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Hardball Timesで「Five Questions Revisited: The San Francisco Giants at Midseason」
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/five-questions-revisited-the-san-francisco-giants-at-midseason/
なる長文記事が書かれた。
4月に書かれた「Five Questions: San Francisco Giants」
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/5questions_giants/
を、シーズンの折り返し時期にRevisitしたもの。5つの質問は、
1) Can Barry Bonds keep it up?
2) How healthy will Jason Schmidt be?
3) What about shortstop?
4) What about the bullpen?
5) Which Alfonzo and which Feliz?
である。読んでみた結論。たくさんの問題を抱えながら何とかやりくりしてここまで来ているのがよくわかる。ただ、サプライズは全くなし。

So far the 2004 Giants appear to be, almost eerily, following the predicted scenario: struggling to get much above .500, yet contending closely in a lackluster division. The Giants are an obviously flawed ballclub, especially in the pitching staff, and the bottom could drop out from under them at any moment, particularly if anything were to happen to Bonds or Schmidt.
But after a dismal start, they valiantly surged from mid-May through the end of June, all the way into first place. While the team has slowed a bit since, what appears to be shaping up is a three-way dogfight between the Giants, Dodgers, and Padres, perhaps all the way to the end. It remains the case that maybe none of these teams will win much more than 85 games, although it must be noted that if the season were to end today, the Giants would be the NL Wild Card winner.

打線については、今年は我慢する。でもピッチャーをなんとかしないと、ポストシーズン直前か直後で息切れする。先発一人とクローザーがほしい。

メジャーリーグ後半戦の展望。「Second half could be full of surprises」(AP)
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/07/14/sports1611EDT0251.DTL
(1) やはりRandy Johnsonは、ニューヨークかボストンかアナハイムへ行きそう。
(2) ナリーグ東は4チームの混戦。

The NL East is just as muddled. Three teams are within two games of first-place Philadelphia, including the surprising Mets. Atlanta, seeking its 13th straight division title, is only a game back, just ahead of Florida.

(3) ナリーグ西も3チームの混戦。

Led by Barry Bonds and Jason Schmidt, Sabean's Giants are in the thick of a three-team race in the NL West, wedged right between first-place Los Angeles and third-place San Diego.

(4) ナリーグ中は、セントルイスが抜け出しているが、あと4チームがプレイオフ進出可能。
(5) ナリーグ・ワイルドカードは、12チームにプレイオフ進出のチャンスが残っている。

And the wild-card chase also is wide open -- eight teams are within 41/2 games of San Francisco. That means 12 NL teams still have a real chance to reach the playoffs, making it an exciting second half for fans all over the country.

(6) アリーグはナリーグに比べてわかりやすい。東はボストン対ニューヨーク。中はミネソタ対シカゴ。西はテキサスとアナハイムとオークランド。この7チームから4チームがプレイオフに進出する。番狂わせのテキサスが最後まで走れるか。