his last at bat before the end of May.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Beset by injuries the Dodgers fail to win the division title.

Miami Marlins

At the trade deadline the Marlins trade Cameron Maybin to the Yankees for cash considerations. Next season Maybin announces he's signed a three year deal with the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers have the highest team batting average and the highest team ERA in the National League.

Minnesota Twins

Fernando Rodney loses the closer job by May 1st. Gets it back June 1st. Loses again August 15th.

New York Mets

At one point during the season Yoenis Céspedes, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Michael Conforto, and Seth Lugo are all on the disabled list at the same time. Adrian Gonzalez gets 550 at bats.

New York Yankees

Aaron Judge strikes out 220 times and sees his batting average crater to .230. Giancarlo Stanton spends at least four weeks on the disabled list.

Oakland Athletics

Having hit 24 home runs in just 59 games in 2017 Matt Olson slams 52 and leads the American League in 2018.

Philadelphia Phillies

Weary of his underachievement, the Phils bench third baseman Mikel Franco by the end of May and insert top prospect Scott Kingery at the hot corner. Franco is traded to the Dodgers at the deadline because Justin Turner cannot stay healthy.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Cancer survivor Jameson Taillon makes 30 starts and strikes out 200 in 185 innings of work.

St. Louis Cardinals

No longer able to hold him back, late bloomer Jose Martinez is a regular at first base just weeks into the season. Matt Carpenter logs extended time at 2nd and 3rd to make it happen. Martinez hits .300 with 25 home runs and is a National League All Star.

San Diego Padres

Jose Pirela will hit .285 with 20 homers, 80 RBI, 85 runs and 15 steals and represent the Pads at the All Star Game.

San Francisco Giants

Beginning the season without Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija the Giants find themselves in a deep hole by June. An already aging roster will not be able to staunch the bleeding. The Giants finish last and manager Bruce Bochy is fired.

Seattle Mariners

All the way back from Tommy John surgery Cardinals 2013 #1 pick Marco Gonzalez will log 180 innings with an ERA of 3.20, 15 wins and a strikeout per inning.

Texas Rangers

Joey Gallo and Rougned Odor combine for 80 home runs, and between them a .210 average.

Toronto Blue Jays

With only Curtis Granderson holding him back, one time Astros prospect Teoscar Hernández forces his way into the starting line up. Hernandez strikes out a lot, but with a 50% flyball rate and loads of hard contact he hits 30 home runs.

Washington Nationals

By May 1st 20 year old top prospect Victor Robles is a fixture in center field and goes neck and neck with the Braves' Ronald Acuna for National League Rookie Of The Year.

My Picks:

American League Division Winners: Yankees, Indians, Astros.

Wild Cards: Red Sox, Mariners.

National League Division Winners:   Nationals, Cubs, Rockies

Wild Cards:  Dodgers, Brewers

World Series:  Nationals/Astros

World Champions:   Houston Astros

Brian Phillips hosts the CD1025 Morning Show in Columbus,OH. Tune in or stream it at CD1025.com .

Watch the Video For "Still Love Christmas" and Request at CD102.5

It's time for the Andymanathon so fire up those phones, dial 614 221-1025 and request your favorite Colin Gawel or Watershed song!

Or text -- Request Still Love Xmas (or whatever song)  to: 68683

so the number is : 68683    and the message has to start with: Request

Do it often.

The title song to Colin Gawel and the Lonely Bones' December 2010 release. We shot the video at the "Still Love Christmas" release party at Rumba Cafe in Columbus, OH. COLINGAWEL.com

CD102.5 and Their Declaration of Independence. Tune in July 6th and Invest in CD102.5

Columbus' own CD102.5 is one of the last independent rock radio stations still broadcasting in the USA. Starting July 6th they will be conducting a crowd-funding campaign to purchase their own broadcasting tower, allowing them to stay independent long into the future.

To mark the event, they will be hosting local musicians performing live on the air Monday July 6th. I will be playing at 11:30am sharp with more musicians continuing the rest of the day.

Nobody does more to support the Columbus music scene than CD1025. If you are interested in checking it out and chipping in, please click here to visit CD1025.com 

Or tune in Monday July 6th to learn all about it. - Colin G.

Below: Hard evidence of CD102.5 supporting local music.

Live from the CD102.5 Big Room, Colin Gawel with "Superior" on April 10, 2010.

Watershed in the CD102.5 Big Room from August 10, 2012.

CD102.5's Brian Phillips Answers Colin's Questions About Pulp.

This month's installment of Reelin' and Rockin' at the Gateway Film Center features Pulp - A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets. Drinks at the upstairs bar at 7 pm and movie at 8 pm. Tiks only 5$ and proceeds to CD1025 for the kids. Colin knows this is an important event but really doesn't know why. Brian was nice enough to fill him in.

Colin - I know I should know Pulp but really other than the one guy is named Jarvis, I can't say I can name a song offhand. Does this make me a total dumbass or is in natural for us Yanks to have trouble keeping track of all these UK bands?

Brian- Not at all. It's tough to break into the U.S. market. Look at Pulp the way you would The Kinks or Blur. Their Britishness makes large scale success in America a more difficult proposition. 

Colin: What record would be the best one for a novice like myself to start with?

1995's "Different Class" has their best known song "Common People" and is generally regarded as their greatest top to bottom. It garnered the 1996 Mercury Prize for England's best album and sold a million and a quarter copies in their native land alone. That's like moving around seven million copies here. If you need more convincing William Shatner covered "Common People" several years ago and it's hilarious!

Colin: Have you ever seen them live? Have they done a big room appearance at CD1025?

Brian- I have not. America was never a touring priority and jaunts of any length have been sadly few and far between. 

Colin; This movie is brand new and making it's Columbus debut at our little movie club. Any initial word on reviews?

Brian- Reviews have been across the board very positive. I've read that their home town of Sheffield is an important part of the film. The "Common People" that live and work there are reportedly instrumental in the film's success. 

If I could I'd like to add a recommendation. Front man Jarvis Cocker's (no relation to fellow Sheffield native Joe Cocker) 2009 solo album "Further Complications" is for my money the funniest album ever recorded about being a recently divorced sexually frustrated middle-aged man. It is an excellent display of his lacerating wit. It also rocks like a mother. 

Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6h Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUn Subscribe to INDIE TRAILERS: http://goo.gl/iPUuo Like us on FACEBOOK: http://goo.gl/dHs73 Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmt Pulp: A Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets Official Trailer 1 (2014) - Music Documentary HD A film about life, death & supermarkets...

An Open Letter to Bono - by Brian Phillips

Dear Bono,

I write this with love in my heart. This is not trolling, but constructive criticism. 

When I was 17 I heard "New Year's Day" on MTV and ran down to the only record store in my small Washington State town to buy the 45. I played it over and over. I bought "War" soon after. My sister gave me "October" for Christmas. I was hooked. "Boy" soon followed and I was caught up. Over and over... over and over. Those three records ushered me through that universal period when "boy meets man." 

By the time I got a chance to see your band, in the Tacoma Dome 1992, your show was an "outrageous" $28 (seems quaint now doesn't it?). It was a night I'll never forget. For us now-greying old farts U2 was our Led Zeppelin, our Who, our Beatles. I love all those bands, but  you need your own.... bands that come of age when you do. Many years before my first U2 show I saw "Red Rocks" on Canadian TV (an advantage to growing up 20 miles from the border) and I thought it was the most amazing, revolutionary thing I'd ever seen. In my world, far from New York, far from London, (hell, it took two and half hours to get to Seattle) there was nothing like U2 until there was U2. You opened my mind to The Clash, R.E.M.... I could go on as my record collection will attest. U2 were my gateway drug. 

Getting to my point then... I have a big problem with what U2 pulled off today. People don't see this thing as "free, but paid for," as you put it, but "FREE." You've devalued what some of us still value, but more importantly, you've devalued a lot of hard work put forth by others. Just today a lot of cool artists released albums.... Delta Spirit, Interpol, The Kooks, Death From Above 1979, Vance Joy, and Ryan Adams to name a few. Their records cost money to make as yours did. The difference, of course, is they have to take their records to a brutal marketplace and you don't. To cut to the quick, you're not competing.....you've taken the easy way out. 

Also, and more selfishly I'll admit, you've cut radio out entirely. I've been in the radio business for my entire adult life. You helped light that fire! Hell, for me this goes back to college radio. When The Joshua Tree came in the mail we were beyond excited. It was an event. It went right on the air. By the time Achtung Baby rolled around I was working in Seattle and "The Fly" went from the UPS guy right to air. Ah! Those were the days. Opening the box and banging that record right on the airwaves for the people to hear! 

I've got news for you, my radio station still lives by those values. CD1025 in Columbus, Ohio has been here 25 years... predating even this old warhorse. We would have made your record an event! Out of the..... email... and right on the air. Apple can't match that brother. No way. There's no soul there. Radio has soul. Anyone can turn on the radio. It's democracy!

This whole thing bums me out, Bono. I play your music on the radio all the time, and I've been talking about how you've been working with Dangermouse on a new album. It was supposed to be an event. Instead it's a phone. Granted, a cool phone that can churn out amazing HD footage of a U2 show.... from the front... where it costs way more than 28 bucks. 

Sincerely,

Brian Phillips,

Lifer

Here's a link that helps explain this:

http://pitchfork.com/news/53827-u2-release-new-album-songs-of-innocence-for-free-on-itunes/

New Colin Gawel Song CD102.5 Friday @ Noon! Tune In! Spread the Word!

Hey all, just giving you the heads up that today (Friday, June 27th) at noon,  CD102.5 FM here in C-bus will be giving you the first listen to a brand new song by yours truly. And just in time for Comfest weekend to boot! 

Because CD102.5 is one of the last independent rock n roll radio stations left on the planet and are so cool as to be so supportive of new music, it is crucial we tune in and let them know how much we appreciated them.

So, Tune into CD102.5 this Friday at noon to hear a brand new Colin Gawel tune and if you dig, let them know you dig. Dig?

Text: request colin podcast  To: 68683               

Thanking you in advance and see you at Comfest, Sunday June 29th, 7pm.  (Off Ramp Stage) - Colin G.