Another of the EL's better-run clubs, the East took the mighty Black Yankees all the way last season, ending up just a fortuitous bad hop away from winning it all. That can be tough on a club, on a playing group - to come so close but fail. And, especially given that playing group remains almost entirely intact this time around, I believe their success or failure this season will all come down to how they respond to that disappointment.
There's no doubt in my mind that whatever gap they gouged out by dint of that splendiferous 1970 campaign has closed already. In fact, it was only ever a trompe l'oeil - a trick of the eye, a mirage. The WC National is the most competitive of the four groups in the EL, and they are its smallest constituent, financially speaking. So they are going to have to be creative all the way through if they want to remain competitive. Which amps up the pressure to get that elusive Championship before the gap of which I speak flips over from surplus to deficit.
As things stand, they certainly have the group to go all the way. Ruppert Jones is a god, as is Carlos Zambrano, and their support cast rivals any others, especially Montero, Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez. Lloyd Moseby should be up soon and is the putative starting LF alongside Jones and Rod Allen. Chet Brewer should make it into the rotation at some stage, and it will be stronger for his inclusion in it. While they lack many other outright superstars among their position players, those they do have seem the type to play above their station. A real bunch of gamers. As long as they continue to do so, and the group's heads are right, these guys should give it a real nudge again this season.
1st in the WC National.
