I like the Orioles actually, and they will certainly beat Toronto for 4th in the East. The only thing holding the O's up is their pitching. DJ kind of spelled it all out, really being the O's fan anyways so I'm sure he knows much more than I do, but I would like to see the O's make a trade with Oakland. Oakland has a wealth of young and very talented pitching, so if I were a GM, that's what I'd do.

The O's do too, it's just still coming through the system. And it isn't that far away. There were four guys with double-digit wins and sub-3.6 ERAs at AA last year; all four are starting at Norfolk and one (Bergesen) probably should have made the team out of spring training. Bergesen and Tillman probably will be up by June.

Andy MacPhail has said several times since being hired that his goal in Baltimore is to grow the pitching as much as possible, since quality pitchers are much harder to find at non-exorbitant rates than hitters. So, it's just a waiting game and hoping that for once the Orioles end up on the lucky side of the attrition rates for pitching prospects (or just pitchers, for the TINSTAAPP fans).

Only 40 minutes or so before my beloved Astros begin their new adventure.
*ignores feeling of doom

yay. opening day for Boston gets rained out. :(

Anyone want to buy a slightly used and very scared Brett Myers?

How 'bout them $500 million Yankees? :lol:

:lol: Hope they get used to losing! CC is not a savior.

Wow, almost very ace got blown to Hell today..... Lee, Webb, Halladay, CC, Liriano.

On a plus side Harang looked decent....

Happens every year tho, aces seem to take 1-2 sometimes 3 starts to find their groove, then the hitters start dropping back to reality.

The Mets' bullpen did not collapse under pressure yesterday. It's very refreshing to have a bullpen that won't crush your hopes and dreams.

Just wait; I think Rodriguez is about as overrated as a "closer" can be and will end up disappointing you guys.

The good news is, they also went out for Putz, though it will be interesting to see just how willing he is to go from "closer" in line for the big money in Seattle to a set-up guy in New York, especially if Rodriguez struggles.

Cardinals
 

I am totally loving my new st louis cards closer. dork blew a 2 run lead in the ninth last night. not sure about today's game. havent checked the score yet.

Not an auspicious start. :(



But the Cubs still suck anyway.

well thats to be expected for a cubs fan. we cards fans expect more ;)

How can you say that with a straight face/keyboard? K-Rod earned his nickname and reputation. He's as dominant as closers get. Will he "save" the Mets? Alone, obviously not. Is he a high quality closer? Absolutely, yes. As a Halo fan, I'm unhappy to see a homegrown talent like that leave.

He didn't pitch a meaningful inning last year. I don't think he ever came into a game when it was even within a run.

There's a reason for that, unless he offered Scoscia a cut of his new deal to get him as many cheap "saves" as he could.

I'm not worried about such talk. People said the same thing about Santana last year too.

djtestudo, I'm not sure what that statement is even supposed to mean. Are you suggesting that Scoscia purposely had the offense score less runs so his closer would get more save opportunities? If so, you're delusional. Managers don't give a crap about that sort of thing. Scoscia used K-Rod the same way any other manager uses a closer, 9th inning when ahead by 1-3 runs.

The Astros have clawed their way back to .500!

Stan Kasten Sings a Hymn to Philly Fans - D.C. Sports Bog

You know, I think it's really cute that Washington thinks that it can support it's own baseball team, but can't we just end that experiment already? :lol:

---------- Post added at 07:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:09 PM ----------

Yeah, that's exactly what I said, as long as you mean it isn't anything at all close to what I said :rolleyes:

---------- Post added at 07:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:11 PM ----------

I'm sure some people who don't know what they are talking about DID say that last season :p

Angels Starting Pitcher Killed After Ball Game - TMZ.com

Oh my God. What a terrible thing.

jesus christ.

not that being an athlete makes it any worse .. but damn that's quite a turnaround, going from pitching a great game to a coffin. It's always worse when people die before they can realize their potential.

I am actually very upset over this. I had been following him for a couple years now in the minors and this kid is my age. Yahoo reported more recently this afternoon that the driver was over the blood alcohol limit and had been over the limit.

This makes me rage. This morning I was surprised at how upset I was, I basically had tears in my eyes. Angels are my favorite team after the Sox, and though I live in Boston, and I'm a Sox fan, these events go far beyond teams, and even baseball itself.

This is the part that makes me angry. This is showing both ends of the spectrum. How people my age, one on top of the world, a rising superstar achieving so much, can be taken down by someone on the downturn who is totally fucking up their own life. And their indiscretion took down someone who was on top of his own personal game, his life and his dreams.

I can't even begin to imagine how the parents, friends and other family in the organization feel. I was upset and I'm not even connected to him. So all of my thoughts go out to the Adenhart family and Angels organization. Much love, #34.

Yahoo! Sports - Angels rookie Adenhart killed

Apparently both Adenhart and Gallo (the killer) were the same age.

That's amazing.

The driver of the minivan also had a suspended license from an earlier dui.

Honestly, I hope that they retire his number. Having the Sox over there is going to be tough. I was thinking earlier that this will be the first game that I've ever wanted the Sox to lose, but that isn't a right thing to say for the Angels sake. This will be the first game where I am rooting for a team opposing the Red Sox in game, is a much better way to say it. I hope the Angels come out hard and get a WELL deserved victory for #34. RIP.

Exactly what I had expected, and really hoped for. Thank you to the Sox for being so respectful in the wake of this, and thank you to the Angels organization for recognizing #34 in every individual's appropriate way. That was a GREAT game.

Angels return to play with Adenhart on their minds - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

I hope this driver gets a life sentence. I'm not for the death penalty, but there is no excusing what you've done. 3 counts of murder doesn't really encompass what you've done, and you should pray for a swift trial.

Harry Kalas, the long time announcer of the Philadelphia Phillies, died in the broadcast booth before today's Phil's Nat's game in Washington. For anyone who never heard a Phillies broadcast, you would know him as the guy who did the voice over work for NFL Films.

CSNPhilly.com - Remembering Harry Kalas


I actually cried a few different times today for a guy I never met. Even though I never met him I do have one great memory of him from just recently. My sister met him this spring at Clearwater FL. She got him on the phone to talk to my mom and my mom thought it was my sisters boyfriend impersonating him. So my mom called Harry Kalas a jackass. He took it well and actually got a good laugh out of it.

I don't even know what to say other than it's a sad day in baseball.

Kalas AND Mark Fydrich died today.

Two legends of the sport, though for different reasons.

Pan.. it's early. There are quite a few "experts" who have picked the Indians to come out of the AL. Some have picked Sizemore for the AL MVP as well.

I know they always start slow but damn.... 2-7 and the pitching looks horrid. These slow starts do nothing to help ticket sales.

If they finish above 500, I could see Sizemore making the run for MVP.

I actually love the Royals as a surprise team in the Central. Also Minnesota has been roughed up a pit, but I think their rotation is secretly outstanding. Everyone is a great control pitcher, and that is what will keep them going I think.

Sox come back from being down 7-0 to win. Good thing the Orioles have resolved their pitching problems.

We scored eight on you guys, though ;)

And I will let everyone know I am willing to take converts to The One and Holy True Church of Markakism.

Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees - Box Score - April 18, 2009 - ESPN

Best. Box score. Ever.

I do feel sorry for Anthony Claggett, though. Major league debut, Yankee Stadium, national TV, chance to be a hero, and he bombs (from now on to be referred to as "pulling a Wang". Wait, on second thought...).

Jesus, that was an epic thrashing. Wang faced 12 batters and got 4 outs and Claggett faced 16 and got 5 outs.

No mention of the week Kinsler had this past week?

How about Matt Kemp showing more and more reason as to why they didn't really need Manny.....or, when is Torre going to stop batting Kemp down in the 8 hole?

Better get your brooms out boys, how SWEEP it is!

Ellsbury stole home! Fucking awesome.

Can I say "I told ya so" to everyone about Milton Bradley?

Nope, because I've been thinking that he sucks and is injury prone for a while. Sure he hits well when he's on fire. But that's only about 2 weeks out of the year. I like to think of him as either a board game or a real life example of Elijah Dukes' ceiling, temper and all.