Facing Some Hard Truths

Myth: The American League West is the best division in baseball.

Myth: The AL East stinks.

Myth: The Angels, probable third-place finishers in the AL West, would win any of the other three divisions.

If the truth be known, the AL West has two of the four-worst teams in baseball, the AL East has four of the top 13 teams in baseball and the Angels would finish third in the National League East behind the Mets and the Cardinals.

Says who?

Says here, in the only preseason baseball poll that matters, The Real Major League Top 25 (plus the White Sox), where league and divisional designations don’t count, only my opinion:

1. Oakland. Gone: Dave Parker’s 97 RBIs, Storm Davis’ 19 victories and Tony Phillips’ bag of tricks. Gained: Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson for the entire 162-game schedule. Advantage: A’s.

2. New York Mets. Dwight Gooden, Frank Viola, Sid Fernandez, David Cone, Ron Darling, John Franco, Howard Johnson, Darryl Strawberry, Kevin McReynolds. How much longer can they underachieve?

3. Kansas City. A deeper starting rotation than the A’s. Mark Davis in the bullpen. Bo Jackson aiming for 40-40. If George Brett returns to the land of .300 and Frank White holds together for one more season, the Royals can overtake Oakland.

4. Toronto. After Jimy Williams blew a gasket, the Blue Jays hired a Gaston and found their true station in life--the American League playoffs. They shall return.

5. St. Louis. Having clipped the Dodgers on the heist of the ‘80s--John Tudor-for-Pedro Guerrero, with both players now in Cardinal red--Whitey Herzog is reloaded and ready. Higher, if Todd Zeile is for real.

6. San Diego. Joe Carter, Tony Gwynn and Jack Clark in the same lineup with all that starting pitching. Too bad Kansas City had the five-year contract Mark Davis wanted.

7. Angels. An outstanding rotation got better, a mediocre offense got a year older. No Carter, no Yount, no playoffs.

8. Dodgers. Scientific research for the ‘90s: Can a great pitching staff survive on the same petri dish with an outfield of Kirk Gibson, Juan Samuel and Hubie Brooks, otherwise known as Three Clanks and an Error?

9. San Francisco. No more Candy Maldonado-Pat Sheridan-Donell Nixon-(Your Name Here) right field platoon, now that the Giants went Bass fishing. But the miracle Roger Craig worked with the Giant rotation hit its expiration date during the ’89 World Series.

10. Milwaukee. The Brewers are due for a break that doesn’t involve any bones. At full strength, they have the talent to make a run at Toronto. Think Doug Rader could learn to live with a lineup that includes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Dave Parker, Rob Deer, Glenn Braggs and Greg Vaughn?

11. Boston. Bill Buckner is back, for reasons best left to his psychologist. Given their druthers, the Red Sox would have preferred Bruce Hurst.

12. Chicago Cubs. Anyone who thinks the Cubs are going to repeat, raise your right arm. Not so fast, Mr. Sutcliffe.

13. Baltimore. The Orioles learned to run before they were supposed to walk last year. This year, they settle in, taking time to get a good look at Ben McDonald.

14. Texas. “Nolan, will you p-l-e-a-s-e pitch for two more years? And do you think you could try it on two days’ rest?”

15. Cincinnati. After Rose, a rise? Only if Lou Piniella finds somebody to play left field and a way to keep Danny Jackson and Jose Rijo off the disabled list.

16. Pittsburgh. King for a day is fine, but all season at third base? So the Pirates signed Wally Backman and his sore shoulder to split time there with Jeff (.195) King. Where have you gone, Richie Hebner?

17. New York Yankees. The biggest concern is not the back of Dave Winfield, but the arms of Tim Leary, Andy Hawkins, Pascual Perez, Chuck Cary and Dave LaPoint, which is what will pass for the Yankee rotation this summer.

18. Seattle. The starting pitchers are either young or Young, but the offense has Ken Griffey, Jr., Jeffrey Leonard, Alvin Davis, Harold Reynolds and Greg Briley. If it’s the ‘90s, the Mariners might be ready for .500.

19. Houston. They pitch OK, they field OK, they hit OK, but, really, who cares? The OK Corral.

20. Atlanta. Ted Turner needs to leave “Casablanca” alone and try colorizing his baseball team. Adding Nick Esasky, Jim Presley and Ernie Whitt to what was already there--i.e., some good young pitchers--is a start.

21. Cleveland. The Indians have the pitching, but the sight of John McNamara trying to squeeze runs out of this lineup--Felix Fermin, Joey Belle, Chris James, Mitch Webster, Candy Maldonado, et al--will send them running for the lake.

22. Montreal. Never mind a lockout, the Expos should have staged a lock-in. By the time Mark Langston, Bryn Smith, Pascual Perez and Hubie Brooks got away, Montreal was locked into fifth place.

23. Minnesota. Out: Frank Viola, Jeff Reardon, Bert Blyleven, Tom Brunansky. In: David West, Kevin Tapani, Rick Aguilera, Rich Yett, John Candelaria. A textbook case of what not to do after you’ve won a World Series.

24. Philadelphia. All that relief pitching (Roger McDowell and Jeff Parrett) and no victories to save.

25. Detroit. The Tigers found a Fielder who hits, now that they lost a fielder who couldn’t (Gary Pettis). They also added Tony Phillips and Lloyd Moseby, which is a little like adding a coat of paint to the Titanic.

26. Chicago White Sox. Hurry up, Robin Ventura.