MLB 2009 Thread

Two games into spring training and no one has posted yet? The Twins are 2-0! We're going to the World Series!!! WOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally something to watch on MLB TV other than classic games and Harold Reynolds!

..and Ubaldo Jimenez pitched a perfect game! Okay, so it was only 3 innings.

I alos have a huge boner over the Bucs locking down Nate McLouth for the next few years. Of course, a multi-year contract is never a guarantee anyone will actually BE in Pittsburgh all those years.... but it's a nice thought, dammit!

Just like the 2008 NFL thread was "ESPN loves Favre", this MLB thread shoulda' been: "ESPN loves Manny".

For all the drama that it's worth (by that I mean: nothing), he signed with....the Dodgers.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Aq3f...ov=ap&type=lgns

Pudge Rodriguez signs with Houston. And I actually went ahead and put in an order for a pair of Rockies-Astros tickets because of that. Okay, so it was either the Nationals or Astros.

I finally checked th abseballe standings in the paper today and saw that the Twins are 9-8. WTF! I thought they were doing very well. There goes teh pennant!

So I was in Vegas, last week, and they had the over/under on the Pirates' win total at 68.5 games. I've never bet on sports in my life, but decided to place 10 bucks on the Pirates to win more than that. I really think they can win about 72... but I seem to think that EVERY year.

Oh...and speaking of gambling and baseball: guess who was signing autographs at a casino mall in Caesar's Palace? Pete Rose. He STILL doesn't get why he was banned.

Here's something we realized, last week: Coors Field is now officially the FOURTH oldest NL ballpark and will be the THIRD oldest when the Marlins open a new one.

Notice that's it NL. So we have:
1-Wrigley
2-Dodger Stadium
3-Dolphin Stadium (Joe Robbie/Pro Player)
4-Coors Field

Pretty crazy

So, umm..hope ya' didn't have MANNY RAMIREZ on your fantasy team. Especially if you were in a pay league. Yuk yuk, that's just "Manny being Manny".

Less than 18 months from an amazing September run and a World Series appearance, Hurdle is out as Rockies manager and replaced by Jim Tracy. He of the awesome 2006-2007 Pittsburgh Pirates!

I'm going to the game tonight, so I get to be there for the Latest NEW Era in Rockies Baseball. Hurdle's been manager since May 2002...which was the longest tenure in Rockies history.

From the Rockies website:

Clint's a good guy and full of humility, so I hope he remains in the organization.

And hey, if Jim Tracy doesn't work out, the Rockies still have Don Baylor on their staff.

I went to see the Columbus Clippers on Friday and Travis Hafner was there rehabbing. He went 1-2 with 2 walks. He looked pretty solid.

Pretty cool. I think the last time I saw a Big Leaguer rehabbing was when Dave Veres started for the Iowa Cubs agsint the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, circa 2003. I couldn't figure out why a reliever was starting, but he was only in for one inning. It was also Free Loaf of Bread Night and I got to see Human Bowling.

Oh, and in case you haven't seen the overhaul to Baseball-reference.com, Hafner's stats have already been added:
Travis Hafner's Minor League Stats

I saw Ryan Zimmerman rehabbing last year when Columbus was the Nationals minor league team. God, those were rough years. They had shit on that team.

At least with the Indians in control I've heard of several of the players now. We've got Masa Kobayashi, Kirk Sarloos, Josh Barfield, Tony Graffaino, Andy Marte, Matt LaPorta and Vinnie Chulk. I mean, those guys all suck or washed up but I've at least heard of them and seen them play at the MLB level of things.

It's depressing how MLB only makes front page headlines when someone gets busted for PED's. Latest is Sammy Sosa over the weekend.

Gee...Sammy Sosa? Really?! No way...never expected that. </sarcasm>

I suppose he'll come up with another half-assed excuse of how he was "doing it for the fans"...like his corked BP bats, circa 2003. Sammy may be the only turd in/around baseball that I despise more than Jose Canseco.

I can't really toot my horn about my second place Cardinals, but sweet molasses Jesus is Albert Pujols kicking ass this year. He hits two homers in a game and I don't even blink.