Opinion

How much playing time will Angel Pagan get now that Beltran is back?

Should Beltran play in right field leaving Jeff Francoeur the odd man out?

Jason Bay isn’t hitting for power, so should he become the fourth outfielder?

Shouldn’t the Mets trade one of their outfielders for a starting pitcher?

Whoa people. Slow down a bit.

The news that Carlos Beltran will start his rehab assignment on Thursday has kicked off a great deal of speculation about playing time in the Mets’ outfield.

Forget the Chinese Zodiac. 2010 was supposed to be the Year of the Mariner. 

As a result of a promising 2009 season and the acquisition of many talented players, there were extremely high expectations for the Seattle Mariners to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

But through the first two and a half months of the season, the Mariners stand 28-41 and 13 games behind division-leading Texas Rangers.

You know by now that there are two pretty appetizing starting pitching options on the Mets' radar right now. 

Those two, obviously, are Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt.  Both are outstanding pitchers on underachieving teams that are trying to dump them in order to clear payroll or to acquire young talent. 

But which one is better for the Mets, both for now and down the road?

With the non-waiver trade deadline just over a month away, the rumor mill machine is starting to build considerable steam.

Once again the A.L. East is the most competitive division in baseball with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays in a triple threat death match for the pennant.

But hold on, the Toronto Blue Jays are making some serious noise as well.

With an exciting young pitching staff and a hodge podge offense that hacks now, ask questions later, the Jays are literally bombing their way into contention.

What will these teams do to improve their post-season chances?

I know, I know.

The Braves are a first place team with good vibrations all around.

They've been one of the best teams in the game since the beginning of May and really lack any substantial holes in their line-up.

But...I like to think ahead.

And, right now, I'm thinking about how Frank Wren and Company can improve the National League's top run-scoring offense.

There are a couple of different routes the Braves could pursue to achieve this.

Legendary Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully talks with "Angels on Air" hosts Jeff Biggs and Jason Brennan on a variety of Angel- and Dodger-related topics.

Scully speaks on the excitement in Southern California for both ball clubs that have been successful over the last few seasons and his joy of seeing Mike Scioscia and other Dodger alumni succeed while running a Major League team. Vin also gives us his opinion on the three worst decisions in Dodger history.

As a fan of the New York Yankees, an American League East team, it is easy to forget about the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The last time the two faced each other was back in 2007, at the old Yankee Stadium.

Looking at the bigger picture, the D-backs pose no real threat to the Yankees, whose hopes are to repeat as World Series Champions.

Even though the New York Yankees are in 1st place in the AL East and currently hold the best record in all of Major League Baseball, there are still a plethora of trade rumors and debates taking place in the Bronx.

With the main areas of concern being the bullpen, the bench, and the outfield; everyone seems to have their own opinion about what the Bronx Bombers should do on their quest for their 28th World Series Championship.

Lady Gaga, please stay away from baseball games and don’t come back to Yankee Stadium or Citi-Field again.

When I first arrived at the Oakland Coliseum for Tuesday's game against the visiting Cincinnati Reds, the sky was mostly blue as the sun was successfully holding streaks of gloom at bay.

By the time the Athletics had finished batting practice about an hour later, the clouds had inflicted heavy casualties on the other side and were threatening to win the battle in a romp.

That seems like a pretty good metaphor for the tack Oakland's 2010 season is on at the moment.

What started off in azure warmth is beginning to go cold and gray.