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	American League Preview by David Zizmor - Sportstalk co-host As we head into the season there is a clear hierarchy of teams in the junior circuit. Cleveland, Chicago, New York, and Oakland are undoubtedly the class of the league with Boston, Seattle, and Texas lagging in the rear view mirror. A few months ago the Red Sox looked like contenders what with the addition of Manny Ramirez, but Nomar Garciaparra’s wrist injury, the spring training antics of Carl Everett, and Manny’s already tender hamstrings make it readily apparent that the curse of the Bambino has again engulfed the boys from Beantown. Meanwhile out west Alex Rodriguez dashed the hopes of Seattle fans everywhere when he bolted for Texas and a $252 million contract. The Mariners lineup wasn’t particularly potent to begin with and the loss of A-Rod and Ken Griffey Jr. in successive years drastically reduces their ability to score. Pitching was Seattle’s strength last year and will be once again, but it won’t make up for their offensive shortcomings, especially since their staff has been thinned out by the loss of Ryan Anderson and Gil Meche to season ending arm injuries. The exact opposite is the case down in Texas where the Rangers have plenty of offense but not much on the mound. If healthy, Texas’ offense could be the best in the league. That’s a big “if” though. Starters Randy Velarde, Andres Galarraga, and Ken Caminiti are all over 35 and injury prone, their young outfielders, Gabe Kapler and Ruben Mateo are both coming off of injury plagued seasons (and Kapler is already on the DL again), Ivan Rodriguez missed nearly half of last season with a broken thumb, Rusty Greer had foot and neck problems and only played in 105 games, and even A-Rod has spent time on the disabled list each of the past three seasons. Even if this bunch stays relatively healthy and slugs like they’re capable of doing, the Rangers pitching staff isn’t good enough to keep the other team in check. The rotation consists of an okay Rick Helling, overrated retreads Kenny Rogers and Darren Oliver, and unproven twenty-somethings Doug Davis and Ryan Glynn. Look in the bullpen and you’ll find five guys with ERAs over 5.00. Not promising. That said, if things break right, any of these teams could move up and contend with the big boys, especially since they all have the money to snag a key player if necessary when the trade deadline approaches. Each of the top four teams is capable of great things creating one of the more formidable quartets the league has seen in quite some time. New York: That the Yankees managed to win their 3rd consecutive World Series despite only 87 regular season victories is a testament to their skill in the post-season. However that success can’t hide the fact that this is an aging team probably no more than a season away from a major overhaul. Chuck Knoblauch, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, and Paul O’Neil are all past their prime and David Justice is 34 and spends about thirty games on the DL each year. As for the pitching staff, the addition of Mike Mussina bolsters an already good group, but questions abound. How long will El Duque’s elbow hold up? Can Andy Petitte ever get his ERA under 4.00? Can the nearly 39-year-old Roger Clemens still dominate? Beyond Rivera, Stanton, and Mendoza, who will fill the void in the depleted (via free agency) bullpen? The bottom-line with this team is that, though good, the Yankees are not great. As their mediocre regular season and tight playoff series with Oakland showed last October, there are chinks in the armor. While their pitching, the hitting of Jeter, Williams, and Posada, and George Steinbrenner’s bank account should be enough to win the division, the other top teams might be too much for this over the hill gang. Chicago: On offense, the White Sox can certainly hang with the best of them. Everyone knows about the exploits of Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez is a budding superstar, 25 year old Paul Konerko is finally coming into his own (.298 21 97) as is Carlos Lee (.301 24 92), and Ray Durham is one of the best 2nd basemen this side of that guy in Cleveland. Hitting won’t be a problem for this bunch, especially with the fences coming in by about ten feet at Comiskey. The real concern for the South Siders is their pitching. Mike Sirotka and his 3.79 ERA is gone, replaced by 20 game winner, David Wells. No problems there. However James Baldwin starts this season with shoulder trouble, Cal Eldred, who is very good when healthy, has managed only three injury-free seasons in ten years, young Jim Parque started strong but faded down the stretch to the tune of a post All-Star break ERA of 4.85, and the fifth spot in the rotation goes to one of two rookies, Kip Wells or John Garland. Granted, Chicago’s strong bullpen and offense will mask some of their starter’s shortcomings, but, as they found out last year, those problems are revealed for all to see in the post-season. Another short playoff experience seems in the cards for the White Sox. Cleveland: For most clubs, losing a Manny Ramirez would spell disaster, but not so for the Indians. Goodbye Manny, hello Juan Gonzalez and Ellis Burks. These two get inserted into a lineup that already includes Kenny Lofton, Roberto Alomar, Omar Vizquel, Jim Thome, and Travis Fryman; talk about potent! The only caveat here is that, like Texas, a number of these swingers have a rather long and tumultuous relationship with the disabled list – Burks, Lofton, Gonzalez, and Fryman. The same is true with the pitching staff. When healthy, they should rank among the best and deepest in the league with ace Bartolo Colon, Yankee killer Chuck Finley, the solid Dave Burba, crafty Charles Nagy, and young fireballer Jaret Wright. However, last year the Indians used more than 20 pitchers due to a rash of injuries and the trend might continue – Nagy and Wright will start this season on the DL. Despite their extreme health problems, Cleveland still won 90 games last season. Since it’s unlikely they’ll experience injuries to the degree they did in 2000, the Indians should win their sixth division title since 1995. Oakland: From one through twenty-five, the A’s are probably the most complete team in the league. At the top is the newly acquired Johnny Damon. Not only does he give Oakland the speed threat and pure leadoff hitter it didn’t have last year, but his replacing Ben Grieve in left field vastly improves the defense. The middle of the order consists of a most powerful group – league MVP Jason Giambi (43 homers), shortstop Miguel Tejada (30), and 3rd baseman Eric Chavez (26) have an excellent chance to become the first infield trio ever to hit at least 30 home runs each. Add Pacific Coast League MVP and latest A’s rookie phenom, 2nd baseman Jose Ortiz (24 homers), rookie of the year runner-up, Terrence Long (18), John Jaha (35 in 1999) and Ramon Hernandez (14) to the mix and opposing pitchers might need some aspirin by the second inning. The truly frightening part is that all but Giambi and Jaha are still in their 20’s and improving …and Giambi is only 30! On the mound, Tim Hudson came in 2nd to Pedro in the Cy Young balloting and is the staff ace at the ripe old age of 24. Not too far behind him is the quirky but dangerous Barry Zito (age 23) who had 7 wins and a 2.72 ERA in a bit more than a half season’s work. Gil Heredia and former #1 pick Mark Mulder (age 24) make for solid 3rd and 4th starters while Corey Lidle (age 29) might surprise some at the back end of the rotation. The bullpen features all-star closer Jason Isringhausen and indispensable setup men Jim Mecir and Jeff Tam. With power, speed, an improved defense, and great pitching, the A’s should go farther than just the western division title - Oakland seems to have everything from A’s to Zito.