MLB History

Every spring, there are a handful of questions that each team faces and must resolve before the start of the regular season.

Often these questions revolve around how to set the lineup and many times start with who will be the team's leadoff hitter.

For the teams that had the 10 guys that follow on this list, that was never an issue, as you could pencil them in atop the lineup and count on them to be a catalyst for your team.

I have chosen who i feel are the top 10 leadoff hitters in baseball history.

Five out of the last six seasons the Los Angeles Angels have stood alone atop the American League West.

In 2009, the Angels finished 10 games ahead of Texas and 12 ahead of Seattle. The Mariners seem to be the trendy choice to win the division this season.

After seeing several sportswriters actually pick the Angels to come in dead last, it is time for a reality check.

Here is a breakdown of why the rumors of the Angels' demise have been greatly exaggerated.

In contemporary America, they are known as the Nationals, and to many, as the six year purgatory that Stephen Strasburg, and soon Bryce Harper, will begin their likely long, successful careers in.

In the 1980's, however, these Nationals we know and love (to play) were in Montreal, and were home to some very good players, most notably future Hall of Famers Gary Carter and Andre Dawson.

In Tim Raines, we may eventually see a third Hall of Famer from those 1980's Expos teams, as his support is growing by the year.

On April 11th the Boston Red Sox will visit Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium to take on the ever-flailing Royals, and Jason Varitek will turn 38.

Whether Varitek will catch that day remains to be seen. In 2010, Varitek will mainly make spot starts while sharing the job with the more offensively capable, 31-year-old Victor Martinez.

The New York Mets were blessed with one of the best defensive players to ever pick up a glove when they traded Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey to the St. Louis Cardinals back in 1983.

Listed below, are the points and counterpoints about if we should be as outraged about amphetamines as steroids:

Point: Yes, amphetamines are cheating just like steroids.

Counterpoint: No, steroids enhance performance while amphetamines enable performance. One makes you better while the other gets you on the field to play baseball.

P: Amphetamines do more than just get you on the field.

Some pests are hard to get rid of.

Like Yankee fans.

As anyone who follows American League ball can tell you, they show up in droves at opposing ballparks whenever the Bronx Bombers visit.

With their charming ways, chainsaw accents, and oh-so-gentle demeanor, they continue to be ambassadors for the civility and "live and let live" attitude that their home city is so well known for.

But few realize that the entire Yankee fan species (blowhardus obnoxious) is actually split into several subsets or, from those who remember your high school biology days, phylum.

Waite Hoyt won 22 games for the 1927 New York Yankees. Hoyt spent 10 seasons with the Yankees, winning 157 games before being sent to Detroit in 1930.

Although he played for many teams, including the three New York teams, Hoyt was a Yankee.

The Cocky Chicago Cubs

In 1938, Waite was pitching for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the soon-to-be National League champion Chicago Cubs.

It’s a tale of two teams, but three cities. And as Charles Dickens wrote, it’s a tale of the years they intertwined from the start, one enjoying a “season (or seasons) of light,” the other dreading a “season of darkness.”

The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs always pop up on each other’s schedules at least twice, sometimes more, every year. But rarely do they begin a regular season against each other.

Once again the baseball season is upon us.

With the steroid era still looming over the league, players and fans try to move on and look toward the future.

Last year we saw the Yankees come back into Championship form winning their 27th title.

Will they repeat or will some dark horse win the race?

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