Cy Young Contender: Bartolo Colon

You may laugh at me as you read this blog, as I write about how I think that Bartolo Colon is once more a Cy Young contender, but I feel as though Bartolo is back in business. The two time All-Star and Cy Young winner has gone through a career that has had the highest of pinnacles to the lowest troughs. Now, he is back on the rise in Oakland and has a somewhat viable offense to back him up. But after being with Yankees last year, you would have thought that Colon would have won more games, give him a break! He was coming back from a year plagued with surgeries repairing his torn rotator cuff and many other shoulder problems. Now Colon is 3-1 with the A's and gave a great performance in Japan against the Mariners. His one loss is when pitching against "King" Felix Hernandez, but I would just like to think that Colon was still jet-lagged from the flight back from Japan. In his second start in the US, Colon faced Hernandez again, and then beat the pants off him only giving up 3 hits and 1 walk in 7 innings pitched. But last night's game could have been Colon's hardest outing, but he went out with his best stuff, blanking the Angels to only 4 hits in 8 innings pitched. Bartolo was pitching against Ervin Santana, who entered the day with 13 wins and a 2.00 ERA in 23 career games (21 starts) against the A's. So the Athletics were in a position where it didn't look good, but Colon looked past the numbers and threw 82 strikes, with 38 in a row! Bartolo Colon threw strikes from the first pitch in the 5th inning into the 8thing inning. Throwing strikes against a lineup that is full of powerful hitters means nothing to Colon, he was unfazed. He also did all of this under the team in which he won his 1st and only Cy Young award with, the Angels. Another story developing with the Bartolo Colon triumph is the power behind the bat of Yoenis Cespedes, who hit his 4th homerun of the season to give the A's an early 3-0 lead. As of right now, Colon has a 2.63 ER, a WHIP of 0.80, leads the MLB in innings pitched with 27 1/3 innings, and ties Roy Halladay in MLB with 3 wins. I really think he can pull through for another Cy Young award if he keeps up this pace, what do you think?

Those Crazy Marylanders*

Is there something in the Chesapeake? 13 games into the season, who would have thought that the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals would still be leading their respective divisions. Looking at the Orioles who are 7-5, they lead the division by 0.5 games over the Toronto Blue Jays. What exactly is leading to their success? To start off the season the O's swept the Twins, but then got swept by the Yankees. The Orioles are ranked 2nd in homeruns in the American League with 20, and without any from Mark Reynolds! But Reynolds is certainly contributing to their #1 ranking in strikeouts with 100 Ks.   Offense hasn't been the Orioles biggest problem in the past few years, it's been their lack of pitching. This year they are ranked 5th in the American League in ERA with 3.65 and are leading the American League in saves with 5. Who would have thought that Jim Johnson would have 5 saves with a 0.00 ERA through 5 2/3 innings pitched? Last night the Orioles pitched got hurt by the sluggers of the Chicago White Sox, and they need to learn how to rework some pitching placement against big bats, especially with being in the AL East. With all of that falling into place, the Orioles are still 2 games over .500, and for the team and O's fans everywhere, I hope they stay there.

Even though the Orioles appear as though they are unfortunately on the decline, the Washington Nationals are just starting. The Nationals are a National League best with a 10-3 record, only behind the Texas Rangers in all of MLB. The Nats are just unstoppable. It's just amazing how much they have improved with having Stephen Strasburg back and a Jayson Werth who is actually contributing. New faces to the Nats like Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson are pitching like there is no tomorrow, and old faces like Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann, and Rick Ankiel are contributing to more win games. In their last 10 games, the Nats are 8-2, only losing to the Cubs, Mets, and Reds all this season. But still leading the NL East by 2.5 games? That is something that I never thought I would see this far into the season, but the NL East is nothing of what I thought it would be as of now. In power rankings, the Nationals are ranked 12th by the professionals, and 7th by the fans, giving them a power ranking of 11th out of 15. But after losing Mike Morse to injury, and still not having pitcher Drew Storen until the All-Star break, the Nationals are working to fulfill those gaps in the lineup. As a baseball fan I love to see the Nationals succeed, but as a Phillies fan, I'll keep that opinion to myself.

*Washing D.C. I understand is not technically in Maryland

Pudge Rodriguez Calls it a Career

Thumbs Up from Pudge!

After 21 seasons in the Majors, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez is retiring. Out of those 21 seasons, 12 (and some change in 2009) were spent in Texas with the Rangers from 1991 to 2002, one year with the Marlins in 2003, 4 years with the Tigers 2004-2008, some time with the Yankees in 2008, one year with the Astros in 2009, and lastly two years with the Nationals from 2010-2011. Wow, talk about some serious playing some with true contenders. Pudge played in two World Series, his first in 2003 with the Marlins against the Yankees to win his first ring, and then lost to the Cardinals in 2006 with the Tigers. He is a lifetime .296 hitter, with .255 batting average in the playoffs. The funny thing about his batting average in the playoffs is that Pudge played the Yankees in every single post season, so realistically, 5/9 of that average is from Yankees pitching, which isn't that bad. If you don't think Ivan Rodriguez is an amazing catcher, well then you apparently haven't seen his stats. Yes I understand that in his later years with the Astros and Nationals his numbers faded, but he's been catching longer than I've been alive, and a 40 year old catcher is nothing to shake a stick at. I mean those knees must be tired! "I-Rod" has racked up 13 Gold Gloves (10 with the Rangers), 7 Silver Sluggers, 14 All-Star games, and one MVP award. Of active players, Rodriguez leads all of MLB in doubles with 527, which greatly outnumbers such players as Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, and Chipper Jones. Pudge also leads all of Major League Baseball history with 2,427 games started as a defensive catcher, which outnumbers the next highest catcher (Carlton Fisk) by over 200 games. Other things Rodriguez leads all of MLB history in is: Putouts as a catcher, caught stealing as a catcher, caught stealing %, assists as a catcher, and total zone runs as a catcher. Phew! Those are Hall of Fame statistics in my book, and hopefully he will make it there some day. Pudge has decided to retire with the team that he was most successful with and made a name for himself with, and the Rangers have not made a formal announcement, but should do so soon. What a great career Ivan, I'm glad I was there to see possibly the greatest catcher of Major League Baseball play during my lifetime.

"The Freak" in Trouble

Tim Lincecum is a 2 time NL Cy Young Winner, a 4 time NL All-Star, and a World Series Champion, but what's wrong with him? After three very poor outings, Giants fans everywhere are wondering exactly what is wrong with their ace pitcher? I was able to watch Lincecum's first outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he got rocked. He did two things that he did not do in all of the 2011 season which was give up two homeruns in the same inning, and give up a homerun in the first. Lincecum got the lost that day after pitching 5 1/3 innings, with 6 hits, 1 walk, 5 runs, and an ending ERA of 8.44. His next start was not much better after the entire Colorado Rockies had his number. Lincecum only pitched 2 1/3 innings with 8 hits, 2 walks, 6 runs, and a rising ERA of 12.96. Last night against the Phillies, Lincecum's struggles continued as he "dueled" against Doc Halladay. In his longest outing of 6 innings pitched, Lincecum gave up 8 hits, 1 walk, 5 runs, and lowered his ERA to 10.54. Now Lincecum is 0-2 and since 2007, he has never allowed at least five runs in more than two straight games. He has allowed a total of 16 runs this year, marking that the first time he has given up that many runs in a three-game span. Who knows what is going on with "The Freak" but apparently neither does he. After his start against the Rockies and before last night's game against the Phillies, Lincecum cut off a considerable amount of his hair, maybe to remedy his poor starts. In 2011, Tim finished 13-14, but with an ERA of 2.74, the reason behind his poor win-loss record can be attributed to the Giants lack of offensive power, finishing 2nd to last in the National League. Now the Giants are facing more problems losing closer Brain Wilson to Tommy John surgery, his second of his lifetime. Two years after winning the World Series, the Giants are scratching their heads trying to find out what they did wrong. Was it getting rid of Pat Burrell? Or is it that Tim Lincecum is smoking too much marijuana? Who knows, but in my opinion, it's getting harder to compete in the NL West with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks starting off the season red-hot. I know that I say this often, but I remember going to Tim Lincecum's Major League debut back in 2007 against the Phillies. I remember him looking goofy and also looked like he was 12 at the time, but I never knew that he would become a 2 time Cy Young winner. I really don't mind Tim Lincecum and even think that he is an amazing pitcher, especially for his size, but I hope "The Freak" can regain his former stature.

Freddy!

Freddy Galvis' name has been tossed around for the past year or so, debating whether or not he could fulfill shortstop if Jimmy Rollins did not sign with the Phillies, but after it was apparent that Chase Utley would not be available to start the season, it's all about Freddy. Galvis started off the season going 0-12 and finally notched his first Major League hit last Monday with a 2-run double off Anibal Sanchez. Freddy was quoted saying, "As soon as I got to second, I could breathe. I was feeling much better. After the second game, I was like, 'Wow, when am I going to get it?'" That double was the only offense for the Phillies on their home opener, but Galvis' bat didn't quiet down after that. On Wednesday night's game against the Marlins, Josh Johnson on the mound, Freddy's name was being chanted by the fans at Citizen's Bank Park, and Freddy ripped a double into right field, giving him his second hit, 3rd and 4th RBIs, and the love of Philadelphia. "Freddy! Freddy! Freddy!" is what they were chanting, to which Roy Halladay said he was jealous because no one has ever chanted his name like that. Maybe someday soon Roy. But Freddy is now batting .226 going 7-19 after his 0-12 stretch, so as of last Monday, Galvis is batting .368. His offense isn't the only thing that is turning heads, but his defense is impecable. Many have been speculating that Galvis is turning plays that a healthy Chase Utley could not make, and saying that would mean that Galvis' defense is better than a 5 time NL All-Star. So far, Galvis has committed one error, but that in my mind is debatable because the ball took an awkward hop at the last second, causing Galvis to misread the ball. Is that an error? I don't know. Let's hope that Freddy moves up in the Phillies lineup, allowing him to get more at-bats and hopefully more RBIs and runs scored. Ending on a happy note, Freddy Galvis had his first home run on Friday against the Mets off R.A. Dickey in the 3rd inning in front of Phillies fans at CBP. After receiving the standard "freeze-out" by his teammates, he was welcomed into the dugout with high-fives, hugs, and congratulating pats on the back. Good luck Freddy and keep up the good work.

Are the Phillies Back?

10 runs in two games? The Phillies didn't have 10 runs in their first 4 games! The Fightin' Phils offense may be back in the city of Brotherly Love, but will it hold? In the past two games, strong outings from Roy Halladay and Joe Blanton have given the Phillies an edge over the Marlins. Roy Halladay dished out his best stuff against Josh Johnson, whom he normally struggles with. Before the two met on Wednesday, Halladay was 1-2, that one victory being his perfect game, but now the pitchers are 2-2. Joe Blanton who had his first official start as a Phillies pitcher this year, only gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and one run to the Marlins, while Mark Buehrle gave up 3 runs across 6 1/3 innings. Maybe the Phils just needed to get back to Citizens Bank Park to really have the bats come alive. Hunter Pence has been the glue that holds the lineup together, so far hitting .391, with 1 homerun and 4 RBI. Close behind him is the man behind the plate, Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz had an outstanding Spring Training and keeping that momentum going by hitting .375, with 1 homerun, and 2 RBI. Last's game was all about Shane Victorino and Ty Wigginton, who had their first blasts of the season, Shane's in the 4th inning, and Wigginton had his in the 7th to give the Phils some breathing room to make it 3-1. But are the bats really back? I and the city of Philadelphia certainly hope so. Without Chase Utley at second, Freddy Galvis has been outstanding at second base, but he as of now lacks the offensive power that Utley brings to the team. Utley is an All-Star, and possible Hall of Famer, Galvis is a rookie, so he certainly has time to make a name for himeself. I personally am waiting for Jimmy Rollins to step up his game and validate his new contract. Other than that, Juan Pierre, Ty Wigginton, and Jim Thome are fitting into place in Philadelphia, and Jonathan Papelbon is doing great with his two recorded saves for the season. I look forward to the rest of the season and this upcoming series against the Mets at CBP.

Vlad Guerrero a Criminal?

"Me? Nah I didn't fight anybody"

What do players do when they haven't been signed by a Major League team? I'd imagine if you were to check in on Johnny Damon or Derrek Lee, they're probably practicing somewhere or out relaxing with their families. But if you head down to the Dominican Republic, in the city of Bani and look for Vladimir Guerrero you might not find him relaxing. He'll be out dancing at the disco El Punto, and possibly fighting and assaulting police officers. What?! That doesn't sound like our Vlad! That night, Vlad presented himself to the jail, and then in the morning to the arresting officers who were there that night. The police were looking for Guerrero and his two bodyguards after they allegedly left one person injured at the disco. Community leaders and Guerrero's brother spoke out to reporters the morning where Vlad surrendered himself to the authorities, defending the ballplayer's integrity. Vladimir told the press after he presented himself to the police that he had nothing to do with the injury of anyone at the club and came out because he had nothing to hide. But as of an hour ago (6:30pm EST), Guerrero's lawyer spoke out and stated that Vlad will not be charged with anything. It has been speculated that he had nothing to do with the fight that broke out at the disco, nor did his bodyguards. Phew! Thankfully Vladimir Guerrero can come back to MLB in the United States so none of this will happen again. And let's also hope that the only hitting that Vlad is dishing out, comes from in the batter's box.

Ozzie Guillen Suspended

Ozzie Guillen has said a lot of things throughout his 9 year tenure as a Major League manager, but has apologized for very little of it. If you follow MLB or watch ESPN Ozzie Guillen's antics are always under constant monitoring, he's always quick to start a fight with an umpire, or get vulgar with reporters in news conferences, but that's just Ozzie being himself. After an interview with Time Magazine, Ozzie said, "I respect Fidel Castro, you know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still here." Now some people may not understand why this would be such a big deal, and they must look at the current situation Guillen is in. Ozzie now manages the Miami Marlins, which the city of Miami has a large Cuban population. He must now realize that he has offended these Cubans because some of them have fled Cuba during Fidel's reign and came to Florida seeking refuge. To put it in perspective, "It's like going to New York's Jewish district and saying, 'Hitler wasn't so bad. He managed to stay in power for a few years,'" veteran Spanish-language baseball announcer Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, who left Cuba at age 17. In a live press conference today, Ozzie apologized once more as he did not mean to offend anyone and didn't mean anything behind the comment. Cuban baseball players around the league feel as though Ozzie should be accepted, especially since he is sincerely upset with himself more making such comments. After today, Guillen will be receiving a 5-game suspension, which he will not appear, for he wants to make it up to the city of Miami by doing all that he can. Ozzie lives in Miami, he now works in Miami, and is willing to do everything in his power along with the power of the Marlins to help the Cuban community, and the Latino community within the city of Miami. He will not say whether or not he agrees with the decision of the suspension, but as of right now he'll respect their decision, because he is in no place to complain. Honestly, I think Ozzie did make a mistake in saying such comments, especially with managing in Miami, but he needs to realize that he is always in the spotlight and will always be under the cameras. Unfortunately, we live in a time where people can always take offense to any sort of comment due to sensitivity, but for statements about political dictators, maybe we should keep those comments to ourselves, or at least away from reporters.

Yuuuuuuuuuu!

Most of us younger baseball fans can remember the song "Soulja Boy" where it starts out saying "Youuuuuuu" followed by the beats of a steel drum, this is exactly what I think of when I read Yu Darvish's name in print. If you are unaware of who Yu Darvish is, he is a Japanese pitcher who made his Major League debut last night in Texas. Darvish came over from Japan after the Texas Rangers made a $51.7 million bid offer to him this off season. Then the Rangers had to make actual deal with Yu, which he received a 6-year $60 million contract with them. Darvish has been referred to as "Daisuke (pronounced Dice-k) on Steroids" and as one of the best, if not the best, pitcher in Japan. So for a pitcher who has a total of $111.7 million invested in him, how did he do? Well, he gave up 4 runs in the first inning and then another run in the second. But after some serious offensive firepower, the Rangers tied up and then went ahead thanks to homeruns from Nelson Cruz, Mitch Moreland, and Josh Hamilton. With that, Darvish was on course to gain the win for Texas after only 5 innings, which he only pitched 5 2/3 innings with 111 pitches. Darvish left with a 7.94 ERA and gave up 8 hits, 4 walks, and had 5 strikeouts. Not the most impressive outing for such a hyped-up pitcher, but there is some adjusting coming from Japanese baseball to American baseball. Rangers pitching coaches have been trying to "Americanize" Darvish's pitching to get him ready for the season to start, but still have some kinks to work out. Yu Darvish is the first pitcher in over 100 years in his major league debut to win after giving up 4 runs in the first inning. Manager Ron Washington stated that he wasn't going to take Darvish out after the first inning but was going to let him battle through, find his groove, and work from there, which he did. I feel as though Yu did a great job for his first start, but still has some work to do to become a $111 million pitcher.

What a Weekend...

Cepedes watching his 465 ft. bomb!

Who would've thought that the Mets would be 3-0 and the Yankees would be 0-3? Seriously? Is this some sort of sick dream where New York baseball is completely flipped over? No, definitely not, because the last time the Bronx Bombers lost their first 3 games was 1998, where they went on to win 114 games and also the World Series. The last time the Mets won their first 3 games was 2007, and I think we all know what happened there *Motions for high-five*.  So if the World Series was tomorrow, it would be the Orioles vs. the Mets, or the Tigers vs. the Diamondbacks, but luckily for everyone, there are not 3 games in the season but 159 left to play. Wrapping up this weekend in one blog would be hard, but I'll certainly try my best.

NL East: 1. NYM 2. WSH 3. PHI 4. MIA 5. ATL As stated above, the Mets are 3-0 and that's about it for them, but in other news:

• The Phillies lost 2/3 games to the Pirates in their opening series, once in extra innings, and today in the bottom of the 9th. The Phillies have only had one winning series against the Pirates in PNC Park since 2001, and that was in 2008 when they went on to win the World Series. The bats need to come alive, and Charlie Manuel needs to take David Herndon out.
• The hot, new Miami Marlins are making a "splash" by only wearing new uniforms. Unfortunately those feisty fish from South Beach aren't quite producing the numbers they hoped to have. After being no-hit into the 7th on Opening Night, the Marlins look to bounce back tomorrow in Philadelphia.

NL Central: 1. STL 2. CIN 3. HOU 4. PIT 5. CHC 6. MIL The division with the most teams isn't quite where I'd imagined it to be after the opening weekend:

• The Cardinals won the World Series in 2011 and aren't looking back. They lost Albert Pujols and now are saying, "Who?" Yes the Cardinals are hot right now, but coming down the stretch, you just might need a 3-time NL MVP to come through for you to win some games. Especially when Matt Holiday starts to slump or Lance Berkman possibly gets hurt.
• The BrewCrew. Where to start? Let's start with Prince Fielder hitting homeruns and RBIs for the Tigers, and then bam, we are here at a 1-2 record. Yiovani Gallardo lost to the Cardinals, and the bats are there, but just one big bat shy.

NL West: 1. ARI 2. LAD 3. COL 4. SD 5. SF In my opinion, I'd say, yeah that's about right:

• The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to reclaim their 2011 title as the NL West division champions and with a stunning performance against the Giants, I don't think they will have any problem doing so. The Diamondbacks have the full package of starting pitching, a solid bullpen, and an offense that drives in runs. I see the D'backs at the top of the NL West at the end of the 2012 season.
• On the other side of the Diamondbacks success was the Giants failure. Tim Lincecum got ROCKED by the D'backs, doing things that he didn't do in all of 2011. He gave up two homeruns in one inning, and gave up a homerun in the first inning. The Giants finished 2nd to last in runs scored, and they need to step up their game especially if their prized rotation is not producing like before. Side note: Buster Posey is back!

AL West: 1. SEA 2. TEX 3. LAA 4. OAK The AL West certainly has possibilities for exciting baseball this year, especially with some pretty big newcomers:

• The Seattle Mariners are atop the AL West at the current moment after playing the Oakland A's for 4 games, two of which were played in Japan. Yoenis Cepedes has already hit 3 homeruns against the Mariners pitching, and yesterday's was a monster shot that traveled 465 ft. With this in mind, the Mariners will have to hope to solidify their lineup that has Ichiro now batting third.
• The Angels are off to a somewhat slow start, especially after having Jered Weaver already pitch and Albert Pujols only having 1 hit in 7 at-bats. When asked about his slow start, Albert replied that he's gone 0-3 before, and probably will do it again at some point in his career, so everyone should get off his back.

AL Central 1. DET 2. KC 3. CHW 4. CLE 5. MIN With these standings, who knows:

• With the way the Tigers are playing right now, I wouldn't be surprised if they won the World Series this year. After a blown save by Valverde on Thursday, the Tigers came back and won. After Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder both hit 2 homeruns on Saturday, the Tigers shut out the Red Sox and won. And after Miguel Cabrera tied up the game in the 9th today with a homerun, and Alex Avila hit a homer in the 11th, the Tigers won. Winning is the theme here. 
• The Twins were looking to bounce back after a subpar 2011 season. And starting off the season getting swept by the Orioles really isn't the best way to do so. What has happened to a team that has an All-Star catcher like Joe Mauer and still manages to get almost no-hit by the Orioles?

AL East 1. BAL 2. TB 3. TOR 4. BOS 5. NYY The AL East certainly has people watching but let's examine a little bit closer:

• The Orioles are notorious for starting off the season strong and then unfortunately tailing off midway through the season, or towards the end of April. This is sad to see but after sweeping the Twins, the Orioles have the bats and stellar pitching from Jason Hammel who no-hit the Twins into the 7th really shows that the Orioles have potential this year.
• The Boston Red Sox start off the season 0-3 for the second straight year. Two walk-off losses in Detroit, both of which done by poor closers has Red Sox fans wondering if they should have kept Papelbon. Bobby V is staying hopeful for the team, as is the rest of Boston, but Yankee fans everywhere are hoping for a repeat of last year's collapse. 

Well blog readers, thank you for reading all of that if you did. I put a lot of effort into it and hope that you enjoyed! Please pass on the good news of the blog, and if you would like press the Google+ button at the top or side. :)

Jamie Moyer looks to break the record

Jamie Moyer is 49 years young. To put things into perspective, Jamie Moyer was pitching before the Rockies were a franchise within Major League Baseball, and as of right now, he's been pitching longer than players have been alive. Moyer will take the mound for the Colorado Rockies tonight against the Houston Astros and if he wins, he will break the record for oldest pitcher in MLB to record a win. Lucas Harrell will be pitching for the Astros tonight, Harrell was only 13 months old when Moyer made his Major League Debut. Tonight's game is a big night for Moyer, not only can he break the record, but this will be the first time he's pitched in a regular season game since pitching for the Phillies on July 20, 2010. Moyer also will be proving himself against a former manager Chad Mills. When Moyer was pitching for the Cubs Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, Mills cut Moyer from the team, Moyer instructed him that he'd be back, and he certainly is. To really understand what Jamie Moyer has been through would be hard, especially after having Tommy John surgery at the age of 48. Tonight would be win number 268 for Moyer if he wins, a pitcher who has recorded more wins in his 40s than in his 20s, a pitcher who has beaten every single team in baseball, something only 5 other pitchers have done, and lastly a stand up guy whose love for the game has brought him back time and time again. Jamie Moyer's fastball normally hits around 80 mph on a good night, which can hurt him as a pitcher, but his 2.50 ERA this spring has scouts wondering what he will do throughout the rest of the season. Its hard to think that there is a pitcher out there who is old enough to by my father, yet pitches against people who are younger than me. I wish him luck tonight against the Astros and hopes he gets his win.

Opening Day 2012

Today is "Opening Day" in Major League Baseball, although three regulation games have already been played. There was the "Opening Series" in Japan between the Mariners and Athletics last week, and there was "Opening Night" last night between the Marlins and Cardinals, but today is the true Opening Day. Why you ask? Because today is the day that Cincinnati Reds play. It may look foolish to read, but the Cincinnati Reds start every Opening Day at home, making today the true Opening Day. Since 1876 the Reds have been granted the privilege to open every game at home and they have done just that. Opening Day brings something to the table, there is electricity in the air, and everyone can feel it. As the old cliche says, "Everyone starts at the same spot" and everyone has the ability to start their trip to the World Series on Opening Day. So what is the appropriate response to Opening Day? Excitement, hope, and the chance at winning 162 games! So today we see a lot of different changes, some old faces brought into new positions. AL MVP and AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, newly acquired first baseman Prince Fielder take on the Boston Red Sox, now managed by Bobby Valentine. Johan Santana returns to the mound for the Mets, the first time since 2010. Stephen Strasburg returns to the "beefed up" Nationals hoping to get them above the .500 mark for the first time. After suffering a loss to the Cardinals last night, the Miami Marlins look to rebound in Cincinnati, placing new pitcher Mark Buehrle on the mound. NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw looks to take the Dodgers to the playoffs, and after the $2 billion purchase of the Dodgers by a group led by Magic Johnson, maybe the Dodgers can regain their former glory. Last and certainly not least, the Philadelphia Phillies look to take a lineup, tattered by injuries, into the City of Bridges against those ruthless Pittsburgh Pirates. A team that won 102 games and the NL East last year will hope to reclaim that title and maintain it without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley for an unforeseen amount of time. Unfortunately for the Phillies, in the past 5 years, they are 6-10 versus the Pirates, and the Pirates had their best year since 2004 last year, and are still improving. So what will happen today on this Opening Day? Last year the Phillies had a walk-off win and the Texas Rangers had their own homerun derby. This year, who knows?

Ubaldo Jimenez: Public Enemy #1

I've seen a lot intentional throws at players throughout my baseball watching "career," but for some reason, this throw just seems to be even more cowardly then any other. Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez intentionally threw at Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki the other day in a Spring Training game at Salt River Fields. The pitch hit Tulo square in the back with a pitch that ended in a benches clearing incident. When looking at it, Jimenez states that Tulowitzki is a a good hitter, he was trying to get the ball inside, and it got away from him when he was releasing it. But if that were true Ubaldo, then why did you immediately look at the plate, then throw your glove down looking for a fight? In my opinion, and obviously in MLB's opinion, the pitch was intentional because Jimenez has been suspended for 5 games for the incident. Just look at the body language of the situation, Jimenez was looking to start something. Many will say that Ubaldo Jimenez still resents the fact that Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez received large contract extensions last year and he did not, which is why he went to the Indians. Jimenez was their best pitcher at the time, so why not lock him up until 2017 like they did with the other two? The fact is that many Rockies stated that Ubaldo's body language was no longer with the team in 2011, and he was just waiting to be moved to another team. In his mind, Cleveland was a Godsend. I don't know why anyone would think that, but I guess that's just how baseball works. Indians manager Manny Acta is furious with Major League Baseball for their decision to suspend Jimenez for 5 games, but he is happy that there will be an appeal. With the appeal going through, that means that Ubaldo Jimenez will be able to start on Saturday versus the Blue Jays. In my mind, I just keep thinking about how stupid Ubaldo looks right now, everyone saw him throw down his glove and look for a fight, challenging Tulowitzki to come at him. Grow up Ubaldo Jimenez.