Baseball

Every year, baseball fans all across the country do the same thing: We all make predictions. While most people just let their predictions come out vocally, I have decided to post mine on here for the entire world to see.

My goal is to come back to this article at the end of the season and see how I have done. Right now, I am predicting that at least 20 of my predictions will come true.

The Major League Baseball season officially begins when the Boston Red Sox renew yet another round of hostilities with the New York Yankees this Sunday.

To kill some time before the 162-game euphoria begins—and as a primer for my remaining fantasy baseball drafts—I figured I'd take a crack at each of the Show's six divisions.

For quite some time now the Rangers' infield has been the core of the organization.  Going back to the twilight of Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez all the way up to Michael Young and Ian Kinsler, with a little Mark Teixeira thrown in the middle.

This year’s infield could well prove to be the best yet.

The obvious place to start is with the heart and soul of this team:

Michael Young

There are not many players in the entire league that have been more durable and reliable than Michael Young over the last decade or so.

Every year right before baseball season starts we come up with a list of the worst major league ballparks still in operation. Each year this article gets harder and harder to write because of all the beautiful new venues that have replaced the decrepit stadiums. This year is no exception as the last year's 3rd worst ballpark, the Metrodome, hosted it's last Twins game. In 2009 we got to say good bye the Shea Stadium which fell victim to the wrecking ball. Crummy ballparks are almost a thing of the past.

Sorry about the updates being so late in the day today. I had a bit of running around to do this morning.

Just four days until the season starts—who’s excited? I am.

On to the news:

All anyone wanted to talk about all winter for the Milwaukee Brewers were the pitching woes the team suffered in 2009.

The Brewers finished up as one of the worst staffs in all of baseball, thanks in large part to several injuries and ineffectiveness.

Many forget that as late as June 19, the Brewers were sitting atop the NL Central. If not for the breakdown of the rotation, the Brewers very easily could have been in playoff contention at the end of September.

Switch pitcher Pat Venditte got a chance to show off his stuff in the big league camp for the Yankees yesterday. He pitched 1.1 innings allowing one run, two hits, and a walk. Here are some pictures:

Scott and Jerry Hairston have always shared the same last name.  Now they share the same major league uniform.

Countless childhood memories in the backyard are shared by brothers, emulating and envisioning one day playing together in the big leagues.  The San Diego Padres have made that dream a reality several times—only in a much bigger backyard. 

Luis Tiant. Jose Canseco. Mike Lowell. Jose Iglesias isn’t the first Cuban Red Sox, but he may have opened up the floodgates when he defected from the Cuban World Junior National Team in July, 2008.

Signed to an $8.25 million deal with a $6 million signing bonus, Iglesias was obviously the cream-of-the-crop and projects as the Red Sox shortstop of the future.

Agreeing to a $350,000 bonus, Cuban outfielder Jorge Padron falls short of such lofty expectations, but he remains an excellent offensive player with great upside.

This entire offseason, the biggest argument against the Braves has been their offense. I'll admit it was abysmal during the first half of the season, but everyone seems to forget their fantasic second half in which they averaged 4.9 runs-per-game (.2 better than the Phillies).

Of course, the team lost Adam LaRoche and Garret Anderson. Still, those are losses the Braves can easily overcome. Also remember that Chipper Jones was in a slump for the majority of the time.

Let's have a look and see if the Braves will be able to provide the same production.