Seven different teams have won the World Series over the last seven seasons, giving hope to the have-nots of Major League Baseball (MLB), which opens its 2007 season on Sunday with the St Louis Cardinals hosting the New York Mets.
The opener is a rematch of the National League Championship Series for the title-holding Cards, who squeezed into the playoffs with just 83 wins before taking charge and going on to beat the Detroit Tigers in the Fall Classic.
Several teams have gambled heavily to get in position for a championship run, ranging from the bold Boston Red Sox, who invested $103 million to secure Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, to the lowly Chicago Cubs, who committed $300 million in contracts in a quest for their first Series crown in 99 years.
The six-month marathon of a 162-game schedule will test the blueprints of all 30 teams in a season expected to produce one of baseball's most controversial milestone moments.
Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants outfielder under a cloud of suspicion over his connection to the BALCO probe into steroid use, needs 22 homers to reach 756 and surpass Hank Aaron as baseball's all-time career leader.
Questions persist over how the breaking of one of baseball's most cherished records will be commemorated, since Commissioner Bud Selig, a close friend of Aaron, has been noncommittal about whether he would personally be on hand.
Anger over the steroid allegations poses the possibility that should Bonds, 42, break the record while playing on the road the seven-times Most Valuable Player could hear boos.
Cheers will certainly rock Busch Stadium when the Cardinals hoist their championship banner on Sunday, but St Louis face an uphill climb to repeat their success after losing two starting pitchers from last year in Jeff Weaver and Jeff Suppan.
The Mets, nine games better than the next best National League team during the 2006 season with 97 wins, again boast the league's best lineup with speedy Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Carlos Delgado leading the way in support of a questionable starting pitching staff.
Striving to join the ranks of contenders are the Cubs, a National League-worst 66-96 last year.
They paid $136 million to sign Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year deal, signed free agent starters Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis and brought Lou Piniella out of retirement to manage and bring excitement to Wrigley Field.
The Giants lost Jason Schmidt, who signed a $47-million deal to join the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, but lavished $126 million on left-hander Barry Zito from their American League Bay Area neighbours the Oakland Athletics.
Reuters - . - 29/03/2007 15:58
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