Opinion

Dewayne Wise is officially the Chicago White Sox opening day center fielder and leadoff man. This news is bittersweet to Jerry Owens, who has yet again failed to secure a job that was all but his for the second consecutive spring.

The hope was that Owens would be able to secure and add some much needed speed to the top of the lineup, but it has faded away with Owens being placed on waivers as of Monday.

After a disappearing act over two years featuring injuries and disappointing play, Travis Hafner's return is one of the biggest stories of the Indians 2009 season.

However, it isn't the most important factor that could lead them on the path to success this year. The bullpen and situational hitting were problem areas for the Tribe in '08.

Hafner's stardom rose to its peak in 2006, then fell off the tracks some time after signing a major contract extension. His injury troubles have forced him off the field and into the DH spot of the lineup.

I have to say, I really do not see a lot of teams competing for the National League Championship this year.  Many of these teams look good, but I cannot see them going deep in the playoffs.

Starting with the west, you have teams with very good pitching.  The Diamondbacks have a great one-two punch with Brandon Webb and Dan Harren.  After them, it gets shaky.  A lot of these starters really don't make batters nervous.  

They’re not a team made up of speed, but they’re showing aggressiveness.

“What you don't want to see is to have this type of program in spring training and then drop back to Plan B in the regular season," manger Clint Hurdle said. “We can't afford to do that. We've got to stay aggressive and look to pick up 90 feet whenever we can, with whoever is on base."

One of the pretty cool things about Bleacher Report is that so many people look at your work. One of the best features is the editing format, and through the plethora of editors on this site, I have improved my writing skills.

Thanks to all who have helped me along the way.

Another great feature is when your name gets out there, other writers want your opinions on their articles, and even more information gets flowing through my brain.

I'm hoping this spring means something and that all these Yankee wins could help build momentum for when the regular season starts. We know that these games don't prove much, but I'll take what I saw.

I have Andy Pettitte as one of my bench pitchers in fantasy baseball and I'm wondering if I should make him a starter.

A+: Andy Pettitte

Total domination. He reached his pitch count and then came out of the game with only one earned run against him. I guess you can say he's ready for the season.

A+: Mark Teixeira

Under Omar Minaya the Mets have done an outstanding job of finding and signing talent in Latin and South America.  Wilmer Flores and Jefry Marte might be the two latest big finds for the Mets organization. 

Wilmer Flores - SS (for now)

Wilmer created quite a buzz as the youngest player in rookie ball at Kingsport.  Then a 16-year-old, he let loose something people are not used to seeing from a kid in professional baseball—power. 

Ahh...

This is the time of year when the warmth of the sun hits your skin and the cracks of the bat begin to fill the air with a noise so sweet. The smell of hot dogs and (for those drinkers out there) beer on your breath permeates the atmosphere.

After a long winter and myriad free agent signings, fans look forward to seeing the changes to their teams' rosters put into practice. And the only way of having an inkling of how things are going to work out (before the actual campaign begins, of course) is Spring Training.

When the 2008 season started, Jerry Manuel was the Mets' bench coach supporting Willie Randolph. The events of last summer could not have been foreseen by most fans, never mind players or coaches.

The firing of Willie Randolph and the two coaches involved took place in a manner that no one was expecting. Omar Minaya surprised everyone by his visit to Anaheim in late June, although it was not the first visit that was pretty much kept in secret.

The Yankees are reportedly planning on letting Brett Gardner be the regular center fielder this year, at least until he demonstrates that he can't handle the load. In my mind, his four seasons of fairly lackluster performances in the minor leagues have already demonstrated that.