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The 1980's was a decade when speed, pitching, and defense trumped power. You won't see arcade-like power stats, which became common in the following two decades, as only ten HR leaders out of twenty (both leagues) finished with forty or more round trippers. In contrast, the nineties saw eighteen finished with forty or more and no player hit fifty home runs.

This was the decade when speed was king.

BY: GREG BARRA
STACHE WRITER

As a Met fan, I know how frustrating it is to watch this team lose to the San Diego Padres—a team that lost 99 games last year.

The Mets have been known to play down to the level of the team they play, but they cannot do this if they plan on bringing a championship home to Flushing.

However, even though it’s tough to see them drop the first game in their new home, there are many, many, games to yet to be played.

Well at least they won one. The Tribe dropped the first two in almost the same fashion they dropped all three to the Rangers to open the season. They got behind early thanks to poor starting pitching and then failed to come through with the clutch hit with runners in scoring position. The ugly numbers:

Game One - 1-5 RISP, 11 K, 8 LOB, 1 DP
Game Two - 1-9 RISP, 9 K, 8 LOB, 2 DP
Game Three - 2-7 RISP, 11K, 11 LOB, 1 DP
Totals - 4-21 RISP (.190), 31 K, 21 LOB, 4 DP

It's only been a week, but six games into the season the Chicago Cubs' Achilles heel thus far has unquestionably been the bullpen.

Going into 2009, there were many question marks for Chicago, including the durability of key players such as Milton Bradley and Alfonso Soriano, infield depth, and, of course, the bullpen.

The current problem with the bullpen situation is that it's not just one or two guys who are underachieving, it's virtually everyone.

Over the past few months, I have aspired to write an article based on the relationship between the fans and their favorite teams' broadcasters. I longed to make a connection between my family and Phillies' broadcaster Harry Kalas. 

As I previously declared, Opening Day 2009 was a bust. But an even bigger disappointment was Cleveland's unofficial holiday, Home Opening Day.

It wasn't the cold weather, or the rain, or the game being postponed—we're Clevelanders, most of us were prepared for that stuff. It wasn't the overpriced alcohol or hot dogs or the drunk guy spilling his beer on us either. It's a baseball game, that's all part of the experience.

We’ll see if the talk of parity is based on reality, or if it’s just an excuse for the National Media to gloss over the division quickly so they can move on to something sexier. We’ve had a week to review, so let’s rank ‘em up by their more important parts.

You’re only as good as your best player

Nothing’s more important than an impact player out there every day getting it done.

Man, the run for the AL East is going to be great to watch!

Well, actually, today, not for me. 

The Yankees are quite honestly getting their butts kicked down in the Trop.

Wang was taken out very early (in the second) and gave up eight, count them eight, runs.

He looked more like Sidney Ponson than Chien-Ming Wang out there tonight!

But on a good note, Nick Swisher did continue his hot-hitting ways, blasting his third homer since opening night.  He is in the running for the AL Player of the Week.

It's been a tough week for baseball. A week that should make us stop and realize how precious life is.

"Live every day is if it were your last, and then one day you shall be right."

Only four days ago, the Major League family lost Anaheim rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart, who was killed in a deadly hit-and-run accident hours after making a stunning Major League debut.

Tonight, the family lost one of their most colorful characters when former All-Star pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych passed away in an apparent accident on his farm in Massachusetts. Fidrych was 54.