Baseball

What a great day for Opening Day! No I did not find a good price on a used DeLorean and I didn’t hit my head in the bathroom and awaken with a vision of the plans for a flux capacitor. Major League Baseball Opening Day is still 173 days 3 hours and 25 minutes away. But for residents in Arizona, yesterday was Opening Day for the Arizona Fall League.

Every baseball fan knows the history: The Philadelphia Phillies, on their way to an eventual World Series title, in the 2008 NLDS series, beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games of the best-of-seven series.

That was last year. The two teams meet again in the 2009 NLCS.

The Dodgers' top hitter, Manny Ramirez (.290, 19 homers, 63 RBI), was not the same player he was a year ago, but Andre Ethier led the Dodgers in home runs (31) and RBI (106). Add Matt Kemp, who had 26 home runs and 101 RBI, and you have some impressive power in the middle of the lineup.

It seems like every hero gets a second chance at glory.

Rocky got another kick at the can, John McClain came out of retirement to kick some ass, and even good old Ma$e decided to return to the rap game. So why not have one of the most prolific Blue Jays return to claim his rightful throne? King Carlos, consider this your invitation back to Toronto.

Watching Nick Punto face reporters on Sunday night was almost hard to watch, even for a Yankees fan.

Almost.

A fringe player who looks more like a plumber than a professional athlete, Punto sat ashen and bleary-eyed in front of his locker trying to explain why he had barrelled around third base in the eighth inning like Rex Ryan toward a buffet table. His blunder had doomed the Twins, and now he was the man responsible for turning the lights out for good at the Metrodome.

I'm not a great eugooglizer, but bear with me. I'm only going to reference the giant kick to the testicles administered to me a few days ago by the now defunct 2009 Red Sox once.

In light of the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS to earn a date with the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS, not to mention being four wins away from their first World Series appearance in 21 years, I have three words to say...

I was wrong.

I honestly didn't think that L.A. would sweep the Cardinals, due to the fact that those Redbirds had two aces in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, a legitimate slugger who had a great season in Matt Holliday, and baseball's best player in Albert Pujols.

When Troy Tulowitzki struck out on that nasty slider from the Phillies Brad Lidge, the Colorado Rockies’ offseason officially began. Just like with every team, the Rockies face some difficult offseason decisions.

One of those difficult decisions for the Rockies is whether or not to trade RF Brad Hawpe. 

The Rockies have a surplus of young, talented outfielders. Seth Smith, Dexter Fowler, and Carlos Gonzalez seem to have the three outfield spots locked down for 2010.

The Orioles have placed quite the premium on drafting super-athletes with speed to burn in the past few drafts. It started with Tyler Henson, and has continued with Xavier Avery and Kyle Hudson, and this year the crop included Mychal Givens.

Bobby Abreu, Vladimir Guerrero, and Kendry Morales were the heroes in the Los Angeles Angels' defeat of the Boston Red Sox.

Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, and Robinson Cano were among the hottest Yankee bats in the three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins.

The day after GM Brian Sabean got a new two-year contract, it's only fitting that the two deadline deals that didn't exactly live up to the billing during the stretch drive.

With the clear need to add offense, Sabean hit the trade market in both the National and American League's Central Division, and reworking the entire right side of the infield.

Sabean acquired first baseman Ryan Garko from the Cleveland Indians for left-handed pitcher Scott Barnes and second baseman Freddy Sanchez from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitcher Tim Alderson.