AL West

Just when the Rangers thought they were in the clear after their manager, Ron Washington, apologized to fans and his players for testing positive for cocaine over the summer of 2009.

Well, today new news was leaked to the Dallas media that Washington used amphetamines and pot as his 10-year career as a player. The Fan, 105.3 FM in Dallas, reported that Washington had told a reporter of this but that the news wasn't ever supposed to be leaked.

Am I the only one who is confused by how Major League Baseball hands down suspensions?

Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants hit Prince Fielder in the back on purpose at the beginning of spring training but didn’t get suspended.

Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees has thrown at the head of Kevin Youkilis on numerous occasions, but nothing ever happened to him.

But the Seattle Mariners’ Cliff Lee throws over the head of Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder and gets suspended five games? Really?

The bullpen may be the biggest group of unsung heroes in recent years for the Rangers.

They haven’t had any big flashy names, but for the most part they have kept games close, and have been able to close them out when given the chance.

When considering the 2010 bullpen for the Rangers it is easiest to start with the givens.

Established in 1977, the Seattle Mariners have competed in three complete decades: the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

The Mariners have featured few true "franchise players," who could be instantly noticed as the face of the franchise. Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., and Ichiro Suzuki have all had a turn, but other prominent players, such as Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, and Tino Martinez, have come and gone.

The success of any team in Major League Baseball revolves around one very important group of people:

Starting pitchers.

For as long as I have been a Rangers’ fan their pitching has been a topic of much discussion, and limited group success. Last year proved to be a diamond in the rough as numerous young pitchers had good outings for the big club.

The further success of this team is largely contingent on these same young arms. There have also been some additions that should aid the team this season.

If Seattle had a sports-themed amusement park, the roller coaster ride would probably be called the “Moose-a-lini”, “Marinator”, or “M’s-Sir-Mount-able”.

For some, a roller coaster is a frightening event.

As I have said many times before, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are one of the best—if not THE BEST—run organization in baseball. They have one of the best owners in the sport, and just like with any business, it starts from the top down.

However, despite being run like a well-oiled machine, the Angels have made their fair share of mistakes over the years. There was the Gary Matthews Jr. contract, and I haven’t been a fan of their recent signings like Brian Fuentes and Fernando Rodney.

The greatest time of the year is upon us. As the weather warms up, so does that spot in our heart for baseball. Spring Training has finally begun!

Thirty MLB teams now begin their preseason games knowing that in under a month, it finally counts again.

So if your favorite team's dreams were crushed last season, you once again have reason to hope. Embrace this chance because, come October, you may just have to wait another year.

If you missed my individual team rotation breakdowns, go ahead and check out the Rangers , Angels , A's , and Mariners re

Since bringing an end to a long history of setbacks and tragedy by winning the 2002 World Series, the Angels have had a stranglehold on the AL West, winning the division four of the last five years. After winning the division by 21 games in 2008, things tightened up considerably last season. The hard-hitting Rangers finally got some pitching, riding the Angels' coat tails into September.