OK, time for 2009 MLB predictions:
AL East - Red Sox
Apologies to the Yankees, who certainly could win, and the Rays, ditto. But this team is so deep and balanced. It'll be hard to keep the Red Sox down in '09.
AL Central - Royals
Here's my Rockies'07/Rays'08 pick of '09. They're solid at the top of the rotation, there is a ton of offensive upside with young Billy Butler and Alex Gordon, enigmatic Jose Guillen and veteran acquisitions Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp. It won't be easy, with the Twins and Indians battling the whole way, but I see the Royals on top in October. Just in time for a quick playoff exit.
AL West - Rangers
I just wonder about that Angels team. The rotation is a mess to start the season, I don't like that they've sent Garret Anderson away. The A's are interesting but that rotation is too young. The Rangers pitching may not be all that good, but this lineup is gonna be scary. They'll win about 84 games and a surprise AL West title. And be gone in the first round.
AL Wild Card - Yankees
They beat the Rays out by a game.
AL Champ - Red Sox
In six games over the Yankees in a classic.
AL MVP - Grady Sizemore, Indians
He can do everything, and the Indians will be in the playoff chase all year. Also in the running: Josh Hamilton, Rangers; Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox; Mark Teixeira, Yankees; and Matt Holliday, A's.
AL Cy Young - CC Sabathia, Yankees
I'd like to give a more surprising pick, but I think CC will be everything the Yankees want him to be and more. Runner-ups: Zack Greinke, Royals; Jon Lester, Red Sox; and Scott Kazmir, Rays.
AL ROY - Brett Anderson, A's
The lefty is just 21, has a starting gig in Oakland and throws strikes. Tons of poise and I just have a feeling he's going to be a huge surprise this year. Orioles catcher Matt Wieters will also be great, as will Rays hurler David Price.
AL Batting Champ - Howie Kendrick, Angels
It's been brewing for a couple years now, and this is the year Kendrick stays healthy and does a year-long Tony Gwynn impersonation. He'll hit about .340.
AL HR Leader - Mark Teixeira
He'll be 29 in a week, so he's in his prime. And I just have this feeling he's the anti-ARod. NY fans are gonna love this guy and so will fans in the right-field seats. Let's say 42 homers.
NL East - Mets
I'm not sure I believe this pick, but I'm going with it anyway. The Phillies will be plenty good, but I wonder about their pitching depth and how it will match up with the Mets. The Mets will open their new stadium in style, piling up wins despite the fact that their lineup is actually a bit top heavy. They'll need to make a move at the August deadline to beef things up.
NL Central - Reds
I love teams filled with young talent like this one. The Cubs may be the better team, but the Reds, now that they've shedded Griffey and Dunn, will play with youthful exhuberence. Joey Votto hits 35 homers, Jay Bruce adds 30, and the young hurlers show improvement. Cubs second. Brewers and Cards a distant third/fourth.
NL West - Dodgers
This pains me as a Rockies fan. But I don't see how the back end of that Rockies rotation stands up against all the talent and depth this Dodgers squad has. Clayton Kershaw takes a huge step forward, so does Chad Billingsley. Matt Kemp goes 30-30 and Manny Ramirez flirts with .400 before tailing off midseason. The Diamondbacks will be good, too, and the Giants rotation will indeed be tough. But not tough enough to make up for their offense.
NL Wild Card - Cubs
The Cubs beat out the the Phillies in a close battle. Rockies and D-backs figure into the race.
NL Champ - Dodgers
Sorry, Cubs fans. They'll finally win a playoff series, but two may be pushing it. The Dodgers beat them in five games.
NL MVP - Manny Ramirez
David Wright has the numbers, but Manny helps the Dodgers win the title. That's enough to give him the award.
NL Cy Young - Johan Santana
Beats out Tim Lincecum in a close race. Kershaw figures in, and Ubaldo Jimenez gets a few votes, too.
NL ROY - Jordan Schafer
The Braves outfielder jumps from Double-A to the bigs and takes the league by storm, showing a fine mix of speed and power and defensive prowess. Dexter Fowler takes over a starting spot in May and never gives it up in Colorado and gets votes. Cameron Maybin remains a couple years away from being a major force.
NL Batting Champ - Chipper Jones
One more time for Chipper. Todd Helton resurfaces and gives him a run.
NL HR Leader - Ryan Howard
Howard hits 43 homers, a couple more than Prince Fielder. Joey Votto and Adam Dunn are up there, too.
World Series - The Red Sox remind the Dodgers that the AL is still dominant, winning in five games.
Jan
12
The blog formerly known as...
...Wadorf to Your Astoria is done. Through. Finished.
This will be the final post here.
But fear not! If you go over to my brand-spankin' new website, billkonigsberg.com, you will see that I am still blogging over there. And on that site, powered by the fine folks at wordpress, you may comment using your Facebook account.
Sorry, Blogger. We liked you, but we needed more. We needed actual comments!
So thanks to those of you who perused this blog regularly.
This will be the final post here.
But fear not! If you go over to my brand-spankin' new website, billkonigsberg.com, you will see that I am still blogging over there. And on that site, powered by the fine folks at wordpress, you may comment using your Facebook account.
Sorry, Blogger. We liked you, but we needed more. We needed actual comments!
So thanks to those of you who perused this blog regularly.
Dec
27
To Recap...
Just four more days in 2012... Hard to believe how quickly --
Who the hell am I kidding?
This was the slowest year in the history of man. I don't mean that in a bad way. It just went slowly. To me, last December seems like years ago.
It was a great, slow year:
1. My agent sold my next book, Openly Straight, to Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic).
2. I got involved in a very cool project at ASU, to be explained/described in due time.
3.
Who the hell am I kidding?
This was the slowest year in the history of man. I don't mean that in a bad way. It just went slowly. To me, last December seems like years ago.
It was a great, slow year:
1. My agent sold my next book, Openly Straight, to Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic).
2. I got involved in a very cool project at ASU, to be explained/described in due time.
3.
Dec
21
Finding the perfect partner
People often ask me: Bill, how did you find the perfect man?
Okay, no one outside of my head has ever asked me that. While people do often say nice stuff about Chuck, about him being handsome and funny and kind, I have found that people rarely ask questions:
A) Like the aforementioned outside of bad movies and trashy novels
B) Of me in general in which advice of any kind is sought.
So while this has not been asked of me, I do feel as though I have some expertise on the subject.
Okay, no one outside of my head has ever asked me that. While people do often say nice stuff about Chuck, about him being handsome and funny and kind, I have found that people rarely ask questions:
A) Like the aforementioned outside of bad movies and trashy novels
B) Of me in general in which advice of any kind is sought.
So while this has not been asked of me, I do feel as though I have some expertise on the subject.
Dec
10
Now Me vs. Later Me
About four months ago, I took a home test and found that my blood sugar was in the "pre-diabetes" range.
I can't say I was shocked, because it wasn't the first time I'd had that result. But I was horrified, because it was rising from the last time I'd had it checked. I decided that if I wanted to avoid having diabetes, I needed to change my diet and my exercise.
I did both.
I can't say I was shocked, because it wasn't the first time I'd had that result. But I was horrified, because it was rising from the last time I'd had it checked. I decided that if I wanted to avoid having diabetes, I needed to change my diet and my exercise.
I did both.
Oct
31
The Shoulds
Tomorrow is the first day of NaNoWriMo, also known as National Novel Writing Month. Every November, all sorts of writers take on the challenge of trying to write a draft of a novel in a month. Note that I say "Draft," because very, very few novels are finished in one draft, and while some writers might be able to draft and then revise a novel in a month, I don't think that's a very realistic goal.
For me, especially.
For me, especially.
Oct
25
DON'T De-Friend Me
I'll tell you what, people who plan to vote for Mitt Romney:
I disagree with you, and not just a little. Your support of the Romney/Ryan ticket feels like a kick to the stomach, because as a gay man, this stuff is personal to me.
But you know what? Don't de-friend me.
In his Huffington Post blog post on Oct.
I disagree with you, and not just a little. Your support of the Romney/Ryan ticket feels like a kick to the stomach, because as a gay man, this stuff is personal to me.
But you know what? Don't de-friend me.
In his Huffington Post blog post on Oct.
Oct
23
The Gay Jackie Robinson?
What would happen at an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts if an athlete came out as gay?
This is NOT the subject of my upcoming novel, Openly Straight. In fact, it is the setting for that novel, but it is the plot of my first novel, Out of the Pocket.
I mention it because of a comment I received last week from a former student at a school I visited three years ago.
This is NOT the subject of my upcoming novel, Openly Straight. In fact, it is the setting for that novel, but it is the plot of my first novel, Out of the Pocket.
I mention it because of a comment I received last week from a former student at a school I visited three years ago.
Oct
18
Openly Straight - The Cover
Here it is, boys and girls! The cover of my forthcoming novel "Openly Straight."
Like it? I love it!
I love that it is a visual representation of the story. Given a choice of all the labels my main character, Seamus Rafael Goldberg, can choose, he chooses the most innocuous one. He just wants to be a "normal kid."
I had no idea, when I wrote this, about how much I was writing about myself. That's how clueless I can be about myself.
Like it? I love it!
I love that it is a visual representation of the story. Given a choice of all the labels my main character, Seamus Rafael Goldberg, can choose, he chooses the most innocuous one. He just wants to be a "normal kid."
I had no idea, when I wrote this, about how much I was writing about myself. That's how clueless I can be about myself.
Oct
3
Using Songs in Novels
Today I've decided to be one of those helpful authors and let you know what happens when you attempt to use copywritten song lyrics in your novel. So if you are not a regular reader of this blog, I'm guessing you found me because you just used those lyrics to Rapture by Blondie in your novel, and then you thought, "Wait. Can I do this?"
The answer is: yes and no.
I love using lyrics.
The answer is: yes and no.
I love using lyrics.
Sep
7
Vacation, all I ever wanted...
We are back from our first full-fledged vacation in about three years!
Chuck, Mabel and I went to Northern California for two weeks, and what can I say? Paradise!
We had such an amazing time doing nothing and loving it. We drove about 900 miles each way and stayed for nine days at a place called Driftwood Bungalow in Manchester, California. It's about 150 miles north of San Francisco, about 30 miles south of Mendocino.
Nothing is there, and that's how we wanted it.
Chuck, Mabel and I went to Northern California for two weeks, and what can I say? Paradise!
We had such an amazing time doing nothing and loving it. We drove about 900 miles each way and stayed for nine days at a place called Driftwood Bungalow in Manchester, California. It's about 150 miles north of San Francisco, about 30 miles south of Mendocino.
Nothing is there, and that's how we wanted it.
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