1) Milwaukee Brewers
2) Chicago Cubs
3) St. Louis Cardinals
4) Houston Astros
5) Cincinnati Reds
6) Pittsburgh Pirates

Projected Lineups:	Projected Rotations:
Milwaukee Brewers
Rickie Weeks J.J. Hardy Ryan Braun Prince Fielder Corey Hart Mike Cameron Bill Hall Jason Kendall	Ben Sheets Dave Bush Jeff Suppan Carlos Villanueva Chris Capuano Yovani Gallardo
Chicago Cubs
Alfonso Soriano Kosuke Fukudome Derrek Lee Aramis Ramirez Mark DeRosa Felix Pie Ryan Theriot Geovany Soto	Carlos Zambrano Ted Lilly Rich Hill Jason Marquis Jon Lieber
St. Louis Cardinals
Cesar Izturis Rick Ankiel Albert Pujols Chris Duncan Troy Glaus Yadier Molina Brian Barton Adam Kennedy	Adam Wainwright Braden Looper Joel Pineiro Anthony Reyes Mark Mulder
Houston Astros
Michael Bourn Kaz Matsui Miguel Tejada Lance Berkman Carlos Lee Hunter Pence Ty Wigginton J.R. Towles	Roy Oswalt Woody Williams Wandy Rodriguez Brandon Backe Jack Cassel
Cincinnati Reds
Ryan Freel Brandon Phillips Ken Griffey Jr. Adam Dunn Edwin Encarnacion Joey Votto David Ross Alex Gonzalez	Aaron Harang Bronson Arroyo Jeremy Affeldt Homer Bailey Matt Belisle
Pittsburgh Pirates
Nate McLouth Freddy Sanchez Adam LaRoche Jason Bay Xavier Nady Jose Bautista Ronny Paulino Jack Wilson	Tom Gorzelanny Ian Snell Paul Maholm Matt Morris Sean Burnett

]]> http://www.sporttalker.com/2008/02/11/2008-nl-central-preview.html/feed 0 http://www.sporttalker.com/2007/04/30/passing-of-a-ball-player.html http://www.sporttalker.com/2007/04/30/passing-of-a-ball-player.html#comments Tue, 01 May 2007 04:26:41 +0000 Sport Talker http://www.sporttalker.com/2007/04/30/passing-of-a-ball-player.html It’s been a long time since I’ve wrote an article and my, my there’s alot to be writing about. The Buffalo Sabres are making their way through the playoffs in route of their goal of winning the Stanley Cup, the 2007 NFL Draft just came to a close, the Kentucky Derby is rapidly approaching, and the first month of the baseball season is coming to a close. Unfortunately, I am writing about none of these.

Early Sunday morning, pitcher Josh Hancock, of the St. Louis Cardinals died in a car accident on Interstate 64 in St. Louis. According to the St. Louis Police Dept., Hancock’s 2007 Ford Explorer hit a tow truck at approximately 12:35 a.m. CT and he died at the scene, possibly at the moment of impact. It’s the second time in only a five-year span that the Cardinals have lost an active player. Darryl Kile passed away on June 22, 2002. Hancock was just 29 years old and previously pitched for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds.

Sunday night’s Cardinals-Cubs game, scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT, was postponed. “The pain our organization feels today is unspeakable,” said Cardinals principal owner Bill DeWitt Jr.. “Josh was a great competitor with a strong will to win. His fellow Cardinals will tell you that Josh was a consummate teammate with a terrific spirit that served him well on the mound and in the clubhouse.”

Team Manager Tony La Russa said, “The respect that we all had for his ability to take the significant or the save-our-staff type of role was a real measure of him personally and professionally. He was a lot of fun and a terrific teammate. So trust me when I tell you this is brutal to go through.”

“Josh had a lot of friends in that clubhouse,” general manager Walt Jocketty said. “You talk about it being a family, and it is a family. And it’s very difficult.”

St. Louis Police Chief Joseph Mokwa said that police are attempting to establish the details of both the accident and the last several hours of Hancock’s life. He said it appears likely that Hancock was not driving at an excessive speed, and that no alcoholic beverage containers were found in the vehicle.

Something like this puts everything else into perspective. A baseball game is simply that, a game, and has few everlasting consequences. A person’s life is important and should be valued every chance you get. Please say a prayer for Josh’s friends and family as they cope with this tragic loss.