Opinion

Diiiiing....Diiiiing....the bells were ringing profoundly, declaring prominence and striking intimidation into the opponents' core.

Blasting out of Miller Park's speaker system, the bells, ensued by a guitar solo, left no doubt of who was in to pitch.

The crowd rose and cheered as No. 51 came of the leftcenter bullpen and a mystifying rush fell across the stadium.

Trevor Time has come to Miller Park.

Yesterday, I attended my second game ever at Citi Field with one of my good buddies, Jason. Being that he has been a season ticket holder, he was kind enough to give me a more in depth tour of the ball park than I the one that I had first got when I went during Opening Week.

Just as I had done the first time, we entered via the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.

As much as I endorse the fact that the team pay homage to the legendary player. I can’t help but get the feeling that the Rotunda is getting a bit old.

Most write-ups regarding the firing of Clint Hurdle can't help but focus immediately on the improbable great baseball the Rockies played in September and October of 2007, and who could blame them considering it's his only accomplishment in seven years. They also talk about how unpopular and duplicitous he was with his players.

But such emphasis is dishonest. The real story of Hurdle's tenure isn't that he was fired 18 months after a World Series, or disgruntled players, but rather how he was still managing in 2007 after five years of atrocious baseball.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of Brad Penny. Come to think of it, that applies to Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield, too. Though they are radically different pitchers, they are the same in one awful, rotten sense: They throw it and pray—pray they hit the strike zone.

As a matter of fact, there is much NOT to like about this year's Red Sox team. Although Nick Green would be a decent backup, he's no Alex Cora! Neither Green nor Julio Lugo can field or throw better than most high school shortstops.

That's a problem.

On May 21, former major league baseball star Willie Mays Aikens testified at a U.S. House Judiciary Hearing about the harsh drug sentencing laws that put him behind bars for 14 years.

In 1994, Aikens was sentenced to nearly 21 years for crack cocaine distribution, bribery and gun charges. He was released last June after his sentence was reduced because of the U.S. Sentencing Commission's recent adjustment to the crack cocaine sentencing guidelines.

This is what personally annoys me more than anything about the Cubs.  Since they started their run as National League Central champs in 2007, there has been no consistency in the starting rotation.

Now, the rotation has been good overall, but not as good as it should be, IMO.

In 2007, the Cubs had three starters that could have been considered the staff ace, if you will.  Ted Lilly, Rich Hill, and supposed ace Carlos Zambrano were all really neck and neck for this title.

Ted Lilly

15-8, 3.83 ERA, 207 IP, 174 K, in 34 starts

All the talk is what happens when Jeremy Bonderman is deemed ready to return to the starting rotation, which could come as early as next week, or as late as the middle of the month.

We speak about it as if it is a certainty he will return to the rotation, thus bumping either rookie Rick Porcello (doubtful), struggling lefty Dontrelle Willis (maybe) or struggling righty Armando Galarraga (possible) from the rotation. That’s a debate for another time. I have a different idea for you to bat around:

Apr. 19, 2008.

The most important date in Tampa Bay Rays franchise history.

Lou Gehrig is the ultimate role model. He possessed the qualities that most individuals strive to achieve to make themselves better people.

Lou Gehrig was honest, a hard-worker, loyal, modest, respectful to others, and self-effacing.

He shunned the spotlight, and others often overshadowed even his greatest baseball achievements.

Lou Gehrig and the Yankees' Image

The New York Yankees attempt to project Lou Gehrig as the team's image.

The MLB All-Star Game voting has been a popularity contest for years.  Everyone knows that.  We've all seen players with weak numbers get voted in by the fans merely on name recognition.  For that reason, the MLB powers-that-be began allowing the managers to hand pick players they believed were worthy of inclusion.