Your Picks for 2005?

In the Central League, I'll say that Chunichi will repeat. They added Woods. 'Nuff said. I'll be rooting for the Swallows, though.

In the Pacific League, I think that Seibu and Softbank will be neck and neck. If Cabrera can play a full season, Seibu will be dangerous. Cabrera is proven, but Batista could be a dud for all we know. You can't ignore Softbank's ridiculous fire power, though. It seems like both Seibu and Softbank covered all the positions. The addition of Ohmura to the outfield is huge for the Hawks.

I'll be rooting for Lotte and Rakuten. The Marines aren't going to do much better than they did in 2004, in my opinion. Rakuten is great just because their offensive franchise is Isobe. I love their roster.

Well, Seibu is my favorite team anyways, I'm going to buy a jersey of theirs when I'm over there, but I will buy other teams' jerseys as well. I remember seeing Cabrera's first MLB home run against the Astros on TV, and now he's a huge star over there.

Seems like Seibu and Softbank will make the playoffs, but who fits that 3rd slot? Will a first year team make it? Because I guess they aren't like normal expansion teams.

I guess Yomiuri isn't the power they once were according to you, but it's hard not watching a game here in the States, that's why I'm going over there this summer.

Nippon Ham and Chiba Lotte are going to battle it out for third place again. If Nakamura doesn't get picked up by a major league team and stays healthy, the Orix Buffaloes may take it. They've lost a bunch of solid players to free agency and Rakuten, though.

The Giants have great power, but they showed last season that it takes more to win than just homers. The loss of Petagine will hurt them a little, too. They still lack defense, a couple more solid guys in the rotation, and proper relief. A lot of the guys also aren't getting any younger.

I'm really looking forward to seeing who's gonna break out this year. Last year, it was all about Shima, Nakajima, Kaizuka, etc. Whenever a great player goes overseas or retires, there will always be some youngster looking for their chance to shine. Gotta love it.