The sport lost one of its true heroes on May 6 when Roberts passed away at 83 of natural causes. Over a 19-year major league career, the righthander won nearly 300 games and amazingly won 20 games in six consecutive seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies. Roberts was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.

“Probably the best fastball I ever saw was Robin Roberts,” said fellow Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. “His ball would rise about six or eight inches, with plenty on it. And he had great control, which made him very difficult to hit.”

Born on September 30, 1926 in Springfield, Illinois, the 6’1”, 200-pound Roberts had an auspicious start to being the king of the hill. “I went out for the baseball team at Michigan State,” he recalled. “They asked me, ‘Well, what do you play?’ And I said, ‘What do you need?’ And they said, ‘Pitchers.’ So I said, ‘Well, I’m a pitcher.’”

Following a brief minor league career, Roberts was signed by the Phillies in 1948 and two years later was part of a team for the ages. Coined ‘The Whiz Kids’ because a majority of the team was very young, the 1950 Phillies won the National League pennant on the last day of the regular season. Roberts, who started three games in the last five days of the season, earned his 20^th win in the 10-inning affair at Ebbets Field against the favored Brooklyn Dodgers. Unfortunately the Yankees were waiting for them in the World Series.

Roberts would go on to win 20 games in each season up until 1955 and led the NL in wins in each of the last four of those years. He once pitched 28 complete games in a row and never walked more than 77 batters in a season.

After the 1961 season ended, Roberts’ contract was sold to the Yankees. He never pitched for the Bronx Bombers and they cut him loose. The Baltimore Orioles called and Roberts won 42 games in three and a half seasons for them. He concluded his career with brief stops with the Astros and Cubs before retiring in 1966.

Why it took the Baseball Writers Association of America 10 years to vote the seven-time All-Star into the Hall of Fame is puzzling. Roberts’ career record of 286-245 also included 2,357 strikeouts, a 3.41 ERA, 305 complete games, 45 shutouts and 4,688 2/3 innings.

Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson saw many great traits in Roberts. “Robin was such a giant in baseball,” he said. “Not only was he the face of the Phillies in the 1950s, but he was among the most dominant hurlers to ever step on a pitching mound. His legacy will be his Hall of Fame career and his important role in establishing the Player’s Association, but his hallmark was the class and dignity with which he led his life.

“Robin’s warm heart and humorous personality made him a fan favorite and there’s not a person who met him who did not become richer because of that,” added Idelson. “He was a dear friend, a frequent visitor to Cooperstown and we’ll miss him very much.”

Since we’re not putting any money on these predictions, all we have to lose is a little face if they’re way off. So without any further delay, here goes:

NATIONAL LEAGUE

EAST

1 – Philadelphia Phillies – They have been the class of the Senior Circuit and may even take a step up with the acquisition of Roy Halladay. Rightfielder Jason Werth is already a stud and is on the cusp of superstardom. Even in an improved division, the Phils should keep the top spot filled with cheesesteaks.

2 – Florida Marlins - The pesky bunch always finds a way to sneak into contention, even though they go through a complete makeover every few years. Starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco’s success will determine if the Fish can finish in second place or below that. Dan Uggla sets the pace for the offense.

3 – Washington Nationals - This team will be one of the biggest surprises this summer and you heard it here first. Figure on number one overall pick Stephen Strasburg to be called up by May and be added to an already improved and competitive starting rotation. John Lannan and Jason Marquis are more than capable and if lefty Scott Olsen can return from shoulder surgery, they can be four deep. And don’t forget about Chien-Ming Wang, who was the ace of the Yankees staff not too long ago. Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn supply the power.

4 – Atlanta Braves - The ashes that remain from a once dominant team have blown away and all that remains are Chipper Jones and Bobby Cox, who will be managing his last season. Their pitching staff has some talent and may be able to carry them for a while but the depth is not there. Centerfielder Nate McClouth is multi-talented.

5 – New York Mets - This team has more excuses than a cemetery has maggots. Both Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya are on the hot seat and deserve to be. They has been hanging on to the fact that they were one win away from the 2006 World Series for too long and have been trying to patch it up ever since. They are headed north with a team void of power hitters except for Jason Bay, who they overpaid because the other free agents they were looking at were off the market. Their starting rotation? Unless you can clone Johan Santana, they don’t have one. With the rash of injuries that have become commonplace in Flushing, the Mets need to take a long and hard look at their conditioning and training staff. The cellar is awaitin.’

CENTRAL

1 – St. Louis Cardinals - Pitching is the name of the game and the Redbirds have added Brad Penny to an already strong rotation. They need to settle their third base situation and have youngster David Freese penciled in there now. Don’t take the addition of hitting coach Mark McGwire too lightly. This may be the only city that will forgive the former slugger and welcome him with open arms back into the fold and his teaching could go a long way.

2 – Milwaukee Brewers - The Brew Crew has a decent rotation that can keep them in contention for a playoff berth. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are capable of huge numbers.

3 – Chicago Cubs – With Lou Pinella’s contract expiring, one would figure that he needs to secure at least a Wild Card berth to retain his job. That will not be easy, especially with a strong bunch out west. This group may have seen their window of opportunity close and a minor rebuilding effort will not hurt them. Just getting Milton Bradley out of town is a plus.

4 – Cincinnati Reds - They may start off okay but will probably trade away their useful veterans by the trading deadline. Names such as Bronson Arroyo, Scott Rolen and Ramon Hernandez will find themselves in another uniform by August 1.

5 – Houston Astros - Brad Mills was brought in as manager and will have a tough go of it. What he does have going for him besides a weak division are good corner outfielders and infielders.

6 – Pittsburgh Pirates - What seems like a never ending rebuilding stage continues foe the Bucs. They do have a decent top three in their rotation, but will probably trade two of them away before too long.

WEST

1 – San Francisco Giants – Pitching will carry them all the way to October. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Barry Zito make up a tough staff and while the position players lack a legit superstar, all of them are more than serviceable players who can handle the stick.

2 – Los Angeles Dodgers - Joe Torre is simply a winner, regardless of what coast his electric bill is sent to. The Dodgers will just fall short of the division but make it as the Wild card entrant. They need to pick up a quality starter before the deadline and can overtake the Giants if that arm proves to be a major improvement.

3 – Colorado Rockies - This club has made a habit of slow starts and fast finishes. That will run out on them this year. Even the heart of Troy Tulowitzki isn;t enough this time around.

4 – Arizona Diamondbacks - The D-Backs’ season hinges on if Brandon Webb can come back and even be close to what he had been before shoulder surgery. Dan Haren is a good replacement but cannot be the same ace as Webb. Justin Upton is a superstar already at 22 and was awarded with a six-year, $51.25 million deal.

5 – San Diego Padres – They will be more competitive than in ’09 and may even have a shot at avoiding the basement. Bringing in Jon Garland to lead a young staff was a good move.

Division Winners: Phillies, Cardinals, Giants

Wild Card: Dodgers

National League Champion: Cardinals

Photo by Bill Menzel

Although the Phils are in first place in their division, it is mostly by default. Lidge came crashing back down to earth with an 0-3, 7.86 ERA with 13 saves in 29 games before going on the disabled list. Ryan Madson stepped into the stopper’s role and had nearly as many blown saves (three) as saves (four). With Lidge making his first appearance in nearly three weeks, the fans at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark can only hope that the 2008 version is the one coming back.

Philadelphia leads the Mets – another team decimated by injuries –  by one full game in the National League East with a very paltry 38-34 mark, by far the weakest division leader in Major League Baseball. Considering that we are not even at the half way point in the season yet, it may come down to who can keep the most warm bodies on the field.

Photo by Bill Menzel

First it was the Mets, then the Brewers and ultimately the Dodgers. The Philadelphia Phillies, who will now have six days off before beginning the World Series on the road, beat out all three, in both the regular and post season.

They earned that right on Wednesday night at Chaves Revine, sending Manny, Joe and the rest of the Dodgers packing. Manny, of course, is Manny Ramirez, who will be hitting the open market after carrying Los Angeles into the playoffs and nearly the Fall Classic. Joe is our old friend Torre, who stuck it to the Steinbrenners by taking a coveted job and making good. Reaching the playoffs and winning a round was a heck of a lot better than the Bronx Bombers did this season.

Did the Dodgers lose to a better team? There is no question that the Phils were more talented and bettered the Dodgers easily, losing only Game Three, the first of the series on the left coast, 7-2. In the final game, Jimmy Rollins opened the game with a home run while ace Cole Hamels was sharp in the 5-1 clincher. The Dodgers only run? What else but a long ball from Ramirez, who, in eight playoff games, hit a whopping .520 (13 for 25) with four homers and 10 RBI.

The turning point in the series came in the eighth inning of Game Four. With the Dodgers leading 5-3, Ryan Howard singled and Torre decided to take out reliever Hong Chih-Kuo, who had a 1-2-3 seventh. On came Corey Wade, who retired Pat Burrell then surrendered the game-tying two-run home run to Shane Victorino.

After an out and a single, Torre lifted Wade for his closer, Jonathan Broxton, who would face pinch hitter Matt Stairs, a journeyman left-handed hitter who recently turned 40. The veteran turned on Broxton’s 3-1 pitch and crushed it into the right field seats. 7-5 Philadelphia, and instead of the Dodgers drawing level in the series, they were one loss away from extinction.

Although Los Angeles is not the Bronx, Torre faced some tough questions during the off day on Tuesday. His handling of the pitching changes were taken to task, and the Brooklyn native defended his actions, starting with the quick hook of Kuo.

“I don’t think the ball was coming out of his hand as easy (as opposed to the previous inning) and that’s why I removed him in that part of the game,” Torre told reporters during a scheduled press conference at Dodger Stadium.

Concerning the Victorino home run, Torre said, “He (Wade) threw a breaking ball and it stayed up and Shane just knocked the hell out of it.” Critics said that Torre should have brought in Broxton instead of Wade at that point, but in all fairness, lefthanded hitters were hitting only .211 off of Wade prior to the game.

“I have a two-run lead in the seventh inning, and the game’s in my court and then the winning home run is hot off my closer,” continued Torre. “I don’t know what I could say to myself that would change what I would do, to be honest with you.”

Luckily for Torre, Game Five did not have any decisions that could have been questioned. For what it’s worth, the Phillies were the better team on paper and the field. Their comeback in that pivotal game proved that and they will be a tough out in the World Series, regardless of the opponent.