Opinion

I don't know of any other general manager other than Billy Beane to allow for their team to play with no sense of direction or purpose.

It doesn't matter that the pitching is their for the Oakland A's.What matters is the lack of runs and hitting the A's have shown the past two-plus seasons under the leadership of manager Bob Geren. A's fans get the same exact excuse over and over again: The season is still early and the team will start hitting.

It remains a heated debate. If Billy Wagner had stayed healthy in 2008, are the Mets the team winning the division, winning the World Series, and spending the next four months bashing their division rivals?

While it is all speculation and hypothetical, there is valid evidence to support that had Billy Wagner kept his arm intact, the Mets would have proceeded to win the NL East. That aspect of the question remains plausible.

A lot has been made of the Mets struggles on the mound early in 2009. It's true, they have had some inconsistencies from any pitcher not named Johan.

But they have the best bullpen ERA in the National League, and the second best batting average in the NL coming into action on Sunday. So while they might be having troubles in the rotation, the lineup is certainly picking up the slack.

What I find intriguing about the Mets' lineup is that even if a superstar like Jose Reyes is slumping, another member of the roster will step up and perform.

Despite being over .500 (15-14) coming into today's series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, much has been stated about the San Francisco Giants' anemic offense.

Granted the Orange & Black are 26th in average, 29th in slugging, 29th in on base percentage, 28th in doubles, 29th in hits, and last in both home runs and runs scored, they are still one game over .500 and in second place in the wide open National League West.

When the rumors were flying last year of CC Sabathia becoming a Brewer, everyone wondered which young stud from the Brewers farm system would be traded: Matt LaPorta or Mat Gamel.

As we all know, LaPorta was the center piece of the trade that brought Sabathia to Milwaukee. The Brewers went on to make the playoffs for the first time in 26 years and the Indians got one of the top hitters in the minor leagues.

Look, it's one thing when you flip on the local coverage of a local ballclub.  In those situations, you can stomach the Hawk Harrelsons, Bob Brenlys, and the rest of the clowns who only have eyes for the home dugout.

Personally, I prefer my broadcast booth to play it closer to the middle—give me sound analysis of both uniforms, keep it entertaining, and mix in a subtle air of hometown loyalty.

By picking him in the third round of the 2003 draft, the Cubs seemed to have high hopes for University of Michigan product, Jake Fox.

Yet here we are six years later, and he has played in a grand total of seven games and tallied 14 at-bats for the big league club. So what went wrong?

Jorge Posada is one of the most underrated Yankees ever. He has been a staple behind the plate for the Yankees since entering the league in 1995. Even at the ripe old age of 37, Jorge is still remains as a force offensively but has declined a bit defensively. Along with his age comes his injuries which prove to be very costly to the team.

As I was about to write this, Evan Longoria hit his 11th home run of the year. 

That's good.

He drove in his 41st run of the year. 

That's great.

He is becoming one of the best third baseman in all of baseball, and is giving the position a new face to help people forget all about Alex Rodriguez and his steroid use. 

That's the best news of all.

Prior to Spring Training, I wrote an article that provided an analysis of the 2009 Cincinnati Reds and why they may be considered this year's version of the Rays.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/125092-this-years-tampa-bay-rays-the-cincinnati-reds

I have decided to take an early look at the Reds and see how they have matched up against the other teams in their division.