Say Goodbye to: Pitchers Mark Gardner and Jim Bruske fell to the axe as did fielders Jeff Blauser, Ed Sprague, Craig Shipley, Jesse Levis and Mike Simms (seven cuts in all).

Say Hello to: the ageless Rickey Henderson (pick 40); Jay Payton (pick 60); Benny Agbayani (pick 77); Damian Miller (pick 80); Pat Rapp (pick 100); Craig Grebek (pick 119); Onan Masaoka (pick 139); Craig Paquette (pick 158); Tanyon Sturtze (pick 176); Bernard Gilkey (pick 193); Brett Laxton (pick 206); and Clay Bellinger (pick 218).

Catchers: David Nilsson will platoon with Varitek to handle most of the catching chores. Expect rookie Damian Miller to see little, if any, playing time barring injuries. the lineup against top right-handed starters. The tandem of Nilsson and Varitek could well provide 35 homers and drive in 100+ runs between them.  The drawback is that enemy runners should steal a lot of bases.

Infield: Will be the same as last season - Mark Grace (1B), Eric Young (2B), Deivi Cruz (SS), and Robin Ventura (3B) should provide the same tight defense. Craig Grebeck will spell Eric Young and Deivi Cruz and should prove to be a valuable pinch hitter as well.  Look for Russ Johnson to replace Chris Stynes at the major league level. This year’s infield should maintain 1999 level of efficiency.

Outfield: One of the main cogs in last season's pennant drive, Moises Alou, is out for the season.  Without a doubt, Alou's bat will be missed.  Tony Gwynn's age and knees will also curtail the batting champ's playing time.  The talent is there:  Gwynn, Roberto Kelly, Ricky Henderson, Kenny Lofton, Benny Agbayani, Jacque Jones, and Jay Payton provide seven solid offensive and adequate defensive outfielders.  Count on Manager Wool to juggle and platoon to get the most from them.  Overall, the Redneck outfield defense will be about the same, but look for drops in power numbers and batting average.

Designated Hitter: Last year it was Edgar Martinez as full-time DH. Bernard Gilkey will spell Edgar when and if needed. Martinez is one of the premier hitters in baseball. The DH spot is again in excellent hands.

Starting Pitching: Last year's rotation of Curt Schilling, David Wells, Rolando Arrojo, Jose Lima, and Bret Saberhagen gave the Rednecks the best 5-man rotation in the ABC.  This season Schilling and Saberhagen's injuries will limit their contributions; but look for Jose Lima to have a phenomenal year.  Boomer Wells should be solid once again.  The rotation looks to be Lima, Wells, Schilling, Saberhagen, Rapp and Tanyon Sturtze --- with Sturtze taking up the slack for Schilling and Saberhagen.  Southpaw Eddie Yarnall may get a few late-season starts as well.

Bullpen: Doug Brocail returns as the Rednecks' Closer. Expect workhorse Scott Sullivan to rack up 100+ innings as a setup man and Turk Wendell, Tim Crabtree, and John Frascatore to provide steady, if not spectacular, middle relief.

Outlook: If the old adage that pitching and defense win championships holds true, the Rednecks should once again contend.  Since divisional play is once again in vogue, the Rednecks expect to be in a dogfight with the Pegasus Bay Pirates and the up-and-coming Denham Springs Duds for the Ban Johnson crown. The in-season acquisition of Alou last year sparked the Rednecks to maintain their tradition of offensive production. Batting average and run production should drop somewhat, but the Rednecks should still prove to be at or near the top in run production.   The Rednecks will likely finish in the bottom third of the league again in homers, but could very well lead the ABC in ERA.

Ban Johnson Division Predictions: We foresee a real dogfight between the Rednecks, the Pirates and the Duds with the New Orleans Nationals and the devastated Durham Bullmoose fighting it out for the division cellar.  Our predicted order of finish: