I want to spice things up a bit. Instead of discussing the current state of things, let's spin forward, projecting five second-half "Ups" and five second-half "Downs."
Truth be told, my predictions are nothing more than educated guesses, so I'm providing you folks with an additional and possibly more concrete take. I've enlisted the clairvoyance of a neighborhood psychic, Alex H. Megel. Alex is the resident sports guy at lower Manhattan's Psychic Reading by Kim. (Kim is Alex's mother.) Alex, who says he roots for both the Yankees and the Red Sox, received an unmarked, randomly ordered list of the 10 subjects below. He promised that no biases would come into play.
Simply put, Alex's prediction tactics were a bit different than my caffeine-crazed stat splurge. First, he underwent intense prayer, asking for the vision to be revealed. Then he fired up the incense and popped in a chimes soundtrack, setting the mood for a meditation that lasted approximately 40 minutes. During this session, Alex said, four ancient spirits disclosed foresight on each player in the Megel family's native language, Romanian. As you will see, the spirits don't always speak in complete sentences.
FIVE UP
Andy Pettitte
My vibe: You know that annoying guy in your fantasy league who has held on to the struggling Pettitte like he's Cy Young incarnate, claiming the lefty will get rolling after the All-Star break? Well, unfortunately, he's probably right. Everyone knows that Pettitte is a "second-half pitcher," but that baseball colloquialism doesn't do him justice. In games played prior to the Midsummer Classic, Pettitte possesses a career mark of 89-63 with a 4.12 ERA, which is nothing to scoff at. But after the break he boasts a transcendent 90-37 record with a 3.57 ERA. Seeing that Pettitte's teams have gone on to make the playoffs in 10 of his first 11 years, the southpaw has rarely started a meaningless game -- making his second-half surge all the more amazing. And now that bosom buddy Roger Clemens is fully integrated into Pettitte's everyday life, it's easy to see the trend continuing.
Alex's vibe: Definitely finishing strong.
Josh Beckett
My vibe: At first glance, Beckett's having a wonderful first season in Boston; he has the second-most wins in baseball (11). But Beckett's '06 campaign has been marred by inconsistency. First, he leads the MLB in homers allowed, with 26. (Entering the year he had never given up more than 16 jacks.) Second, three of his four losses have been absolute blowups (in which he allowed a combined 22 earned runs in just 9.2 innings), hence his bloated 4.75 ERA. But Beckett will roll in the second half. As evidenced by the 2003 postseason, in which Beckett posted a 2.11 ERA over five starts and won the World Series MVP, this 26-year-old fireballer is a gamer. A Texas native, Beckett exhibits a cocky, intimidating presence on the mound and combines a high-90s fastball with a heavy sinking pitch; kind of sounds like another hurler from the Lone Star State who goes by "the Rocket." Barring the emergence of Beckett's catastrophic blister problem -- get this kid a lifetime supply of pickle juice -- he will pitch like vintage Clemens down the stretch.
Alex's vibe: Weak second half. Very bad, poor.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/w ... .fivedown/
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