Well, this is definitely one of the most debatable questions coming into the season, because not everything is in place for New York quite yet. They were able to bring in Johnny Damon, which really should make this club even better offensively.

However, I’ve been reemphasizing this all off-season long -- why don’t they get the picture? Offense is not what they should be focusing on right now. They have the best offense in baseball. A killer lineup with sluggers everywhere.

There problem, I believe, is pitching.

Randy Johnson may have been cursed because of the "First year in New York" type of thing, but did you ever think that he could just be too old for this type of thing? He is getting older and he could be declining as his career comes to a close.

Carl Pavano is always questionable because of the injuries last year, and Jaret Wright seems to be the only guy that I can count on to come up big this year on that pitching staff.

Their bullpen is acceptable, but anything can always get better.

George Steinbrenner thinks they will win the World Series this year. We’ll see George, we’ll see.

We don’t really know where Roger Clemens is even going this year, let alone having a good year. He could go to the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, or even back to the Yankees.

He could go anywhere, but I don’t think that his performance will ever change. He’s the CY Young winner that we will never, ever see leave us. He has so much talent, it overlaps everything that you could see another pitcher do in his career.

Clemens will always go out there and be like a Peyton Manning in baseball. Always having unbelievable years, and making it seem like he will never leave the game.

He’s just that kind of guy that I really have faith in to always succeed in baseball, whatever team he’s on.

This is probably the biggest question coming into this year. Barry Bonds has said, in public, that this is his final year in Major League Baseball. He will definitely break Babe Ruth’s record, but can he get to 756?

With his power, the answer is yes. But, the only risk is that he might get injured, which totally ruins the whole thing.

Bonds needs to have a great year, a normal year with no injuries. Then, on top of that, he has to make that extra effort because he’s 42 years old. If he was younger, then I would put a million bucks on him breaking the record, but the fact that he is a 42 year old player, it is going to be harder.

Don’t expect him to come in and do what he normally does for this San Francisco Giants team because they hare a new and improved team with young talent. They are not going to waste and pay more attention to Bonds. It will be a whole different scenario in San Francisco.

Of course they can, because they won it all last year. So, who’s to say they can’t do it again this year? However, there are some changes.

With fan-favorite Aaron Rowand off to Philadelphia, the team acquired veteran first baseman Jim Thome. The hope is to make the team a better one by backing up Paul Konerko at first base, and sliding him in at the DH position.

Young centerfielder, Brian Anderson will be tested this year, as he takes over Rowand’s spot, which will be hard to fill.

The pitching is still good, but even better. With the acquisition of journeyman Javier Vasquez, the team looks like they have the upper hand.

I hope that we will see another great year out of Jose Contreras. Maybe this is the start of a big run.

The White Sox definitely have a shot at repeating as World Series champions.

This division turned from one of the most predictable divisions in baseball, to one of the most dynamic divisions in baseball.

The Yankees have lowered their status and are now on the same page as the Boston Red Sox.

The Blue Jays have brought in A.J. Burnett and Troy Glaus, just two of the many power hitters that Toronto has on their squad. They will most certainly be the team to watch in this division for one reason and one reason only. They look like the Baltimore Orioles of last year, coming into the season with a lot of pride, starting it out well and then losing it all.

I wouldn’t want to see that happen because I want to see the Yankees get a run for their money in New York and learn that they are not the only team that can win this division.

The Red Sox look more solid then ever, even though they lost Damon. They replaced him with Coco Crisp in centerfield, which will really bring more speed to the speed-hungry Boston club.

This is a great question to elaborate on. Cleveland fell one game short of making the post-season last year, and this year will be their year to break out and make the post-season.

I have a lot of faith in this club because they have a great team at every aspect. The pitching is very strong, the hitting is great and the management is a veteran style that knows the game of baseball.

They should have no problem making the playoffs this season because they are a great all-around baseball team. It’s as simple as that.

Travis Hafner should be in for another solid year, with Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia on the mound doing their job to get this team wins. They deserved post-season last year, and they’ll get it this year.

With a slew of new rookies coming in, can the Giants make a run at October?

The Giants are a new and improved baseball team with talent coming in at all ends. The rookies on the pitching staff will really get a feel for what MLB is all about.

Two guys on the club that stand out -- Matt Kinney and Brian Cooper -- are 11-year vets, but still seem pretty young. They seem to have the experience, but never really pitched in big game situations. They can lead this club.

Also, there's Noah Lowry who has the potential to be a very elite starter on this club and help make them into a playoff team, while Matt Cain has star qualities as well.

There are a lot of aspects right now that are good for San Francisco. The one thing I really like about this team is that they have a mix of a lot of veterans and a lot of rookies on the same squad.

Normally you’d think this is not a very good mix, but the veterans like Moises Alou, Randy Winn and Steve Finley, are not selfish players. I feel very good things coming for the Giants in ’06.

Well, those are my key questions for 2006. Are they the same as yours? If you would like to comment, please email me with any thoughts at LEFTY120491@yahoo.com.