NL West

After the 2007 season that saw the Arizona Diamondbacks exceed expectations and reach the National League Championship Series, the team decided to make a blockbuster trade to bring in another front line starter.

General Manager Josh Byrnes would make a trade with the Oakland Athletics that would bring Dan Haren to the desert for several top prospects. The trade was warranted and given the success Haren has had with the Diamondbacks he was worth the price.

The Arizona Diamondbacks finished a disappointing 2009 season with a record of 70-92 and in last place in the NL West—this after having posted winning records in each of the two prior seasons.

They should be considerably improved in 2010, if only because they have added veteran leadership and should get bounce back years from a couple of key performers.

If you're a true Dodger Blue fan in Los Angeles or elsewhere, Monday morning can't have been a pleasant one. At least as long as Major League Baseball was on your mind.

Sure, you've got the bristling young talents of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw, and James Loney to go with still-coming Chad Billingsley (I'm not sold on Jonathan Broxton). Russell Martin ain't too shabby behind the dish either.

Of course, you also have an owner in Frank McCourt who seems loathe to part with a penny to better the franchise unless it's for maximum return.

The San Francisco Giants' Waldis Joaquin is on the bubble to make the 2010 Opening Day roster.

The ’10 bullpen staff already features a plethora of live arms and young talent, so the 23-year-old may have a tough time cracking the 25-man roster to start the year.

Joaquin began his career in 2005 at the age of 18 for the Giants' Rookie squad. He showed immediate potential, striking out 37 batters in 31.0 innings. 

The 2010 Colorado Rockies face a challenge that no other Rockies team before them has faced. They are blazing trails that some baseball fans in the Rocky Mountain region once felt were impossible to blaze.

The Los Angeles Dodgers certainly have weapons on their roster and thus far this Spring, those weapons have been on display. The Dodgers arsenal gives them an edge entering the regular season and a foundation to campaign for a playoff spot. Five essential strengths have to be met in order for a major league club to succeed:

Effective pitching is key. Pitching that keeps the other team from scoring provides an easy-street to wins.

A productive 3-4-5 in the line-up to drive in runs ensures plenty of offense to back up effective pitching.

DEFENSE.

Okay, so I did part one (a look at the one-two starting pitchers of each NL West squad) a couple of days ago.

I figured, with all the hoopla about Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson getting two-year extensions (which I'm not exactly thrilled about), that a look at all the late-inning specialists of each NL West squad was in order.

Earlier this week I received an e-mail from the Arizona Diamondbacks Season Ticket Holder Services group. In the e-mail they outlined another new benefit for being a season ticket holder. In our season ticket holder package we received a voucher to be redeemed at Chase Field during any home game in April or May.

The voucher is good for a “Fan Loyalty Cup” and can be picked up at the Season Ticket Holders Area behind Sections 111-112. This cup can be refilled at most Chase Field concession stands for 32 ounces of soda for a reasonable $2 price.

For as long as the Diamondbacks have played at Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field, there have been "Team Shops" to sell the team’s merchandise. In the early years, there were "Team Shops" not only at the stadium but also around valley malls.

This, of course, made it easy for fans to pick up team merchandise at a location close to where they live. My wife of course hated the idea since it meant more outlets for me to visit and bring home “yet another piece of Diamondbacks gear”.

There was something to be said for growing up in the 1960s and only being able to hear San Francisco Giants exhibition games on my transistor radio.

I felt all the hope of spring without actually seeing Jim Ray Hart butchering ground balls at third base or the parade of inadequate starting pitchers behind Juan Marichal.

When Street and Smith's baseball annual had the Giants picked to win the National League, I knew everything I needed to know about the club and the glorious summer that was surely ahead.