Baseball

I have never been a fan of platooning players in baseball. I always liked having a set lineup while giving the starter an occasional day of rest. Dusty Baker has a different idea when it comes to the Reds catching situation, and it has worked like a charm.

Few experiences can top Opening Day in Cincinnati, Ohio. The parade, sold-out stadium and increased number of media members are just a few things that cause the first baseball game of the year to sometimes take a backseat to the pageantry that surrounds it.

Not this time.

It was the spring on 1996, and the New York Yankees had just had their hearts broken in the 1995 ALDS at the hands of the Seattle Mariners.

This article will tell a tale of how those same Mariners nearly broke the Yankees hearts in a much more profound and crippling way.

While preparing for the season, they got word of some bad news regarding infielder Tony Fernandez—who broke his elbow while filling in at second base for the already injured Pat Kelly.

An already suspect Tampa Bay Rays offense just got even more suspect over the weekend.

It was bad enough that the Baltimore Orioles ran through the Rays like a hot knife through butter during the three-game sweep, but then the Rays lost Evan Longoria for at least 15 days

Longoria was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left oblique.

Few teams in baseball enter the 2011 season with less hope than the New York Mets. From constant injury issues and disappointing play, to a rotation that is sure to struggle, to an ownership situation that is chaotic at best and downright toxic at worst, it's clear that the Mets are destined for another year near the cellar of the NL East. 

Monday Notes


Tough day overall in looking at trends. Very few division matchups and plenty of new blood on the mound overall. Let’s see what we've got!

In 72 combined at-bats, the Pirates have hit .389 against Kyle Lohse. Have to have some fun with small sample sizes here, but when we do the numbers are pretty good.

Since his debut in 2006 at the age of 23, Jered Weaver has emerged as one of the games elite starters.

Last season, Weaver earned his first All Star selection and finished fifth in Cy Young voting while leading the majors with 233 strikeouts.

Somehow, Weaver has managed to stay under the radar outside of Anaheim. His success and talents are no secret to Angels fans however.

As if the Mets didn't have enough problems, now talking babies are giving them grief.

This is a perfect case of people being split down the center on the issue and there not being much room for middle ground.

It all went down during the Mets' Opening Day loss to the Florida Marlins. As the opening day loss was being broadcast live on the Mets' home station of SNY, an unnamed employee of the station briefly played a Family Guy joke live over broadcaster Gary Cohen.

You know how there are some guys that you just have a good feeling about?

Billy Butler is one of those guys for me.

I used to be an avid baseball card collector and there was always this sector of the hobby that only collected unproven prospects in hopes of hitting it big with one.

Maybe the Red Sox' nightmarish opening series with the Texas Rangers will quickly erase the fantasies of some overly optimistic fans about the team winning 100 games or more in 2011. The Rangers not only swept the Red Sox, but pulverized the much-heralded Sox starting pitchers. The Rangers got 34 hits, including 21 extra base hits and 11 home runs in the three-game sweep. The Rangers outscored the Red Sox 26-11 over the series.