Baseball

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.

Ryan Braun is good.

While that is hardly breaking news to hardcore, or even casual, baseball fans, what may surprise most people is just how good Braun is.

The 26-year-old Braun is already historically good. He is all-time great good. With the power stats he's posted in his first three seasons in the majors, his name easily sits next to others like Pujols, Mathews, Kiner, and DiMaggio.

Rain wreaked havoc out in Arizona, but that didn’t limit the number of interesting storylines. Catching battles, injury returns breakouts, and more. What else can you ask for?

By Todd Farino, www.thecloserreport.com

I feel like I have a few months to make up for, don’t you?

Sure the hot stove league is a season in itself, but after months of baseball withdrawal, I’m ready to make up for all of it in one month.

That is why I’ve declared March as the Month of Baseball!

For the next four weeks, I’m going to be putting out a series of articles that will downright blow my own mind, so it better at least put you, the reader, in a state of shock. Whether it’s a good shock or a bad one is something I’ll be gambling with.

Whenever your star closer breaks camp to have his surgically-repaired elbow looked at, all the excitement surrounding the start of a new year comes to a screeching halt.

The joy of finally having outdoor baseball in Minnesota again is replaced with the fear that they will suffer a similar fate as the Mets in their new ballpark. 

This is not a Top 10 list of home run hitters in Cincinnati history, nor is it a list of the RBI leaders.

I chose five categories to sort through to obtain the best power hitters in Reds history.

The categories used are based on 162 game season averages. To qualify, a player had to be with the Reds for a minimum of five years.

I selected HR, RBI, total bases, slugging pct., and OPS. Only numbers accrued while with the Reds are used.

Let's take a look at them now.

The Author originally published the following slideshow at hotstove.com, and it can also be seen here:

http://www.hotstove.com/2010/03/will-the-san-francisco-giants-make-the-p...

When a team finishes 72-90 in 2008 and then jumps up to a 88-74 finish in 2009, 2010 expectations obviously skyrocket.

The AL Central, in my opinion, is a tough division to call.  There are several viable teams that should be fighting for the title come the first week of October.  Let's take a team-by-team look at the offseason moves and forecast how the season will play out.

Chicago White Sox

Spring is when young players show their tools, hoping to fulfill their dream of playing in the Major Leagues.