Opinion

The 90's were an interesting decade for Major League Baseball. They saw a player strike cut a season short, they saw the New York Yankees dominate.... a lot, and they saw some incredible ball players.

We're in the year 2009 now, and most players from the 90's are rarely even spoken of anymore - not all of them though. The best of them have stood the test of time, and my generation now looks back at them fondly as the players we watched when we were little kids.

Others may simply look back at them as great players, the best of their era.

The Mariners rotation coming into the 2009 season was considered one of the top in all of baseball. But back then the Mariners rotation look like this. But this was before the JJ Putz trade and what came of that which also included trading Heilman.

1) Felix Hernandez
2) Erik Bedard
3) Brandon Morrow
4) Jarrod Washburn
5) Ryan Rowland-Smith/Carlos Silva

The Brewers certainly aren’t surprising anybody inside their fan base with their performance this year.

As of May 24, they are playing exactly like they should be, as Milwaukee sits atop the National League Central Division, tied with St. Louis.

It's a sight that is tough to swallow for Boston Red Sox fans.

For years, David Ortiz has been a symbol of power, a symbol that struck fear into opposing pitchers' hearts. Fenway Park would erupt every time he stepped to the plate, and Ortiz would gladly give us a chance to cheer, delivering clutch hit after clutch hit.

He was a trademark in the 2004 playoffs, helping the Red Sox beat the Yankees after being down 3-0 in what some describe as the greatest year in Red Sox history.

It's a sight that is tough to swallow by Boston Red Sox fans.

For years, David Ortiz has been a symbol of power, a symbol that struck fear into opposing pitchers hearts. Fenway Park would erupt every time he stepped to the plate, and Ortiz would gladly give us a chance to cheer delivering clutch hit after clutch hit.

As the ball sailed off David Ortiz's bat into one of the deepest parts of Fenway Park Wednesday night, it marked the end of a very emotional journey: for Ortiz, for the fans, and for the media who had made hitting that first home run such an important achievement.

If you are reading this blog, you undoubtedly are familiar with the nonstop coverage that has followed Ortiz's lackluster offense this season. Everyone has an opinion about what is "wrong" with Big Papi, and the story of the first home run took on a life of its own.

The big turn around for the Royals this year has been built on pitching. Typically, that sentence finishes with "...and defense", but the Royals have demonstrated a level of defensive competency equivalent to their cross-town Independent League buddies the Kansas City T-Bones. Add in the fact that the offense has been spotty all season, and what you get is a razor thin margin for error available for pitchers.

Zack Greinke has been nothing short of amazing. He is 7-1, 0.82 through the first quarter of the season; however, the rest of the staff has had it's issues at times.

So, Chicago Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley thinks the umps are against him in retaliation for an incident last month that resulted in a one-game suspension.

Come on, Milton, shut up, grow up, and most of all, show up.

Bradley said the umps are forcing him to swing at bad pitches because of a widened strike zone. Excuses, excuses.

On July 14, baseball's best players will head to the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis for the 80th annual MLB All-Star Game.

The question I impose: Which New York Yankees will make it?

Voting will end on July 2.

Catcher Jorge Posada has been injured most of the season, so he is pretty much out of the question.  However, his hamstring strain in his right leg is getting better and could return in a few weeks.

Mark Teixeira could very well make the roster this year.  He has really turned it around as of late.

I think the time has come to realize that Homer Bailey is not going to be the money pitcher that the Reds management hoped he would become.

In his major league career, all with the Reds, Bailey is 4-8 with a 7.01 ERA.  This includes 18 appearances, each one as a starter.  He has not yet seen the eighth inning of a game from the mound.

I am not out to denigrate Bailey or to maximize his shortcomings.  Perhaps he is not doing what he would be best suited for.