MLB

In the weeks following the conclusion of the 2008 Arizona Fall League, people weren’t really sure what to expect from San Francisco Giants infielder Emmanuel Burriss.

While he hit .318 in 24 games with the Scottsdale Scorpions, his defense was absolutely abysmal. It seemed as though he was recording an error out in the field every day at shortstop, and the sight of him being the Giants’ start there to open the 2009 season looked slim to none.

Today is "Earth Hour", where people are encouraged to shut off their lights for one hour in a symbolic act to conserve energy. But in Arizona, there is nothing symbolic about the decisions Lou Piniella, Larry Rothschild and the gang have to make.

In the bullpen, only four spots are set. The closer will either be Carlos Marmol or Kevin Gregg, with the slight edge going to Marmol at this point. However, Gregg has pitched very well this spring. Either way, one will pitch in the eighth and one in the ninth.

What a difference one month makes.

The Royals entered last September with 19 losses in their previous 23 games. Players were increasingly mutinous under first-year manager Trey Hillman.

A fifth straight last-place finish seemed certain, and a fifth 100-loss season in seven years appeared well within reach. General manager Dayton Moore responded with a bristling rebuke to players in a private clubhouse meeting during which he backed Hillman in unshakable terms.

In March of 2006, while the New York Mets' players were preparing for what would be one of the team’s best seasons to date, the Mets' higher ups were busy working on a new home for the team.

The team had not seen a new ball park in over four decades and with the creation of SNY, the Wilpons felt it would be an opportune time to modernize the team’s home.

Filed: March 28th. 2009    Kosuke Fukudome (Cubbie Nation/file)

I have to tell you, I'm not always fond of Spring Training. Aside from the fact that I think it's normally about a week too long, and the coverage much too spotty for consumption, my interest in watching "prospects" ranks just behind my feelings about rookies. And you know what I think of them.

I can recall my earliest memory at the old stadium. We had tickets to see the Yankees play the Mariners in the 1995 playoffs. I was only 8 years old then, but grew up around baseball. I remember looking around and seeing how excited everyone was, noticing the way the bright lights set atop the tier reserved seats were almost blinding. The atmosphere was special, much different than the little league fields I often frequented. Having the Yankees return to the playoffs that season was emotional for many fans.

This is a re-post, but activity on the Mets Police  has been way up thanks to the community of bloggers uniting to try to get Opening Night switched to a 1:05 start...so I thought I'd share.

Whether you have 2009 Yankee tickets in hand already, or you plan on receiving them soon, this post contains very important information about protecting your assets.

Stubhub has quietly introduced a new feature for selling 2009 Major League Baseball tickets that allows people to sell their tickets by simply entering the bar code on the site.

So what does this mean for you, the casual ticket-holder, who doesn't plan to sell your tickets? It means that your tickets are no longer just physical assets that are safe as long as they are within your possession.