European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 30, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Stars and stripes Friday March 30 2007 air Force puts up a fight but Falls to Clemson in nit semifinals Page 29 2007 major league baseball preview overview there Are More teams with High expectations because of whats transpired in recent years ownerships with million payrolls Are saying Why cant we do it f f Bob Memn Arizona diamondbacks manager spend at your own risk by Ronald Blum the associated press Barry Zito thought about the san Francisco giants chances and was pretty pleased payroll no longer is supreme when it comes to world series titles in 2002 the wild card won in 03 the wild card won and in 04 Boston was the wild card and won he said that whats great about baseball parity reigns in the major leagues where there have been six world series champions in six seasons for the first time since the late 1980s so while watching the expected Barry Bonds Home runs Dick hoopla and new York Yankees turmoil look for Surprise teams to emerge last Spring who expected St Louis to win the world series How Many people thought the cardinals had a Chance after they finished the regular season 8378 theres no division today that you can say this team is going to win for sure commissioner Bud Selig said i can see in some of the divisions three or four teams competing right to the end in every division theres enor Mous Competition theres no shortage of teams hoping for big turnarounds the rebuilt Chicago cubs who Hope to keep their world series title drought from reaching a Cen Tury brought in Lou Piniella to set off Sparks from the managers office then committed Mil lion to Alfonso Soriano Aramis Ramirez Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis the Philadelphia Phillies build ing a team around Ryan Howard added pitchers Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton there Are More teams with High expectations because of whats transpired in recent years Arizona diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said ownerships with million payrolls Are saying Why cant we do it coming saturday american league in recent seasons highest payroll Hast translated into series titles Chuck the Philadelphia Phillies Are trying to build a Winner around first baseman Ryan Howard the no Rookie of the year in 2005 and map last season who is one of the Best bargains in baseball at this year need More examples the Mil Waukee Brewers trying to push ahead in a weak no Central signed St Louis postseason Star Jeff Suppan to a million Deal the Toronto Blue jays added two time Al map Frank Thomas in an Effort to break the new York red sox Hegemony in the Al East there is so much parity that you dont go into a three six nine game stretch where youre playing any patsies anymore red sox Pitcher Curt Schilling said across the major leagues there Are Story lines Large and Small much attention will be focused on Bonds on and off the Field he enters the season with 734 homers 21 shy of Hank Aarons career record in addition the 42yearold left fielder needs 159 hits to reach 300070 Bis to get to 2000 and 143 runs to reach Rickey hendersons record of 2295 he also takes the Field with a unique clause in his million oneyear contract with Bonds under investigation by a grand jury for possible perjury in his 2003 testimony on steroids the san Francisco giants insisted on a provision that states the team can terminate the agreement if Hes indicted while the probe into steroids by former Senate majority Leader George Mitchell which is Start ing its second year is looking at Many players Bonds is the most prominent target with All the hubbub Selig Hast committed to be in the seats for no 756 and Bonds might be unwanted by mob when the giants Host the Allstar game at their Ballpark by the Bay on july 10 let them investigate let them Treyve been doing it this Long Bonds said after his first Spring training workout it Doest weigh on me others Are heading for big num Bers too see spend on Page 30 coming sunday National league preview former mob Allstar gets 14year prison sentence 5426000101