Why Aren't We Surprised

By Charles Curtis

The 2004 baseball season is a quarter of the way finished. It's time to pat yourself on the back for predicting the leaders in the standings, the duds and disappointments and the fact that you somehow figured that Randy Johnson would throw a perfect game. With that in mind, rather than point out the trends beginning to form, I'd like to present a list of ironies that have made the 2004 season such a strange one. With one of the busiest offseasons in recent memory, the media prepared to follow all kinds of stories, from an MVP moving to the Most Valuable City to Barry's BALCO business. But as we know, every year even the best-laid plans in baseball are always thwarted. Expectations are sunk, even in the first fourth of the season.

Why are we not surprised... 

That instead of breaking the franchise record for runs scored, A-Rod and company in New York are sweating under the spotlights. They're neck and neck with the Red Sox, but take a look at the back pages of the New York tabloids and you'll see a weekly photo of Derek Jeter as we wait for him to break .200. Jason Giambi's on his first DL stint of his career. Kenny Lofton isn't exactly returning to his mid-1990s form. Bernie Williams should be tuning up his guitar for a second career in the music world soon. The Boss is praying that Kevin Brown won't make his annual trip to the DL and that Moose can continue his recent hot streak after a dismal beginning to the season. The Yanks will probably catch fire as they always do, but watch this story closely. They're a few injuries away from hitting the panic button. 

That the NL Central, and not the afformentioned AL East, is the most exciting division race in baseball. Houston, Chicago and St. Louis were all expected to duke it out, but the baseball gods decided to keep Ken Griffey Jr. healthy, revive Sean Casey out of a three year slump and give Paul Wilson a perfect record. Nor should we be surprised that Milwaukee has gotten the most out of their deal with Arizona and Boston, as Lyle Overbay wowed everyone with an 18-game hitting streak and 38 RBIs, good for second in the majors behind Scott Rolen. And what about those Pirates? They're in the hunt too even without Raul Mondesei, as Craig "I borrowed Hulk Hogan's hair for the season" Wilson and a reborn Jose Mesa continue to impress. 

That the Kansas City Royals, with all the noise they made this offseason, are in shambles and it's not even June yet. We were all impressed by their out-of-nowhere run last year and hoped that exuberant manager Carlos Pena could keep the ball rolling. Instead, their pitching staff disappointed even more than expected, their lineup is good but not overly impressive and now the Carlos Beltran watch begins as they explore the best option for trading away another young star about to hit his prime. The hype may have jinxed a team that thrived from being a well-kept secret last season.  

That the can't-hit, can't-pitch Los Angeles Dodgers are NL West contenders. They've recently cooled off, but in the worst division in baseball, anything is possible.  

That the Toronto Blue Jays, with Carlos Delgado and Vernon Wells side by side, can't hit.  

That the Detroit Tigers, with a scrappy mix of Pudge Rodriguez, Rondell White and Carlos Guillen, can hit. 

That the Chicago Cubs can survive even without everyone's pick for NL Cy Young, Mark Prior and a recent injury to Kerry Wood. Not to mention allegations of Moises Alou's off-the-field...er...bathroom habits. 

That the non-believers about the Florida Marlins and Minnesota Twins are putting their feet in their mouth. Year in and year out, these guys get the shaft before the season begins. This year, they still didn't get any love, and they're proving us all wrong.  

With my twisted logic, therefore, we should actually be surprised... 

That the Atlanta Braves are finally suffering without solid pitching. Didn't John Schurholz listen to us screaming, "John Thomson ain't gonna replace Greg Maddux!"? I guess not. 

That Bobby Crosby and Khalil Greene are ready to join the ranks of Nomar, Jeter, Tejada and A-Rod in the next few years. 

That the new Wunderkids, the Cleveland Indians, will be the most exciting team in baseball in two seasons. Even after they were forced to trade the center of their lineup, Milton Bradley, they've got the best collection of young talent in baseball. But we knew that.  

That Vlad the Impaler and his Angels are showing us that money can indeed buy love and first place in the AL West.  

Finally, a few fulfilled expectations! Tune in at the All-Star break to see if we can find a few more trends that don't surprise us as pundits shake their heads in disbelief.