MLB

Now there's an image to get you pumped up for the 2009 season, eh? Am I right? Bueller?

Derek Lowe lived up to every dollar the Braves spent on him this offseason.

After seeing guys like CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett sign huge contracts with the Yankees, Lowe seemed to many as only the third or fourth best option in the starting pitcher market this offseason.

The Braves, desperate to find starting pitching help, signed the starter to a four-year deal.  Braves' GM Frank Wren looked pretty smart on opening day, did he not?

Derek Lowe’s debut for the Braves was one to remember.

Lowe threw eight innings of shut out ball in Philadelphia’s Citizen Bank Ballpark. He only gave up two hits and struck out four Phillies batters. He was the highlight on defense for Atlanta.

Hitting was a completely different story. In the first, catcher Brian McCann hit a two-run home run off of starter Brett Myers to give the Braves an early 2-0 lead.

There are many things that can be said about Barry Bonds, most negative, but not all.

One of the positivies in the swirl of negative publicity that seems to follow Bonds wherever he goes is his fantastic season in 2007. In his age 42 season, Bonds hit 28 home runs and had 66 RBI. He also led Major League Baseball in walks with 132 and broke the most hallowed baseball record of all time, Hank Aaron’s home run record.

The first two times that I wrote this piece it was predicting what the Texas Rangers organization was going to do in regards to the 25-man roster.

Well now with the season only a couple days away, the roster has been set, and the team is ready for the 2009 season.

Along with the players are the positions that they will be fulfilling and their projected stats (according to CBS Sports Fantasy Baseball).

STARTING ROTATION

Kevin Millwood - 12-11, 4.50 ERA, 129 K, 49 BB

Vicente Padilla -12-10, 4.32 ERA, 134 K, 60 BB

There won't be any beer served at Citizens Bank Park the rest of the season.

Why?

Because the Phillies lost the Opener.  (ba dum bum)

It's one of my father's favorite jokes.  And sadly, it comes out more often than not this time of year.

Whether it's a Punxatawny Phil-like projection of what's to come remains to be seen.  However, it should be noted that historically, Aprils have not been kind to the Fightin's. 

In part two of this article, we'll take a look at Arizona's lineup.  While it does lack the offensive firepower of both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies, it features a slew of talented young players just waiting to break out.

The Detroit Tigers of '06, the Tampa Bay Rays of '08, and the world champion St. Louis Cardinals of '06 all had something in common, as you might already know.

They were all disregarded in the pre-season predictions, with nobody giving them a chance to win a division championship, let alone a World Series championship. 

However, certain things that had to happen, did happen. In return, they were able to maximize on their potential, and in the process, proved all doubters wrong.

Chipper Jones is one of the most cherished players to ever don the Braves uniform, but is he the greatest pure hitter to ever play the game? If you take a look at his career stats and compare them to other third basemen and switch hitters who have played, there might be an argument to suggest that he is at the top of the list.

Chipper Jones was drafted No. 1 in the 1990 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves. He was a member of the 1995 World Series champions and finished second to Hideo Nomo in the rookie of the year balloting.