Opinion

After an awful start offensively to begin the 2011 regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers called up prospect Jerry Sands.

Sands had been promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque before the start of the season, but he was so impressive early on that he got the call up after just ten games. 

A mere two weeks into the season and the Yankees have been bombing away to score runs. That is good for the regular season, but if the Yankees make the playoffs, they will need better performance from their leadoff hitters.

Brett Gardner looks lost and confused.  Brett, who likes to work the count, is working himself to the bench very quickly.

I'm almost too depressed to write this week.

Chicago seems to be in a perpetual state of gray. There've been about four sunny days all month, and it's been lightly raining basically the entire time.

The Toronto Blue Jays started off the year with their named closer Frank Francisco and their second starter Brandon Morrow on the DL. After that came their recently acquired centre fielder Rajai Davis, who went down with a leg injury. Aaron Hill, their second baseman, was working through a hamstring injury in spring training and then re-injured it stealing a base.

On WFAN and YES today, Mike Francesca said that the New York Yankees should put together a trade for Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners.

King Felix is regarded by many baseball experts as among the top three or four pitchers in all of baseball.

He won the American League Cy Young last year and finished second in 2009 on a really bad Mariners team.

In his first two years in the Major Leagues, Boston Red Sox OF Jacoby Ellsbury hasn’t been a guy who has flashed much power. In 2008 and 2009, Ellsbury hit a combined 17 home runs and had an ISO (isolated power) of .114 each season.

Yesterday, Mariano Rivera recorded his second blown save in as many chances.  However, as Andrew Marchand of ESPN points out, it's nothing new, especially in April.

The Philadelphia Phillies continue to lead the NL East and sit at an impressive 15-6 in the early-going. It seems highly unlikely that this team will finish the season without at least 100 wins. They have struggled to hit and yet they continue to win. They lead the NL East in runs scored with 88 and are second in BA at .265. They have shown that their lineup can play a little small-ball by being in the top five in MLB in singles since Opening Day.

One of the most important characteristics for any baseball player to have is that intestinal fortitude"—the ability to play at 100 percent all the time. Having this trait means the player will hustle, do the right things both on and off the field and will want to be in the game helping his team anyway he can. 

Tim Lincecum is the face of the San Francisco Giants, but in a time where team loyalty is down and money is king, is it possible that he and other beloved Giants will end up elsewhere?

If there was ever a pitcher in baseball who deserves a lifetime contract extension, it would be Tim Lincecum.