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After blowing a 5-0 lead in the World Series, Giants have their own Game 6 nightmare to overcome. They'll do so with a cast vastly different from the club that made it to the Series, GM Brian Sabean making a powerful statement by hiring Alou to manage when Dusty Baker left. Giants have new starters at second, center, third base, and right field, relying on Edgardo Alfonzo to take the place of former NL MVP Jeff Kent, and two new starters in the rotation. Bonds had a monster spring, and is within 47 home runs of godfather Willie Mays. Closer Robb Nen appears to be recovered from shoulder surgery. A very dangerous team.
The D-Backs won more regular-season games (98) last season than when they won the World Series the previous year, but injuries to star slugger Luis Gonzalez, Danny Bautista, and Craig Counsell led to them scoring just six runs in three games in first-round sweep to Cardinals. Arizona had a deal in place to trade Matt Williams to Rockies for Larry Walker, but Walker vetoed the deal. Erubiel Durazo was dealt to Oakland to make room for top prospect Overbay, and both Johnson and Gonzalez were signed to lucrative extensions. Matt Mantei returns as closer, bumping Kim to rotation.
If Brown pitches the way he has this spring, the Dodgers have a chance to be the class of a strong division. But Brown is 38, he has been on the disabled list six times since 1999, and has pitched fewer than 180 innings combined the last two seasons, after averaging nearly 220 innings in his previous 12 seasons. Japanese rookie Ishii fizzled after a fast start, then sustained a fractured skull after being hit by a line drive. Bryce Florie serves as a reminder of how difficult it is to come back from such trauma, though Ishii's vision, unlike Florie's, was not permanently affected. Ex-Sox starter Nomo has been a rock, while McGriff adds some needed lefthanded pop.
Padres suffered two crushing blows this spring with the injuries to closer Trevor Hoffman and OF Phil Nevin, forcing Kevin Towers's hand in giving up a top pitching prospect, Mark Phillips, to the Yankees in the Rondell White deal. Towers also dumped the $7.5 million they had left on Bubba Trammell's contract, which should put Padres in a better position to make a run for a big-name star - Miguel Tejada or Japanese shortstop Kazuo Matsui - before they move into a new ballpark next season. Burroughs has had shoulder problems this spring, but he has star potential.
Dan O'Dowd's major achievement over the winter was to get out from under Mike Hampton's $121 million contract, leaving Hampton to explain how he was worse on the road (3-12, 6.44 ERA) than in Coors Field (4-3, 5.68). It couldn't have all been altitude. Helton had a Nomar-like ``off'' year, hitting ``just'' .329 last season. He had surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow. NL Rookie of the Year Jennings offers hope, but the bullpen will have to come up big to protect an inexperienced rotation. Bad sign: Attendance has fallen off in each of the last six seasons.