The Sox are the best until proven otherwise 160 games from now.

Giants have as good a starting rotation as any team in MLB.

As good as the starters are, the bull pen is as bad. 

They will have a harder time scoring runs than last year with Barry gone.

Batting #3...  Randy Winn.   'Nuff said.

Rowand says they'll win the division, why aren't you convinced?

The Sox are the best until proven otherwise 160 games from now.

Because the Giants aren't paying me $5 million a year.

If I were given a ton of money by the Giants, I'd say they would win the division too!

BTW...  I think you are seriously overestimating your team's pitching staff.  Rox have the best bats, but the throwers are not that good.

I hate to say it, (I do not like the snakes one bit) but I think the Snakes are by far the most well rounded team in the West.  Getting Haren was a huge move for them.  Gives them two top starters instead of one. 
How did the Rox improve on the mound?

Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales were already two of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.  They weren't even supposed to play last year.  They did play, and they were thrown in the middle of a highly contested Pennant race.  Fail to see how they won't improve even more given that experience.  The Rockies also had the best ERA in franchise history last year, and lost the starter with the worst numbers (Fogg).  Their ERA at Coors was better than it was on the road.  And beyond all of that, even if Francis and Jimenez weren't two of the most promising pitchers in baseball, that lineup could score 1000 runs.  They don't even need pitching.  The great pitching is bonus.

I agree about Arizona, although Billy Beane is the Kiki Vandeweghe of baseball.  He sells high and his pitchers usually flop elsewhere.  But as a Gnats fan, you were already well aware of that.

Jimenez and Morales are two HUGE question marks.  Who says that players MUST improve?  Especially pitching at Coors.
Best ERA in history.  You, a Rox fan, should know how woeful that is.

It has been proved over and over again that the Rox will not win by scoring a billion runs.  They need at least average pitchers on their staff just to compete.

My assessment...  The Rox are a total (excuse the pun) wild card.  They could compete with the Snakes for the division lead, but it is more likely they will be in #3 or #4 and be their traditional (scoring and allowing a billion runs) selves.

So I guess you're in the camp that's totally ignoring last year.  3rd or 4th?  Don't be a sheep.  Arizona, San Diego and Los Angeles all have terrible lineups.  Arizona makes up for it with 2 great starters, but they have a shaky bullpen.  Los Angeles has plus starters too but again, horrible bullpen outside of Broxton and Saito who the Dodgers often can't even make it to.  Torre is overrated.  San Diego is just awful all-around but get away with it in a profanely expansive joke of a park.

The Rockies WILL get away with outscoring people because they have the best lineup in the NL.  Can they repeat the post-season success they had last year?  Maybe not.  Probably not.  They might not even make it.  But they'll win 85-90 games and won't finish worse than second in the division. 

Morales is still a question mark, but Jimenez didn't forget how to put a triple digit fastball wherever he wants over night.  And as I stated earlier, a bullpen anchored by Fuentes and Corpas is as good as any.

I'll take outscoring people - which you apparently still refuse to believe is possible, even though last I checked the winner of a game scores more runs - over having to outpitch them any day.

And don't forget about the defense.  3 of the 5 starters are ground ball pitchers and Taveras has ridiculous range for the other 2.  And Jason Hirsh had the lowest WHIP in the NL last year before he was hurt.  Him coming back only makes things brighter.

No, I am looking at last year.  This team was below average all year long and then went on a massive hot streak at the very very end.  It is you who are ignoring about 140 games from last year.

LA and SD have their flaws.  But so do the Rox.  The problem is, the flaws with the Rox are all on the mound.  They do indeed have the worst overall pitching in the entire division.  But no other team has the offensive thump they have.  They will have to win a lot of 9-7 ball games to win the division.  A VERY hard thing to do.

It is ironic that you call Petco a Joke of a ball park.  I've heard announcers claim that baseball at Coors is not real baseball, but 'Arena' baseball.

Well since you apparently haven't turned on a television or radio or whatever you have in your bomb shack in 10 years, you're ignoring the impact the humidor has had on run production at Coors Field.  And basing your opinions off of what analysts say?  You are dumb.  It's a HUGE park, holding it against the players that they play at high elevation is grasping at straws.  Takes a lack of balls and an up-to-the-throat level of biterness.  Go back to 1998 if that's all you're going to moan on about.

The Rockies have the worst pitching staff in the best pitching division and biggest parks of all of baseball.  I'll take it.

MLB/NL Ranks

ERA 14/8
WHIP 8/5
Hits Against 13/8
Walks Allowed 9/3

Yeah, we're in a bad place.  These with a half season of Ubaldo and Franklin and with Fogg gumming up the works.  And like I said, numbers were better AT COORS.

Do you have a winery for all your sour bitch grapes?

No sour grapes here.

You were the one who called Petco a joke.  What, did the Rox lose too many games there or something?  Parks are what they are.  Stop whining about it.

At least the Padres don't have to alter how the ball is stored in an attempt to make the yard more normal.

Obviously it is not what analysists say.  All one has to do is look at runs scored at Coors compared to, well...  Everywhere else.  Either the park is abnormally offensive, or the Rox have the worst pitching known to man.  And it is probably both.

Stop moaning.  Man up.  Admit what it is.