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Sports Watch
WHO'LL win the 2000 World Series? Why, the New York Yankees, of course. The ‘curse,’ the
cover, the YankeesWho won't win the 2000 World Series? Why, the Boston Red Sox, of course.
The reasons simple. The Red Sox are picked to win it all by Sports Illustrated in its annual baseball preview edition.
With Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez on its cover, no less. Talk about a double whammy. The "Curse of the Bambino" as well as SI's cover jinx.
Let's begin by picking the American and National League division winners before we get down to the Yankees beating the Cincinnati Reds in the 2000 World Series.
You say I'm too late for my preseason preview because the major league season has already started in Tokyo?
Sorry, but it's never opening day until they throw out the first pitch in Cincinnati.
Let's start with the senior circuit.
You might think I'm off my rocker not picking the Atlanta Braves to win the National League championship.
They should win the NL East handily, but without John Smoltz, who underwent reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, the Braves won't survive the playoffs.
LOOK for the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the NL West while the Dodgers and Giants battle it out to see who's No. 1 on the West Coast.
The big reason why Arizona? The biggest one you can think of -- 6-foot-10 Randy Johnson, literally the king of the hill.
Even without Matt Williams, sidelined for six weeks with a broken bone in his right foot, the D-Backs are still loaded with three other 100-RBI hitmen in Luis Gonzalez, Steve Finley and Jay Bell.
Cincinnati will capture the NL Central thanks to Ken Griffey Jr., who will also beat out Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire for the home run crown.
The Reds' sternest challenge will come from the Cardinals, who bolstered their pitching staff with the addition of Darryl Kile and Pat Hentgen and the rehab return of Andy Benes to go along with the Big Mac Attack.
In the NL playoffs, Junior and the Reds will beat the Diamondbacks for the privilege of losing to the Yankees in the World Series.
Over in the junior circuit -- so named not because of Griffey -- Boston finds itself in the unique position of being the second best team in the major leagues ... and in the AL East.
So they'll have to use the wild-card route again to make it to the playoffs. And Red Sox fans are hoping their beloved Bosox won't draw the Cleveland Indians, the AL Central winners, again.
STILL, some diehards cling to the belief that this finally will be the year for the Red Sox. After all, it's a new century, isn't it?
How long can a curse last? Well, into the October of every season, I guess.
So I see the Red Sox playing their hated Yankees for the American League championship, only to lose in Game Seven.
Why? It's because they're the Red Sox. They never win Game Sevens.
And so, it'll be the Yankees when all the shouting is over.
Junior can get his home run crown, Johnson his strikeouts and Cleveland's Manny Ramirez his RBIs.
All fine and dandy.
However, Mariano Rivera will get his saves, Derek Jeter his grounders up the middle, in addition to his millions of dollars, and Joe Torre and Roger Clemens will get another world championship ring for their fingers as the Yankees again chalk up the most W's.
It's the only statistic that really matters when all's said and done.
Bill Kwon has been writing about
sports for the Star-Bulletin since 1959.