Preview/Prediction

Here are my NL Central predictions for 2009. Remember, it's all my opinion.

This off season, Jim Hendry had the difficult task of attempting to improve a team that won 97 games the season prior. Although the Cubs won the NL Central with ease, there's always a C.C. Sabathia waiting in the wings, who could push a NL Central foe to the top of the division.

Hendry focused on making the team more athletic and flexible, signing Joey Gathright and Aaron Miles. The Cubs were also able to move Jason Marquis off the books, which left a vacancy in the Cubs rotation.

Houston Astros 2008 Review:

The 2008 Houston Astros finished the regular season 86-75, 11 games back of the eventual NL Central Champion Chicago Cubs. The Astros got healthy offensive contributions from Hunter Pence, Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, Ty Wigginton, and 35-year-old (if that is his real age) Miguel Tejada.

The Phillies have won two World Series titles since 1883. The Florida Marlins have won two titles since 1993. The Marlins are a pesky team for the Phillies.

In the past two seasons, Cleveland Indians pitching coach Carl Willis has seen two of his pitchers win the Cy Young Award. CC Sabathia won it in 2007, and Cliff Lee won it in 2008.

So, can Willis work his magic a third time?

As of right now, the Indians have two contenders: Lee and Fausto Carmona.

It is unlikely that Cliff will repeat, but anything is possible.

Carmona, on the other hand, is a very good bet, and for many reasons.

Tim Lincecum is 5'11", 170 lbs. There were nine teams that passed on this 2008 Cy Young Award winner in the 2006 draft. Six selected bigger pitchers.

Lincecum has been called everything from “The Freak” to “The Franchise”. I like to call him “The Video Game” because his statistics are just so unreal (not to mention he’s the cover boy of MLB 2K9).

Since their appearance in the 2005 World Series, the Astros have constantly been given very low expectations, preseason. This season is no different, with many figuring the Astros will only be a .500 team. However, I believe that if the teams stays somewhat healthy, it have a real chance to surprise some people.

On April 4, 2009 the San Diego Padres will kick off their 40th season in Major League Baseball. In contrast, FOX's popular animated sitcom "The Simpsons" is in the midst of its 20th season on television.

They've had a more successful run than the Padres, too.

In those four decades, San Diego has yet to obtain a World Series championship and boast a grand total of one win in the Fall Classic.

After moving into Petco Park at the start of the 2004 season, the Padres' fortunes seemed to change somewhat, with four consecutive winning seasons and two NL West crowns.

Who's your Tiger? I loved seeing those commercials on Fox Sports Detroit. That enthusiastic voice always made me grin and say that Mike Maroth was my Tiger.

I still wear the customized t-shirt from the MLB online shop that bears his name and number.

I was not very pleased in June 2007, when Maroth was sent to St. Louis for a player-to-be-named-later. For the rest of the '07 season, I didn't have a Tiger. I didn't know who to go with.

So, at the beginning of last season I held an open competition: Who Wants to be Dave's Tiger?

As we discussed yesterday, the Marlins finally got the OK to start constructing a new stadium in Miami. The stadium for the new Miami Marlins should be complete by 2012, which means that Marlins fans only have to suffer the horrid humidity and pouring rain of South Florida in a football stadium that has business acting as a baseball stadium. Rejoice!

And rejoice, they have. And not just the fans either, but the players have been rather vocal about their excitement for the new stadium.