Baseball

A lot has been said about the Reds and their "young" talent.  While there are many prospects in the organization with untapped potential, there are also veterans with a wealth of knowledge and experience.  If the regulars can stay relatively healthy, the infield is one area that Dusty Baker should not have to worry about much this season.

Country singer Mindy McCready is back in the news. The 34-year-old country star starred in a sex tape that is about to hit the internet. But it isn't the sex tape itself that is truly making news, it is McCready's accusation of former All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens which is making waves.

McCready partner on the tape is an ex-boyfriend named "Peter", but along with the vivid action of the tape are random details about her relationship with The Rocket. If you remember, McCready's name originally popped up during the height of Clemens' steroid scandal.

All over the country, Opening Day is a time for hope, optimism, and making predictions.

Unfortunately, assigning auguries for an all-but-doomed team like the Cleveland Indians can be depressing.

The Indians essentially waved the white flag on 2010 with the trades of Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez last July. This a rebuilding year, which is code for "we're not even really going to try."

Luckily, we have more to worry about than just our numbers of wins and losses.

Yesterday, I looked at the “Key” player for each National League East team, so today I will cover the National League Central.

Here is the “Key” player for each National League Central team.

St. Louis Cardinals: Brad Penny

Normally this title is reserved for Chris Carpenter, but I feel good about Carpenter staying healthy this season. With Carpenter and Adam Wainwright at the top of the rotation, the Cardinals are set.

The American League West may have the fewest competitors of any MLB division, but the shortage of teams does not equate to a shortage of talent.

The Angels are a well-run, perennial playoff team, the Rangers are developing their pitching in addition to a notoriously dangerous lineup, the A's are an intriguing low-budget club, and the Mariners have pocket aces at the top of their rotation.

So how will this foursome fare in 2010?

4. Oakland Athletics

Today I am going to take a look at the updated starting rotations for each National League Central team.

Pitchers like Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Roy Oswalt call this division home. This division has quality pitchers throughout.

Here are the updated starting rotations for each National League Central team.

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Chris Carpenter, RHP

2. Adam Wainwright, RHP

3. Kyle Lohse, RHP

4. Brad Penny, RHP

5. Jaime Garcia, LHP

Next up in our updated Starting Nine series is the National League Central.

Outside of the St. Louis Cardinals re-signing Matt Holliday, there haven’t been any big-time offensive additions to this division. As a whole, this might be the weakest offensive division in baseball (yes, even passing the NL West).

Let’s take a look at the updated starting lineups for all six teams in this division.

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Skip Schumaker, 2B

2. Colby Rasmus, CF

3. Albert Pujols, 1B

4. Matt Holliday, LF

The end of March is rapidly approaching. We are now less than a week away from opening day. With that in mind, I decided to announce my 25-man roster based upon what I have witnessed so far this spring.

As the Tigers are preparing to trim down the roster , I decided to take a stab at it as well. Rather than predict who I believe the Tigers brass will select, I decided to list my 25 man roster.

Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta has earmarked Thursday as the day he will end all position battles and decide on a 25-man roster.

It will coincide with the April 1 exhibition game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, where Fausto Carmona will take the mound for the Tribe in his final tune-up before the season.

In 2008 the Seattle Mariners lost 101 games, second only to the lowly Washington Nationals. Last season, the Mariners finished with a record of 85-77, signaling a 24 game turnaround, best in the league. This year the Mariners have their eye on 95 wins and an AL West title, and neither is out of the questions.

The Mariners have some household names that every baseball fan is familiar with. Ichiro Suzuki, who holds the all-time record for hits in a season, is easily one of the game’s most recognizable stars.