Angels vs. Rangers: The new rivalry

Let's face it, the Boston/N.Y. rivalry just isn't as entertaining as it used to be. It will always be there, but now, two new super-teams have emerged and are doing the same things as Boston and New York were doing 10 years ago. These teams are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the best talent in the majors. They have incredible lineups, one team has the most seasoned lineup since the Atlanta Braves in 1997-1998, and one has the biggest bats in all of baseball, the team average was .289 in 2011. The rivalry that everyone will be talking about in 2012 is between the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers, two new powerhouses that have become the center of the baseball world. In the December meetings, the Angels signed Albert Pujols and Texas Rangers ace C.J. Wilson, in response, Texas signed Yu Darvish, possibly one of the best Japanese pitchers of all time, posting a 1.79 ERA over 5 years in Japan; coming close to Mariano Rivera's numbers; the Yankees closer even admits that Darvish has "real potential." In this regard, the AL West is where the real rivalry is going to be. The Angels now have a lineup capable of winning 110+ games, but then, so do the Rangers, possibly even rivalling the 1998 Yankees for the title of the most regular season wins. Also, driving this rivalry is Albert Pujols, who, in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series, possibly the most incredible Series in several generations, hit three home runs in one game off of a Texas Rangers pitcher; Pujols not only tied this record, but set a World Series record for the most runs driven in and the most hits in one World Series game, and that the Angels will be ecstatic if Pujols hits .320 with a .631 slugging percentage in 2012, for that's what Mike Napoli did for the Rangers in 2011, and he was traded to the Blue Jays, who then flipped him to Texas...by the Angels. Yu Darvish, the new Rangers ace, drew more crowds to his early bullpen sessions than some of the Rangers' playoff games last fall. The Rangers still have the hitting power colossus they did last year, Josh Hamilton hit a home run out of Fenway Park last summer...3 times. Even Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers' slugger, now accompanied by Prince Fielder, was astonished at the Rangers' hitting power, they were hitting home runs off Justin Verlander as if it was nothing. However, the best baseball stories are causes, where the whole team is focused on one goal, as well as the loyal fanbase. With the epic collapse of the Texas Rangers' pitching in the 2011 World Series, and the epic battle in Game 6 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers that put the Rangers just one strike away from a championship twice, the Rangers have become a cause. David Freese's walk-off home run off of the Texas closer in the 11th inning of Game 6 will continue to haunt the Rangers until the team has a World Series ring. The 2012 season is going to be a clash of the two titans, the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers. Boston and New York need to sit down and hang on. 110+ wins for both Texas and Los Angeles? Possible, even likely. With the securing of Derek Holland for another 5 years, the Rangers have locked down their core players and secured a dynasty, and the Angels could potentially do the same, if they can work their bullpen weaknesses out. Baseball dynasties are incredibly difficult to build, however, but the other team that's likely to return to champion form in the West is the San Francisco Giants. After a World Series championship in 2010, 2011 was an awful year for the Giants, but now they are back in championship form. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum could combine for a whopping 40 wins at least, and with the new star hitters, Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera, with returning hitters like Buster Posey the 2012 Giants look like the 2009 Yankees, with the hitting power and pitching power to prove it. That team won 103 games and the World Series that year. Between the Giants, Rangers, Angels, Yankees, Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies and Rays, there are 8 teams that have the potential to reach the World Series. Who makes it will be revealed in time.