Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
March 30, 2001, Washington Post

Baseball's Quest for Answers

Spring is a time of hope for baseball players and fans. Every team is 0-0 and dreaming of the World Series.

But more than hope, every baseball season starts with questions. Here are some of this year's big ones:

• Will Mark McGwire come back? Baseball's home run king hurt his knee halfway through last season. If Big Mac is healthy all season, look for the St. Louis Cardinals to be one of the National League's best teams and for McGwire to bash 50-plus home runs.

• Will Alex Rodriguez be worth $252 million? This winter Rodriguez signed a 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers. A-Rod is baseball's best shortstop. But even A-Rod won't make the Rangers into winners. Why? Because A-Rod isn't a pitcher, and the Rangers really need pitchers.

• How are the Orioles going to be? Baltimore might surprise some people this season. Remember the team was better last year after trading its big-name stars. Still, the Orioles are young and the starting pitchers are shaky. Anything more than 80 wins will be a good season.

• Who is Ichiro Suzuki? The 27-year-old outfielder won seven batting titles in Japan. Now he plays for the Seattle Mariners. If Suzuki is a big hit, more teams will be going to Japan to search for stars.

• What about the new bigger strike zone? The people who run Major League Baseball want the umpires to call more strikes -- especially for higher pitches. If the umpires do, there will probably be fewer home runs. Good! The poor pitchers need all the help they can get.

• Can Pedro Martinez get any better? The Red Sox ace was the best pitcher in baseball last year. His slithering fastball and knee-buckling curve baffled batters. With a bigger strike zone, Martinez may be even better.

• Will the game get any faster? These days, major leaguers play nine innings in three hours. Maybe the new strike zone will speed up the game. But the game could get a whole lot faster if pitchers stopped fiddling with the ball and batters stopped nervously adjusting their batting gloves. Come on guys, play ball!

• Who will the surprise teams be? Watch out for the Kansas City Royals in the American League and the Florida Marlins in the National League. Both are young teams with some top-flight talent.

• Can anyone beat the Yankees? Even with new pitching star Mike Mussina, the New York Yankees probably will not be the best team in the American League. The Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians might all be better than the Bronx Bombers. But the team I really want to beat the Yankees are my beloved Red Sox. And why not, the Sox have Pedro and a new slugger, Manny Ramirez.

It's spring. And I can hope, can't I?

FRED BOWEN is the author of sports novels for kids. Write to him at KidsPost, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail (with "The Score" in the subject field): kidspost@washpost.com.

© 2001 The Washington Post Company