johnny damon is a detroit tiger!

_________________

Took his sweet time finding a new team, eh?

_________________
"Call a cop he robbed Delmore blind!!!"
Rick Jeanerette after Marty Biron's diving save back in 2000.

"I'm going to go to the spa and have a hot tub and massage and relax," Miller said. "That's it, and it's back to work tomorrow." Ryan Miller after clinching the North East division.

I could see that but they really only have pitching. Unless they are believing that Miguel Cabrera can carry them the entire year for offense.

_________________
just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

Here are my predictions

AL
East
1 Yanks - too good every where
2 Red Sox - pitching is not bad
3 Tampa - If they stay healthy they could take a run at the wild card
4 Baltimore - uhh
5 Toronto no Halladay is going to ruin this team, too many holes

Central
1 Minnesota - new stadium will be nice, never count this team out
2 Detroit - huge hole at CF and 2nd base but there pitching is pretty dam good
3 White Sox - good pitching but nothing else
4 Cleveland - nice young team but maybe too young
5 KC - too many guys that play in the outfield, team is never good

West
1 Seattle - great pitching, nice offense but will Milton Bradly keep being a little bitch?
2 Angels - Very good pitching and good offense will challenge seattle for division
3 Texas - one year wonders I think
4 Oakland - money ball does work and never will, EVER!!!!!

NL
East
1 Philly - Roy Haladay will make this team pretty good
2 Florida - yeah I might be biased but this team has got good pitching and offense
3 Mets - did not address pitching problems
4 Atlanta - Not much different from last year
5 Nationals - Strasberg is the only bright spot on this team

Central
1 St Louis - best team in the one of the worst teams in baseball
2 Milwaukee - challge for the wild card
3 Reds - good young talent in a weak division
4 Cubs - 100 + years and counting
5 Astros - too old
6 Pittsburgh - nothing to get excited about

West
1 Colorado - Good pitching and descent offense
2 Dodgers - will be battling with giants and Rockies all year
3 San Fran - good pitching but really nothing else
4 Arizona - only pitching and horrid offense
5 San Diego - just not a good team

_________________
just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

I'll be honest i love baseball, but i have trouble watching the games, mostly because i want to be down there playing the game. I try to watch a few Devil Ray games and definitely watch what i can of the playoffs.

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

If you can watch football you can watch baseball.

_________________
just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

The Cleveland Indians will thwart the evil intentions of their vile ownership; and win The World Series......

_________________
"I'll rap you with my cane; you pencil necked geek!!"

-Bowler, imitating Freddy Blassie, at the very first M & G.

Actually they might in a few years, they have so many good young guys and they just need time to develop. At least you don't cheer for the Jays, this team is going to take like 10 years to rebuild But I do also like the marlins

_________________
just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

I cannot believe that the Indians just signed Russell Branyan, again.
He's a ginormous wiffer and an automatic out!
Always swings for the fences, regardless of the situation, and almost always comes up with nothin'. In a game last year, he needed just a single to win the game in the 9th, and . . . STRIKE 3!
He's a dork in the field too. Hated him when he was with the Bisons. Why are guys like this still in the Bigs?

Wait. Why do I care?

Go Redbirds!

Text Size
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- If first impressions are important to baseball fans in Philadelphia, new Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay aced his entry exam.

Halladay's spring debut with the Philadelphia Phillies did nothing to kill the buzz that engulfed the City of Brotherly love when the team dealt for the former Cy Young Award winner three months ago.

Halladay got the Grapefruit League schedule under way with two near-perfect innings in the Phillies' 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday.

The 32-year-old Halladay threw a pair of hitless innings while striking out three. Halladay was at the crux of a blockbuster four-team set of trades in December between the Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics.

"I was excited for it," said Halladay, who spent his first 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. "You anticipate it, but once you get into the game, the game is always the same. Your approach is the same. I looked forward to it, especially early on. It's as much fun for me as it is for everyone else."

Halladay allowed just one base runner in his first outing with the Phillies. New York's Jamie Hoffmann, playing first base after Nick Johnson was scratched before the game with a back ailment, reached on an error by Philadelphia third baseman Placido Polanco with one out in the first.

Halladay struck out the next batter, Jorge Posada, before getting Robinson Cano out on a fly ball to end the inning. Halladay struck out Nick Swisher and Randy Winn to begin a 1-2-3 inning.

"He's filthy," said New York ace CC Sabathia.

Sabathia wasn't too bad himself in his first game since the World Series. He allowed two walks and two hits but kept zeros on the scoreboard through two innings.

But even the jovial, giant Sabathia couldn't overshadow Halladay's debut.

"He's a strike-throwing machine who knows how to locate, with movement," said New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who saw plenty of Halladay last season in the American League East.

"He's a master of the strike zone," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's got good stuff, an assortment of pitches and he can throw them all for strikes. And he's got confidence in all of his pitches."

Kyle Kendrick took over for Halladay in the third inning. After his two-inning outing was over, Halladay threw an additional 10-12 pitches in the bullpen beyond the left field fence.

When he was through throwing, he went through a rigorous, 90-minute workout.

"They all say practice makes perfect. Well, he practices the right way, he prepares the right way," Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "You can say it's only the first game, but that's how he prepares to pitch every game."

Halladay, the subject of rampant trade rumours last July, has appeared to make a relatively seamless transition from Toronto to Philadelphia. It might help that the two teams' spring training facilities are located a few kilometres apart.

But Halladay also believes the makeup of the Phillies clubhouse -- a majority of veterans who have played in the post-season in the last three seasons -- has made the adjustment easier than he expected.

"It surprises me how easy it has been every day to come in and feel normal," Halladay said. "There are going to be different things, like facing teams you're not used to. But it surprises me how comfortable it's been. It's a little bit of everything: the guys here, the staff -- everyone has been really good."

Halladay is slated to start again Tuesday night when the Phillies travel to Lake Buena Vista to take on the Atlanta Braves.

After Halladay exited Thursday, three more right-handers, Kendrick, Jose Contreras and Andrew Carpenter, also threw two shutout innings. The Yankees ruined the shutout bid with two runs in the top of the ninth for a 2-1 lead, but Wilson Valdez and Paul Hoover each collected RBI hits off Wilkins Arias in the bottom half to give the Phils a walk-off win.

NOTES: Philadelphia left-hander Sergio Escalona, who allowed two runs on four hits in the ninth, was awarded with the win. ... Cole Hamels is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday afternoon in Dunedin when the Phils take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Jamie Moyer, who underwent three different off-season surgeries, is on tap to start in the "B" game in Clearwater Friday morning. ... Polanco, who won a Gold Glove at second base last year while with Detroit, misjudged a pop foul ball later in the game after his error in the first inning.

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

what kind of football are we talking about the real kind or that american show. As well i'd say football is getting hard to watch. As well my family doesn't have cable or satellite so we only get the games that fox carries.

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

espns al east predictions:

red sox
rays
yankees

found that interesting. i dont think the yankees got any better at all, while other teams did.

_________________

Both American and Euro (soccer)

_________________
just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

The Rays actually have a better bullpen then the Sox and Yanks. We might see a 2008 magic Rays run again.

_________________
just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

uh...

potential trade going down.

pujols to phillies
ryan howard to cardinals

its not very close, but it is a possibility.

_________________

The other day I became one of those people . . .

Everybody wants it to be summer, blah blah blah. Then the other day at school I was looking outside and it was SO SUNNY and I was like, shit I really wish it was summer because then I could go to a Bisons game.

I want to gather up a bunch of my friends and go to School Kids day. I bet no one will be interested, but I need friends because I wouldn't have a ride there otherwise.

_________________
Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?

ATTENTION SABRES: who are you people??!?



http://sabresbecause.tumblr.com

I highly doubt that would happen but you never know in baseball. I thought Halladay would never be traded but he was.

_________________
just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

Well Strasberg is now the highest paid player in Triple A, makes me scratch my head a little bit.

_________________
just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

MARINERS LEE SUSPENDED FOR FIRST FIVE GAMES OF SEASON

http://tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=314424

NEW YORK - Seattle pitcher Cliff Lee was suspended Wednesday for the first five games of the regular season for throwing over the head of a hitter, possibly delaying his highly anticipated debut with the Mariners.

Lee also was fined by Major League Baseball vice-president of discipline Bob Watson.

The former AL Cy Young winner was ejected from Monday's exhibition game against Arizona after throwing inside to Chris Snyder, then zipping a fastball over his helmet.

Lee declined comment Wednesday through a team spokesman.

"I'm sure Cliff's going to appeal it, so we'll see where it takes us," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik.

If the players' union appeals on Lee's behalf, the penalty would be delayed until after a hearing and a decision.

The Mariners acquired Lee from Philadelphia last December in a four-team, nine-player trade that also sent Toronto ace Roy Halladay to the Phillies. Lee was dealt to the Phillies last July from Cleveland, and became a post-season star.

Seattle was eager to pair Lee with ace Felix Hernandez at the top of the rotation. The Mariners open the season April 5 at Oakland.

"We'd like to get a definitive on this sooner than later so that we can get set," Zduriencik said. "It's certainly in everyone's best interest -- the ballclub, the other pitchers and Cliff, for that matter."

Suspensions that result from incidents in spring training have occurred in the past, although they are rare. In 2008, three players were suspended after the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay brawled.

"Yeah, a little bit surprised," Zduriencik said. "In the end I don't think we have a whole lot of comment about it. ... There is an appeal process and an opportunity for Cliff to state his case. He will do that and we'll see what happens."

The trouble between Lee and Snyder may've started in the first inning when they collided as the pitcher was backing up a play at home plate. In the third inning, Lee was tossed after his two pitches to Snyder.

Snyder walked toward the mound and the dugouts and bullpens emptied, but no punches were thrown. Lee denied he was trying to retaliate.

"I was trying to go inside and a couple got away from me and the guy hitting got mad and came close to the mound and I got thrown out of the game in the process," Lee said then. "That's it in a nutshell."

Snyder missed much of last season with injuries. Arizona teammate called Lee's actions "bush league."

On Wednesday, the Diamondbacks offered little reaction to the suspension.

"It's not my call," Snyder said.

Said Arizona manager A.J. Hinch: "That's major league baseball's decision."

The Mariners and Diamondbacks don't meet in interleague play this season.

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

AA ball. kids gonna be good, he already is. they just dont want to rush him. this is 100% calculated and expected move. and just as well, there are lots of minor leaguers making millions due to huge signing bonuses.

_________________