Bottom of the 9th at Fenway Park. Frank Francisco on the mound for the Rangers. Kevin Youkilis lines one of Francisco’s forearm and ends up on 1st. After some mis-communication between the pitcher and catcher, a pass ball is thrown and Youkilis advances to 2nd, halfway there to ending the game. Bill Hall lays down a perfect sacrifice bunt which moves Youk to 3rd. 90 feet away. After Francisco intentionally walks Mike Lowell, recently added Adrian Beltre pops out to the First Baseman. First and third, 2 outs, bottom of the 9th. Jason Varitek stands at the plate. He didn’t have to move his bat. 4 straight balls, and now the bases are loaded for Darnell McDonald who was just brought up from Pawtucket (Redsox AAA farm team). He’s already hit a 2-run homer earlier in the game. He stands and delivers again. High pop-fly off the Green Monster to end the game. What a rough start to 2010 for Frank Francisco.

After blowing his first two save opportunities of the year Frank Francisco was relieved of his closer duties for the Texas Rangers and according to Ron Washington 21 year old Neftali Feliz is the fix for at least the immediate future. Feliz was said to be in the competition for the back of the Rangers rotation in the spring, but with the type of stuff he has there have always been thoughts of him as a closer. Weather this is short term until he matures into a starting pitcher or the closer of the future for the Rangers I think it’s a great move.

Manager

Joe Torre, LAD- Most rings, makes him the man for the job for me. Also has experience in managing All-Star teams or kind of sense his teams from Oakland (Canseco and McGwire)to New York (A-Rod, Clemens, Jeter, & Riveria) to Los Angeles (Rameriz, Billingsley, & Broxton) resembled All-Star teams.

25 Man Roster:

Starters

C- Joe Mauer, MIN- The purest hitter in baseball (as in Tony Gwynn and line drive power) in my opinion as well as being the reigning A.L. MVP. The best catcher of all time with 5 more years of producing at the same level he is now. Get out there and see him this season if you get a chance to.

1B-Alber Pujols, STL- .300/ 30/ 100… and more, every year of his big league career. Expect his numbers to go up this season as well with Holliday hitting behind him. I’m guessing in the 45+ range maybe topping 50 bombs.

2B-Chase Utley, PHI- Can take the ball to all fields anytime. His power and ability to hit for an average is amazing, wow factor!!

SS- Hanley Rameriz, FLA- The best 5 tool player we have in the game right now. Led the NL in hitting with an average of .342 with 24 homeruns, 106 RBIs, 27 SBs, and 101 runs. That’s 5 tools.

3B- Evan Longoria, TB- He will continue to amaze. During batting practice takes tennis balls from the machine at 100 miles per hour with them having two different colors on them. What does he do with them? He takes one color to the left side and the other to right. Simply amazing!!!

LF- Ryan Braun, MIL- The Next Pujols? At least on his way… Top 5 Player in the League and a Superstar.

CF- Matt Kemp, LAD- Torii Hunter with a little more power but not as good of a glove is what I see him as. Plays a wonderful center field (in Los Angeles like Torii), hit .297, had 26 homeruns, 101 RBIs, 97 runs, and 34 SBs. He is a 5 tool player still learning the game so his numbers should go up this season as well. Some people are questioning him (especially now because of Rhianna) but I think he is one of those guys that can flat out play and be the big game superstar. He has a good work ethic and doesn’t miss games which shows to me he is committed. He played in 159 games last year only missing out on 3.

RF- Justin Upton, ARI- The closest player to Willie Mays of our time? Maybe not quite yet… but whatever he has, it’s great. At age 21 for most of last season he hit .300 with 26 homeruns and 20 steals. He should be comparable to Alfonso Soriano and maybe be the fifth player in history get to join him in the 40/40 club (Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez being the others). Upton is a way better fielder however with gold glove potential when being compared to Soriano.

DH- David Ortiz, BOS- “Big Papi” struggled last season but I think he can still hit. He is getting older so this is possibly the weakest link on the team. If he didn’t produce there are plenty of other hitters waiting on the bench. Regardless of what happens this season this guy is great in the clubhouse and would be worthy of a spot. I also choose that I had to select one DH from the AL to be a starter on the team.

SP- Roy Halladay, PHI- Best pitcher in the game in my opinion. Now he gets a chance to pitch in the NL and in the spotlight. Facing a pitcher or pitchers spot 4 times a game is really going to help him as well. This should be the best year of his entire career and his numbers should be scary good.

Pitchers

SP- C.C. Sabathia, NYY- Beast. That is simply the best word about this man. A flat out work horse who can pitch however many innings you need him to.

SP- Tim Linecum, SF- Freak! He easily could win his third CY Young Award this year.

SP- Chris Carpenter, STL- Constant Performer. The Cardinals are going to be competing with the Phillies for the NL Crown because of Carpenter and Wainwright. These two guys are both aces who know how to pitch. Dave Duncan is a genius.

SP- Clayton Kershaw, LAD- Best young arm in the game. Better than David Price, Job Lester, Stephen Straugberg and all the others in my book. Last year was his breakout year and this year will be his “superstar” breakout year. A great game late in the season could be Linecum vs. Kershaw with these two teams vying to win the N.L. West Crown.

SP- Justin Verlander, DET- He brings the gas all game long. He is a huge on the mound and the ball just explodes out of his hand. He is up for discussion as one of the best pitchers in baseball.

SP- Felix Hernandez, SEA- Same as Verlander. Both have the opportunity of pitching in a pitchers park with amazing stuff to go along with it. I’m going be watching these two closely this season.

CL- Joe Nathan, MIN- I think he has the best stuff of any closer in baseball but doesn’t get the attention because he plays in Minnesota (and Mariano is getting older). Also doesn’t get as many save opportunities in some seasons because the Twins don’t have the kind of money that New York, Boston, and Los Angeles teams have to spend.

CL- Mariano Riveria, NYY- The Greatest. Need I say more?
Bench

Bench

C- Brian McCann, ATL- Great catcher. He can hit for average and power while handling the staff. Second best option behind the plate.

1B- Prince Fielder, MIL- Monster. I don’t know how he does it, but I love it. He and Howard make fans truly love the long ball and watching it fly.

1B- Ryan Howard, PHI- Most power in the game. Love to watch his homeruns and how far they go.

1B- Miguel Cabrera, DET- Everyone kind of forgot about him it seems but he is right there with Fielder and Braun (amazing they are on the same team) behind Pujols as the player with the most power and average combination in baseball.

SS- Derek Jeter, NYY, (Captain)- If this was a real team he would be the starting SS for his leadership and clutch ability but overall talent wise, Hanley Rameriz is the way to go.

3B- Alex Rodriguez, NYY- Hits in the best lineup, in one of the friendliest hitting parks, and is one of the best hitters in all of baseball. He got his ring so he should play even better now. That had to have been stressful playing in New York with that always being in the back of your mind, especially while being the highest paid player in the game. Torre would start A-Rod if this was really playing out.

OF- Ichiro, SEA- One of the best hitters of any generation in MLB history. It is amazing to see someone succeed in two leagues that are quiet different (Japan and MLB).

These are all of my personal choices and I tried to not be biased towards my favorite teams, only 2 players from the entire starting 25 man roster and manager are from my favorite teams( I counted my favorite team from the AL and NL). Please let me know what everyone thinks about the team and let me know what changes, suggestions, or comments you have on this team. Hope it is enjoyed/ debated. Below I listed 9 other players that I felt I could not leave off my list but didn’t earn a spot on the team. I made no changes to my original selections and ended up having 12 American League players and 13 National League guys so I thought that was interesting since most people and fans believe the AL to be a superior league.

Close Calls (9 total- 3 IF, 3 OF, 3 Pitchers)

2B- Dustin Poderia, BOS- AL MVP of 2008 had a quiet season last year after much hype going into it. He’ll be back producing somewhere in between his 08 and 09 campaign being the second best 2B man in the bigs.

SS-Troy Tulowitizki, COL- He is the National League version of DJ2 (Derek Jeter 2) or as close to it as possible. Wears number 2, plays like number 2, and is the leader like number 2. Can he get to his second World Series and win his first this season? He has a good chance.

3B-Chipper Jones, ATL- He would be on my bench with Beckett & Crawford if I were to truly do this (or have the opportunity) but I have been trying to pick the best player based on talent. He would be a great guy to have on the bench that can still hit and be a leader. A “chip off the block” (hence Chipper…what his father started calling him from a young age) and an “old school” ballplayer.

OF- Carl Crawford, TB- Everyone is saying to pencil him in as the starting left fielder for the New York Yankees in 2011 but I really hope not. (That is my opinion though…plenty of people will love it) He is the second fastest guy in the league right now behind Jacoby Ellsbury. He would also have to take the place of one of the first basemen (I would take Howard off) on this team if this “tournament” was to really take place because I would need two outfielders for a whole season, but for tournament style play he can stay off the list. Very hard to do though because he is so great. He is also playing for a contract which makes him even more dangerous.

OF- Matt Holliday, STL- Time to make up for the mess up in L.A. losing the ball in the towels/ lights (It was barely getting dark). Good thing he can hit!!

OF- Grady Sizemore, CLE- The whole Cleveland organization had a strange season last year. I expect Sizemore to go back to playing like he did in 2008 when the Indians were in the ALCS. (I don’t expect the Indians to be there though) This guy has too much talent to hit .248 with 18 homeruns and 68 RBIs. He was having some injury problems last season so let’s up it was just that.

SP- Josh Beckett, BOS- The best big game pitcher in baseball having done it for Florida and Boston. I couldn’t think of anyone else I would want on the mound in a game 7 situation. Like Jones if this were a real team he would be on the 25 man roster but simply talent wise I would choose my other selections.

SP- Brandon Webb, ARI- Coming back from his injury so he is a question mark but if he does come back strong he is one of the best with that sinker he has. If he doesn’t come back healthy this “close call” spot belongs to his teammate Dan Haren.

CL- Jonathan Papelbon, BOS- Brings the cheese. Will have plenty of save opportunities as usually the case in Boston as of late.

Honorable Mention: (1 only)

RP- Jonathan Broxton, LAD- The hardest thrower in the 9th. He is intimidating, nasty, and everything else a team wants in a closer. He could lead the NL in saves pretty easily this year.

(Johan Santana, Cliff Lee)…had to mention them.

I will be making another All MLB team at the All-Star Break as well as when the playoffs begin for the best players of 2010 based on their statistics. Good luck to all the MLB teams and the fans that support them.

The Dodgers are coming off their second season in a row having appeared in the National League Championship Series but have not been able to get to the World Series. They have won over 95 games the past two years and have the same core of players back for another shot at the pennant. The emergence over the past few years of Matt Kemp, James Loney, Clayton Kershaw, and Andre Either as true stars in the league should have the Dodgers repeating its past success. These key contributors have gained valuable experience as youngsters and as they mature even more this year they look to get the Dodgers over the hump and pass the Phillies atop the National League. With one July deadline trade for a starting pitcher the Dodgers would easily have a better overall team than the Phillies, if they do not already. The Dodgers and Phillies both have monster American League type lineups and the Dodgers have one of the deepest bullpens in the game. The Dodgers rely on older veterans with Manny Rameriz, Casey Blake, and Rafael Furcal playing important roles on the team and this leaves the Dodgers with some questions. To try and solve the problem, the Dodgers have made minor acquisitions to try and help keep these veterans fresh by rotating fresh bodies in throughout the long season. This way the veterans will have enough left in the tank for the final push down the stretch. The off season acquisitions include signing Jamey Carroll as a utility infielder. Ronnie Belliard is back again on the bench after his strong performance in the postseason. He could possibly be starting to if Blake DeWitt has any problems. Reed Johnson, former outfielder from the Cubs also signed as he will be the utility outfielder now that Juan Pierre has been traded to the White Sox. The Dodgers signed former Padre, Brian Giles to a minor league contract as well so maybe he has something left in his tank and can add to the Dodgers depth. Joe Torre should be able to keep his team fresh for their playoff run with the options he has to field the team. In order for the Dodgers to go out and get a big-name player in July however the McCourt divorce must be settled or have better implication as to what is going to happen. This divorce has huge financial implication on the team for this season and the seasons to come. If it is a clearer picture and Mr. McCourt thinks he can go out and get a player then look for them to pull the string. Either way the Dodgers still have a monstrous line-up with lots of talent and enough pitching to have them competing for the championship. If Chad Billingsley, Russell Martin, and Manny Rameriz can produce like they did in 2008, along with what the youngsters doing what they did last year then this team must be considered a front runner in the National League. Manny might not have a lot left in him or he could have worked out really hard during the off season and be in great shape ready to play. Manny will be Manny though and the Dodgers will see what they get from him as the season progresses. No matter what the man can still hit and with the emergence of other players on the team he will not need to hit 40 home runs like he once did. He hitting for an average and 15 to 20 homeruns would do the team wonders. Here is a look as to what I project the starting lineup to be for the Dodgers on opening day, as well as the starting pitching staff.

L.A Dodgers 2010 Projected Starting Line-Up 1. Rafael Furcal-SS 2. Matt Kemp- CF 3. Andre Either- RF 4. Manny Rameriz- LF 5. James Loney- 1B 6. Casey Blake- 3B 7. Russell Martin- C 8. Blake DeWitt- 2B 9. Pitcher
Pitching Rotation 1. Clayton Kershaw- LH 2. Chad Billingsley- RH 3. Hiroki Kuroda- RH 4. Vicente Padilla- RH 5. James McDonald- RH / Scott Elbert- LH/ Jeff Weaver-RH / Russ Ortiz-RH (best performer in Spring Training, lots of options)

Bullpen Closer- Jonathan Broxton- RH Set-Up Man- George Sherrill-
LH

The biggest free agent splashes of the MLB offseason have been made, as Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett have all been signed by the New York Yankees, and have received huge long-term, high-paying deals.

But there is one high-quality player that is yet to be signed with a team this offseason, and that is Manny Ramirez.

CC Sabathia inked a $161 million, seven-year deal a couple of weeks ago, and Burnett signed with the Yankees around the same time, receiving an $82.5 million, five-year contract. Teixeira was just signed by the team yesterday, receiving an enormous $180 million, 8-year contract, which is the biggest of the offseason thus far.

The Yankees were one of the teams that were mentioned to be in the running for the current free-agent All-Star slugger, Manny Ramirez. However, the Yankees have reportedly been out of the running after all of the massive amounts of money they have spent and the talent that they have already brought in.

So, where does Man-Ram go from here?

After being traded from Boston to the Los Angeles Dodgers before the trade deadline of last season, Ramirez increased his output to an impressive .396 batting average, 17 home runs, 53 RBIs, and a .743 slugging percentage, all in the second half of the season. He practically single-handedly took an ordinary Dodgers team to the playoffs last season, and past the divisional round after upsetting the Chicago Cubs in a 3-0 sweep.

But, as every front office in the big leagues knows, Manny has some baggage. From his usual ?Manny being Manny” routines, to his purposely-dismal play before his departure from the Red Sox, Manny Ramirez’s infamous antics are something many teams are looking at as the main factor when looking at his resume. Not his career statistics of 527 home runs, .314 batting average, .593 slugging percentage, and 1,725 RBIs, or the fact that he is a future Hall-of-Famer and debatably the best right-handed hitter in the game today.

Because of these past issues, nobody is willing to offer Manny’s desired 3-year, multi-million dollar deal.

The Yankees seem out of the picture after their recent big-market signings, and the Red Sox are completely out of the picture after the numerous fiascos they had with Ramirez when he was with the team.

The Washington Nationals have shown interest, but are in no way offering Manny his desired deal. If the team can be convinced by Ramirez’s agent that he is worth the long-term deal, the Nationals might just take that chance, considering the struggles they have gone through the past few seasons.

The Los Angeles Angels were also rumored to be of interest, mostly because of the recent exit of their premier slugger, Mark Teixeira. However, Angels’GM Tony Reagins announced today that they are of no interest whatsoever. According to the Los Angeles Times, Reagins bluntly stated, ?Manny will not be an Angel.”

Some small-market teams may be in the running, but none have shown much interest. One team in particular is the Oakland A’s, who have been open about their interest in spending more money this season, despite the downturn of the economy. This is highly unusual for Billy Beane and the Athletics, but as we all know, Beane is all for bargains, and there are many mid to high-market free agents who will receive lower-revenue contracts this season due to the current economic recession. But don’t be fooled A’s fans, Oakland hasn’t shown any interest in acquiring Manny Ramirez.

Therefore, this only leaves one place for Manny, and that is to stay in Los Angeles with the Dodgers. He has done great things in the short time he has been there thus far, and the people of Los Angeles would be more than happy to bring him back. The Dodgers offered him a $45 million dollar, two-year deal earlier this offseason, but that was quickly shot down. Manny and his agent might have to give in and take that offer, or the Dodgers might possibly renegotiate to satisfy his needs. The Dodgers already did this with Rafael Furcal and Casey Blake, who both wanted three year deals when the Dodgers would only negotiate for two, only to eventually give them both three-year contracts. If the Dodgers are willing to give Manny what he wants, the Dodgers could be a very intriguing team in the National League in 2009.

But seriously, who wouldn’t want this guy on their team? Yeah, he has had some problems in the past; but he has shown that he has moved on from his issues in Boston after the remarkable second half of last season. Manny has all of the tools any team needs when it comes to hitting, and he can only significantly improve any team he goes to if he is put in the right situation. Even so, Manny is still a free agent in a currently frantic offseason market.

Manny basically got the short end of the stick in this year’s free agent market, but I would still put my money on Man-Ram having a better individual season than that of Mark Teixeira. The Yankees and their three acquisitions may even overshadow Ramirez next season, which is something Manny isn’t accustomed to. Nevertheless, look for Manny to have another great season, no matter what team he ends up playing for.

Just don’t expect Manny to become the quiet type, it’s hard to say he will discontinue his ways of ?Manny being Manny.” I’m pretty sure he’ll find some ways to increase his publicity, but I don’t know, that’s just me making an assumption.

Look at the projected New York Yankees lineup…Alex Rodriguez, Jeter, Techeria and the best pitchers money can buy. It’s like the Yankee management is trying to buy the Pennant? How much farther can the Baseball Commissioner allow the Yankees to go before checking this revered organization for a printing press? New stadium, new players, and $10 dollar hot dogs? Will the checks clear on all these signings? Can the entire New York team go to an “All Star Game?” Is buying all this talent good for baseball and parity? Is it good for baseball’s future or will it cause teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, San Diego, and the small markets to fold? All I’m saying is “Damn Yankees…play ball, but play fair?”

ok so the bears won it looks good on paper, but if you were wacthing the game you knew they did not deserve the “W”. There are three player that come to my mind when i think of who deserved the win. That would be alex brown and his game saveing field goal block, it would be daniel mannings kick returning abilities, and robbie gould for kicking his 40 yard field goals. Matt Forte was a little bit of an upset, but at the same time he was not getting the blocks he needed while going up against the packers run stoping defense. Kyle orton threw 3 interceptions that were pretty much louzy. It clearly shows that the bears play better in warmer weather so hopefully they won’t slack off againt houston next week.

When the Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia hit a homerun off Tampa Bay pitcher Matt Garza in the first inning in Game 7 of the ALCS I instantly became hysterical. I thought to myself, “Same ol’ Sox. Never count us out.” With the first inning in the bag with a 1-0 lead and Jon Lester on the mound everything seemed perfect. And everything was perfect, until Matt Garza out pitched Jon Lester by allowing just 2 more hits the remainder of the his outing. After a first inning shot into the Tampa Bay faithful, the bats of Pedroia and the Red Sox were kept silent. The Rays, on the other hand, accumulated the hits necessary to obtain a lead heading into the 8th inning. At this time, the Red Sox had men on each base and my outlook was optimistic. Then, the umpires made a questionable third-strike call on outfield J.D. Drew and the Rays once again held the Red Sox at bay. Finally, Terry Francona opted not to pinch hit Jason Varitek (a dismal 1-15 for the series) when the Red Sox had another opportunity to score in the bottom of the 9th inning. He had the option of substituting Jacoby Ellbury (the rookie hero from the 2007 ALCS), rookie second baseman Jed Lowrie, veteran first-baseman Sean Casey or back-up catcher Kevin Cash. The impression Francona relayed after the game was his intention to save his bench for extra innings. Hello, Mr. Francona, if your team doesn’t tie the game in the 9th, there is no extra innings. Losing to the Rays is a disgrace to the Boston Red Sox reputation and should put a stale taste on Francona’s image until next year roles around. Better luck next year Sox fans.

Bullpen Struggles as Phillies Drop Third Straight Opening Day Game

The Philadelphia Phillies began the season as defending National League East Champions for the first time in 14 years. However, the Phils started this season the same way they started the previous season; with a loss.

Similar to the beginning of the 2007 season, the Phillies’ hitting flourished and the bullpen floundered. Reigning NL MVP Jimmy Rollins hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 7th to tie the game at 6.

Tom Gordon, filling in for injured closer Brad Lidge, came into the game in the 9th inning with the score still tied. Gordon, the team’s closer in 2006 and in the first month of the 2007 season, gave up 5 earned runs on 4 hits in just 1/3 of the 9th as he suffered the loss.

Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero, and Clay Condrey pitched 3 combined scoreless innings, but Ryan Madson pitched just one inning and allowed 2 runs, bringing the bullpen’s total to 7 runs in just 4 innings.

Brett Myers, making his first start since becoming the team’s closer early last year, pitched 5 innings, throwing two strikeouts and allowing just 5 hits and 3 earned runs. He struggled with control problems in the 2nd inning, but looked strong and ready to be the staff’s ace again.

If the bullpen continues to perform the way it did today at Citizens Bank Park, the Phils will have trouble repeating their run to the division crown. However, the play of Jimmy Rollins in the opener could be a sign of what is to come from the superstar. Rollins went 2-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored, including the 2-run shot.

Last year during spring training, Rollins boldy predicted that the Phillies were “the team to beat in the NL East.”

In spring training this year, the charismic shortstop made another bold prediction about his 2008 team. “We’ll win probably 100 games…100 games will get us to the playoffs,” stated Rollins.

Hopefully Rollins’ spring season prediction will again come true, and the Phillies will be back to back NL East Champions for the first time since 1977-1978.