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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

On the other foot


The Yankees hope the acquisition of Randy Johnson will vanquish the demons from last year's loss to the Red Sox.
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Mike Fitzpatrick Associated Press

David Wells is pitching in Boston, not the Bronx.

The Yankees are coming off a crushing October defeat.

And giddy Red Sox fans all over the country are still savoring a World Series championship.

No doubt about it, the roles are completely reversed this year in baseball’s best rivalry — but the bitterness hasn’t diminished one bit.

“Every time you play against the Red Sox, something unbelievable is going to happen,” New York’s Jason Giambi said. “It gets pretty intense.”

Get ready for Round 3.

The Yankees reloaded with Randy Johnson, while Pedro Martinez left Fenway Park. No problem, New England: The Red Sox match up just fine after adding Wells, Matt Clement and Edgar Renteria.

And now, after nearly a century of domination by the Yankees, maybe the odds have evened out.

It was New York that collapsed in the ALCS last year, becoming the first major league team to blow a 3-0 lead in the postseason. Boston went on to win its first World Series title since 1918, ending The Curse and a long history of heartache.

Now, the Yankees are thirsty for revenge, a brand-new feeling for them.

So while the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels have reason to believe this could be their year, look for the most familiar of foes to square off again in the fall, with much more than bragging rights on the line.

Elsewhere, several teams were busy trying to upgrade during the off-season, hoping to catch New York and Boston.

Baltimore added Sammy Sosa’s big bat to a power-packed lineup that also includes 2002 MVP Miguel Tejada. But the Orioles probably don’t have enough pitching to challenge the heavyweights in the A.L. East.

Minnesota nearly knocked off the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs last year. Led by Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana and an athletic lineup, the Twins have the horses to win their fourth consecutive A.L. Central title.

In the West, MVP Vladimir Guerrero and the Angels are the choice to repeat as division champs after picking up center fielder Steve Finley and shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

As for the Yankees and Red Sox, they open the season against each other in New York on Sunday night, April 3.

Eight days later, the Red Sox will receive their World Series rings before their home opener at Fenway — with the Evil Empire right there to watch it all.

Here we go again.

East

New York Yankees: The Yankees are trying to become the first major league team to win 100 games in four straight seasons. With a $200 million payroll, they should get there.

Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright join Johnson in a retooled rotation. The lineup is loaded and the bullpen should be outstanding.

Giambi has looked good in spring training after his 2004 season was wrecked by illness and injury. He still faces plenty of scrutiny because of the steroids scandal.

Boston Red Sox: Martinez and Derek Lowe bolted for big contracts after pitching well in the postseason. But Wells and Clement are capable replacements, so look for the Red Sox to win the wild card again.

Schilling is still working his way back from off-season ankle surgery and might not pitch until mid-April. Wade Miller could wind up being a steal if he recovers from a shoulder injury.

The best offense in baseball returns almost completely intact, plus a nice upgrade at shortstop in Renteria.

Baltimore Orioles: Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro have 1,125 career homers between them, and the rest of the lineup is dangerous, too, with Tejada, Melvin Mora and Javy Lopez.

The pitching staff could be better thanks to promising youngsters such as Rodrigo Lopez and Daniel Cabrera. It would be nice if Sidney Ponson put it all together.

Steve Kline is a strong addition to the bullpen, but this team probably doesn’t have enough pitching to keep pace with New York and Boston. Still, the Orioles could snap a streak of seven straight losing seasons.

Toronto Blue Jays: Carlos Delgado is gone, leaving a big hole in the middle of the lineup. Corey Koskie and Shea Hillenbrand will try to fill it, but that’s asking a lot. Vernon Wells needs to produce.

A healthy Roy Halladay hopes to return to his Cy Young form of 2003. The rest of the young rotation has potential, but is largely unproven. Ted Lilly’s shoulder must be sound.

Miguel Batista takes over as the closer. Manager John Gibbons has a one-year contract.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays: The Devil Rays climbed out of the cellar for the first time last year, but they appear to be headed right back.

Roberto Alomar and Danny Bautista retired during spring training — and they were expected to play every day. Even with speedy Carl Crawford and productive Aubrey Huff, the offense comes up way short. Knee surgery will likely keep Rocco Baldelli out until at least July.

Keep an eye on young pitchers Scott Kazmir and Dewon Brazelton. The bullpen looks solid. Some talented prospects are on the way.

Central

Minnesota Twins: Santana and Brad Radke give the Twins a terrific 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation, so they might have a chance to pull a playoff upset.

Koskie and shortstop Cristian Guzman are gone, leaving the left side of the infield uncertain. Minnesota is eager to see what young catcher Joe Mauer can do if his knee is healthy.

Shannon Stewart sparks a lineup that also features Torii Hunter and budding slugger Justin Morneau. The defense is always good — the Twins win with fundamentals.

All-Star closer Joe Nathan anchors the bullpen, but it might be tough to duplicate his dominant 2004 season.

Cleveland Indians: Here come the improving Indians, who made enormous strides last year and hope to challenge for the division crown in 2005.

Kevin Millwood brings experience to a promising rotation. Young sluggers Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez are coming off breakout seasons. Juan Gonzalez could provide extra power, if healthy. International League MVP Jhonny Peralta takes over at shortstop for perennial Gold Glove winner Omar Vizquel.

The bullpen was awful last year and remains a question mark. The addition of Arthur Rhodes should help.

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox shifted their focus to speed and defense during the off-season, signing Japanese second baseman Tadahito Iguchi and trading slugger Carlos Lee for leadoff man Scott Podsednik.

Magglio Ordonez also departed, as did Jose Valentin. That means Paul Konerko must put up big power numbers again, and newcomer Jermaine Dye needs to stay healthy. Frank Thomas (ankle surgery) won’t be back until May.

The top of the rotation should be fine with Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia. Cuban right-handers Jose Contreras and Orlando Hernandez could be the key to success.

Detroit Tigers: Ordonez joins Ivan Rodriguez in the middle of a decent lineup. But the Tigers failed to upgrade their rotation and the defense still looks shoddy.

All-Star shortstop Carlos Guillen and Ordonez are both coming off knee injuries. The addition of Troy Percival gives Detroit two established closers, though Ugueth Urbina could be traded.

The Tigers say they’re going to contend in this division, but they’re still missing some key pieces.

Kansas City Royals: After some surprising success in 2003, the Royals completely collapsed last year — and things don’t look much better going into this season.

Jose Lima was the only major addition to a pitching staff that ranked last in the league in ERA. At least Runelvys Hernandez is back from Tommy John surgery.

There are holes throughout the lineup, anchored by oft-injured first baseman Mike Sweeney. Shortstop Angel Berroa, the 2003 Rookie of the Year, hopes to bounce back from a bad sophomore slump.

West

Los Angeles Angels: The Angels decided they’d rather be from Los Angeles than Anaheim. As long as Guerrero’s home runs still count the same, does anyone really care?

The strengths of this team are flexibility and depth, though the Angels would have liked to upgrade the rotation with more than just Paul Byrd. Bartolo Colon got off to a terrible start last season and still won 18 games. Kelvim Escobar is underrated.

Francisco Rodriguez has the stuff to be a dominant closer. He inherits the role from Percival.

Troy Glaus and Jose Guillen are gone, but the rest of the West is shaky — so the Angels appear poised for their third playoff berth in four years.

Oakland Athletics: The Athletics missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 1999. After trading Hudson and Mulder to balance the tight budget, they’re counting on top prospects Dan Haren, Joe Blanton and Dan Meyer to fill the void immediately.

Right-hander Rich Harden already looks like the real deal. Barry Zito, the lone holdover from the Big Three, becomes the undisputed ace. He won the 2002 Cy Young Award and must find that form again.

All-Star catcher Jason Kendall was acquired from Pittsburgh. Octavio Dotel needs to develop into a reliable closer, but the rest of the bullpen is improved. The lineup is also better than people think, and so are Oakland’s chances to contend — especially if the young pitchers pan out.

Texas Rangers: The Rangers enjoyed a tremendous turnaround last season, surprising everyone by remaining in the race until the final week. But they might have trouble getting the same solid pitching in 2005.

Kenny Rogers won 18 games at age 39, and right-hander Ryan Drese emerged nicely. Chan Ho Park actually pitched well this spring, and maybe Pedro Astacio can help if he’s healthy.

Texas had the league’s best bullpen last year, but there are some injury concerns heading into this season.

Mark Teixeira, Alfonso Soriano, Michael Young and Hank Blalock make up the best infield in baseball. Right fielder Richard Hidalgo is the only notable newcomer on offense.

Seattle Mariners: Coming off their worst season since 1983, the Mariners spent big bucks on Beltre and Sexson to boost a dismal offense. The team also replaced manager Bob Melvin with Mike Hargrove, but the pitching staff still falls short.

Joel Pineiro had a stiff shoulder in spring training and Jamie Moyer, now 42, struggled last season. Closer Eddie Guardado must get healthy.

New shortstop Pokey Reese should make a sharp defense even better. Longtime DH Edgar Martinez retired. Ichiro Suzuki set a major league record with 262 hits last year. Can he make a run at .400?