“He is a complete stud and is a player to watch. In fact, I will proudly proclaim my man crush on him.”

1. Francisco Liriano returns to the mound for the Minnesota Twins. After losing former ace Johan Santana to the New York Mets, Liriano will be a welcome site to Twin fans after missing all of 2007 due to Tommy John surgery. Like the departed Santana, he is a hard-throwing southpaw with absolutely filthy stuff.

In 2006, before he had season-ending surgery, he owned a sparkling 2.16 ERA, posted a 12-3 record and struck out 144 in just 121 innings pitched. He is scarier on the mound than Michael Jackson at an elementary school. While he starts the season in the minor leagues, by the end of the year he will be one of the best pitchers in the American League if he is not considered so already.

2. The Detroit Tigers will win the AL Central this year, not the Cleveland Indians. The Tigers brilliantly acquired three former all-stars in the off-season: Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.

These three solidify an already strong line-up and rotation that won 88 games last year. Cabrera enhances the Tigers franchise as he is arguably the best hitter in baseball and does not turn 25 until later this year.

Note to Indians fans: Teams do not get better by simply doing nothing. C.C. Sabathia looks like he should start on the line for the Browns, not start on the mound for the Indians. Lastly, Indians closer, Joe Borowski, gets hit more than a pinata at a birthday party; he should only pitch on April Fool’s Day. Tigers win the Central.

3. This may be the year the Toronto Blue Jays finally break the playoff run of the New York Yankees. The Yankees have been to the playoffs more times than Sabathia has been to the team buffet line and have not missed a post-season in thirteen years.

It seems unlikely the Blue Jays can dethrone the Red Sox as they stand as the reigning world champions, but the Yankees have a shaky rotation full of aging veterans and unproven youngsters who seem ripe for the plucking.

The Blue Jays possess a solid line-up, strong rotation and with the return of B.J. Ryan from injury, one of the best closers in the game. It may not happen, but at least this year, it could happen. Ironically, they started the season playing each other.

4. Erik Bedard is not a household name, and he should be. In 2007, the young lefty led the Orioles staff with a shining 3.16 ERA, sported a nifty 13-5 record and struck out 221 in only 182 innings of work. He strikes out more than my roommates at a bar on a Saturday night.

Now a member of the Seattle Mariners, he makes them the prohibitive favorite of the AL West. Playing in 2008 for a superior team, hopefully he will now attain the notoriety that Baltimore would never allow.

He is a complete stud and is a player to watch. In fact, I will proudly proclaim my man crush on him.

5. Jay Gibbons was released by the Orioles. Consequently, because he was cut, the Orioles have to pay him the remaining 11.9 million left on his salary. Essentially, Jay Gibbons is so bad, the Orioles, winners of a whopping 69 games last year, would rather lose 12 million dollars than actually have Gibbons swing a bat; he gets paid not to play. He and Mark Prior should really just write a book entitled “How to Get Paid Millions by Being Completely Terrible at Your Job.”

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