The Sun's national baseball writer, Peter Schmuck, ranks the major leagues' 28 teams.
Rank, Team, Previous rank, Comment.
1. Cleveland Indians -- 1 -- Sorry, already used up all available synonyms for unbeatable.
2. Cincinnati Reds -- 3 -- Pressure's off: Marge called Psychic Hotline, knows division title's in the bag.
3. Atlanta Braves -- 4 -- Got well in a hurry against slipping Cubs.
4. Boston Red Sox -- 6 -- Clemens is back, but still reason to suspect they may be overrated.
5. Philadelphia Phillies -- 2 -- Still standing after toughest week of season.
6. California Angels -- 7 -- It's no longer a Mickey Mouse franchise, but Disney wants in anyway.
7. Colorado Rockies -- 11 -- Should gain from Giants' loss.
8. Montreal Expos -- 10 -- Carlos Perez finally proves human, but Expos youth movement marches on.
9. Chicago Cubs -- 5 -- Cub fans take heart. Reds can't keep this up forever.
10. San Francisco Giants -- 8 -- Could lose division race by a foot.
11. Kansas City Royals -- 9 -- Batting order doesn't look like much, but Royals have been rocking.
12. Seattle Mariners -- 13 -- The Big Heat (hot new nickname for Randy Johnson) is holding M's together.
13. Texas Rangers -- 15 -- Despite Palmer injury, still have to be considered division favorite.
14. Oakland A's -- 14 -- It's gotten so you can't visit an AL West city without tripping over a contender.
15. Houston Astros -- 17 -- Swept Smoltz, Maddux, Glavine in Atlanta...lost series to Marlins at home. You figure it out.
16. Los Angeles Dodgers -- 21 -- Could move up fast in tepid NL West.
17. Baltimore Orioles -- 22 -- Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bullpen...
18. Chicago White Sox -- 23 -- With all due respect to new manager Terry Bevington, Sox had to turn around eventually.
19. Milwaukee Brewers -- 18 -- Should rest comfortably in fourth place for the remainder of the season.
20. Toronto Blue Jays -- 19 -- For sale: $200 million or best offer.
21. St. Louis Cardinals -- 20 -- Redbirds playing with Zeile, but not zeal.
L 22. New York Yankees -- 12 -- Could they really be this bad?
23. Detroit Tigers -- 16 -- Back in basement after bad trip to Cleveland.
24. San Diego Padres -- 24 -- Frightful friars frought with frustration.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates -- 25 -- Can't even tell the players with a program.
26. New York Mets -- 26 -- Most common question asked at Shea: "Don't they play a tennis tournament around here somewhere?"
27. Minnesota Twins -- 27 -- If this is what they look like WITH Kirby, imagine what they're going to look like next year.
28. Florida Marlins -- 28 -- Huizenga must wish he'd thrown them back.
Note: Statistics through Wednesday's games.
