As it stands, are we better now than we were last year?

[Clapp]

<!--quoteo(post=9621:date=Jan 6 2009, 08:39 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Jan 6 2009, 08:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=9615:date=Jan 6 2009, 07:24 PM:name=Brock)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Brock @ Jan 6 2009, 07:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=9605:date=Jan 6 2009, 07:04 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Jan 6 2009, 07:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=9601:date=Jan 6 2009, 06:57 PM:name=CFOrfan)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CFOrfan @ Jan 6 2009, 06:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I think were worse because of the moves we made. I also think we are worse because some guys had terrific years and probably won't repeat. I think we are worse by a good margin. Maybe a whole 10 games.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
10 games? Even if you've hated this offseason and expect everyone to regress next year, that seems pretty extreme.
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When you consider that pretty much everything went right for this team and it won 97 games last season I don't think it's too far-fetched.
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Everything went right for the team? I'm not sure I'd go that far.

- Alf missed over 50 games.
- Fukudome fell off a cliff and was a complete non-factor after the ASB.
- Zambrano pitched the fewest innings of his career post-2003 and was a roller-coaster ride.
- Rich Hill. Need I say more?
- Our number 3 hitter turned into a groundball/double-play machine.

Lots of good things happened too, of course.

- Dempster had an All-Star year.
- Soto's rise to stardom.
- Unexpected production from CF (Johnson/Edmonds).

I don't think we had some sort of lucky/charmed season by any means.
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Add in that we clinched the division like what, 3 weeks before the end of the season? This was a 100 win team. Just the fact that we'll get to play crap in the division helps as well. No more facing Sabathia and Sheets.