Fastball Fans

For those who bleed the Cubbie Blue, it was another season in a continuous line of disappointment in 2006. With a last place finish in the National League Central, Cubs GM Jim Hendry instituted a radical change in the roster. With the Cubs not having won the World Series since 1908, and not having an appearance in it since 1945, the folks in Chicago are now becoming restless and wondering if and when they’ll ever see a trophy.

As the Cubs have been criticized in the past for not spending any money on premier talent, and only looking to make a buck and fill seats; this winter the Cubs spent about $300 million in acquiring free agents and talent in hopes of winning the NL Central and getting back into the World Series. Dusty Baker who led the Cubs to the playoff in 2003 is out; Lou Piniella who was lured out of the broadcast booth is now the Cubs new manager.

The team spent a lot of money this offseason to secure free agents like Alfonso Soriano, Ted Lilly, Mark DeRosa & Jason Marquis. The Cubs also spent big money to re-sign Aramis Ramirez, Kerry Wood and Wade Miller. The offense should be greatly improved to complement a hopefully healthy Derek Lee. The Cubs last year were killed by injuries, lack of offense and poor pitching production. Gone from the team is Juan Pierre who signed a huge deal with the Dodgers, and Greg Maddux who was traded to the Dodgers in July of ‘06.

As much as the Cubs spent in the offseason, the offense may score a lot of runs, but the pitching situation is still shaky as ever.

The starting rotation is anchored by Carlos Zambrano, who is probably one of the best starters in the game. He went 16-7 with a mid 3 ERA, and his wins accounted for nearly a quarter of their wins. For the Cubs to have a shot at the postseason in ’07, Carlos needs to be on. In addition to being a free agent in 2008, it is unknown whether the Cubs will re-sign him, but a good season from him will set up an even larger payday from what he’s expecting already.

After Zambrano, the Cubs go into the unknown in terms of their rotation. Ted Lilly was one of the ballyhooed free agents signed by the team and was given a contract that many thought was a bit much for his abilities. He finished with a 15-13 record and a 4.31 ERA, and he could do slightly better in the NL, his track record shows that he should finish a few games over .500 with an ERA in the 4’s. The Cubs will need to rely on him to win games and pitch quality outings.

Jason Marquis is a coming a very poor year with the Cardinals, as he was 14-16 with an ERA at 6. He was so bad and unreliable in ’06 that the Cardinals left their longtime pitcher off the playoff roster. He’ll be one of the wild cards in the rotation as he really needs to be a lot better than he was in 2006. His history shows that he should bounce back and keep in line with his career numbers. It is critical that he pitch well in 2007 in order for the Cubs to be contenders.

The other wild cards in the rotation include Mark Prior and Wade Miller, as both men are trying to recover from injuries and a poor 2006 season. Mark Prior who showed flashes of brilliance in his career, and once won 18 games, struggled to come back in ’06 only winning 1 game and losing 7 along with an ERA over 7. In addition, his pitching looked flat and he was hit hard. Hopefully, he can come back from his bad ’06 and produce in ’07. He’s only 26 and perhaps could regain some of the magic and form that made him seem like the “next big thing�? before all his problems. As well, Wade Miller will be trying to come back from injuries as he only pitched in a handful of games before missing the rest of the season. If both Prior and Miller can contribute for the Cubs, then the team might be in decent shape.

Read More Here…

I have decided to compile a list of my favorite old school ball-players who played from 1970 and beyond. Anyhow, I figured it would be fun to start up a list as I’m not really doing much this afternoon and I saw quite a bit of baseball nostalgia yesterday. The list I drew up are players that impressed me, and while they may or may not have been necessarily the best at their respective positions, as a kid or seeing them on video, they left an indelible impression in my mind.

I left members of the Baltimore Orioles off this list, since I’ll have one for them in the next week or so.

Rickey Henderson: The greatest base stealer of all-time, and one of the most dangerous leadoff hitters to ever play baseball, his mixture of speed and power made the game that much more exciting to watch. My favorite thing about him was his uncanny ability to speak in third person.

Dave Winfield: The dude always scared me because of his height and stature (ok, I’m 6’4�? as an adult; but when you’re young, when you saw him up close, he might as well been seen a redwood). However, he was a great player with who used all 5 tools with efficiency. He’s a class act and played the game with heart.

Mike Schmidt: He manned the hot corner in Philly, and even though at times he was booed, as most Philly athletes outside of Allen Iverson were, he delivered when it counted.

Goose Gossage: He had the wicked fu Manchu, the glare & the gaze. As we all know, he was a hell of a relief pitcher and I thought honestly he was a bit mad (ok, he looked a bit mad). Could you think of a more intimidating presence on the mound when he played?

Bob Gibson: Although I was not born when he played, I think he’s the man. He was like the enforcer, you know like the guy you’d always pick first in grade school for dodgeball just because you were going to win. With his assortment of pitches and his deadly fastball, the Cardinals more often than not won with him on the mound. The lord of intimidation with scary presence, he never smiled, always showed who was in charge and you always had the chance of getting drilled.

Hank Aaron: The Hammer. As we all know, he is the all-time Major League Baseball home run hitter, but he’s handled the obstacles he faced (racism, death threats before he broke the record) with dignity, class and grace. He’s the epitome of all ballplayers, past or present. Below is a video of Hank Aaron homering.

Nolan Ryan: He was my favorite pitcher to watch back in the day, and I was in awe of him. Even though some of my friends find him to be overrated, you knew that there was a chance something special might happen whenever he was on the mound. The man pitched through 4 decades and more often that not, he was utterly dominant.

My infamous memory of Nolan Ryan was when he got Robin Ventura of the White Sox into a headlock and pummeled a few roundhouses on him, after Ventura charged the mound while being beaned. Considering Nolan was probably at least a good 15 or more years older than Ventura, it was quite amazing to see him to do that and it also cemented Nolan’s reputation as a tough man.

Pete Rose: Although he is banished from the Hall of Fame for life, he was not doubt the hardest working ballplayer I ever witnessed on tape.

Here’s Pete in a commercial from 1977.

Kirby Puckett: Small in stature, but big in power and heart. He looked like an everyman, though a little more built, and played the game with unbridled passion and love. He seemed to always enjoy himself and was no doubt the leader of the Twins in the 80’s and early 90’s.

Ozzie Smith: He was the man in the infield and his defensive wizardry will always live in my mind. He was no doubt, a human highlight film.

Rod Carew: He was another small guy: but boy, could he hit.

George Brett: See Rod Carew and I will never forget his “pine tar incident�?.

Frank Howard: He was the punisher down in Washington and hit the ball probably further than any other ballplayers, perhaps outside of Mantle and Ruth.

Tim “Rock�? Raines: He may have been the complete ballplayer, and he was amazing to watch.

The city of Brotherly Love saw their hometown team, the Phillies contend valiantly for a wild card spot in 2006, but fell a couple of games short. The team had a poor first half in which they found themselves jettisoning off several players such as Bobby Abreu, the late Cory Lidle, David Bell, Rheal Cormier, Dave Delucci and a few others.

Most experts and pundits figured that the Phillies threw in towel near the trading deadline & waved the white flag for surrender. The players had other plans as the team was white hot from late summer into September and were wild card contenders until the last week of the regular season under the tutelage of manager, Charlie Manuel.

Thanks to the emergence of Ryan Howard as one of the premier run producers & home run hitters, to the equally amazing Chase Utley, who carried a 36 hit streak and had a career year, the Phillies should be in great shape to contend in the National League this upcoming season. The Phillies under the guidance of GM Pat Gillick made some big moves in the winter adding Freddy Garcia, Adam Eaton to shore up a rotation that should help the team improve on their 85 win season.

The starting pitching has gone through a number of changes which were made to improve the team. The rotation has gone through a complete makeover, with Brett Myers being the only pitcher who started the season with the team in ’06. Jamie Moyer came to the Phillies via trade and Cole Hamels was brought up from the minors last season. Meanwhile, the Phillies got Freddy Garcia in an offeseason trade and Adam Eaton came to Philadelphia in a controversial free agent deal.

The anchor of the rotation will be the newest member of the team, Freddy Garcia. Coming off a 17-9 campaign with an ERA in the mid-4 range, he’ll need to perform like he has in the past while in Chicago for the Phillies to compete. Brett Myers had a decent 2006 with 12 wins and an ERA under 4, but had problems with his marriage during the season which led him to having to take time off. If he can perform or exceed his numbers last season, the team will accept that.

Well traveled veteran Jamie Moyer returns again to the team after a good year with the Phillies. He does not have overpowering stuff, so he’ll need his curveball and change-up to be successful; therefore, the team will need him to be consistent and have quality outings. Young Cole Hamels will be expected to take his game to the next level in ’07 after having a good ’06 at the major league level.

The big unknown in the rotation right now is John Leiber. He’s coming off a subpar season in ’06 and there’s talk he’ll traded before the season for relief help. However, he has a decent track record and should still be able to help the Phillies, or could be used a a trade chip.

More here…

The ever so-controversial manager of the Chicago White Sox, Ozzie Guillen christened the infelders of the Minnesota Twins the “little piranhas�?, because of their style of the play, their tenacity & unwillingness to give in, along with the lack of household names. However, that should probably apply to the whole team.

The reasons above are how Minnesota came back from a horrendous April and May where they were well under .500 and pretty much buried to storming back to win the American League Central on the final day of the 2006 season. Under the guidance of manager Ron Gardenhire, and GM Terry Ryan, the small market Twins, despite their lack of resources in comparison to the powerhouse New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been able to compete this decade thanks to intelligent scouting along with fostering a culture of winning and nurturing young talent.

Their amazing second half made for a great story for baseball and an unprecedented run for a division title, but things will probably be even more difficult in 2007. Sadly, the Twins due to their economic standing could not at all be players in free agency this winter and will probably need the same amount of good fortune it had in 2006 to be viable contenders this upcoming season. With the market is as it is right now, the Twins are handcuffed due to arbitration-eligible players, taking on Hunter’s $12 million dollar option, so much of the free agent signings were of journeyman players and reclamation projects.

Although the team wound up losing to the Oakland Athletics in the Division Series, the Twins no doubt had an amazing 2006 where hometown boy Joe Mauer won the batting title, Justin Morneau won the MVP, Michael Cuddyer broke out and had a career year, and Johan Santana was his usual dominant self. Minnesota became very scary, as a two headed monster was created in the starting rotation with Johan Santana and superstar rookie, Francisco Liriano.

Liriano went down with an elbow injury and missed pretty much the latter half of 2006 and he’s not expected to be back until 2008. As well, longtime Twin, Brad Radke struggled with arm and shoulder problems throughout the season and relied on guile as well as guts to succeed. However, after the playoffs, he decided to retire due to injuries.

As we head to spring training, the Twins have a lot of positives going for them, but they once again may have a mountain to climb. The positives are that the Twins really did not lose any of their core players, and much of the starting lineup you saw in 2006 should be back for 2007. With Twin mainstay and human highlight film, Torii Hunter returning, along with the aforementioned Mauer, Morneau, and Cuddyer, the Twins offense should be able to maintain or perhaps even exceed 2006. As well, the Twins also had some young pitching come up the pipeline and contribute as well in both the rotation and bullpen.

In light of the positives, the Twins also have a few negative forces to deal with. The forces working against them involve the lack of starting pitching, & with dealing with arbitration-eligible players. Based on the team’s track record in this decade, they might have a very good chance at working through their issues and once again surprise the league.

Read more here…

Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe reported tonight that the J.D. Drew deal to Boston has indeed been finalized, five years/$70 million with some protections.

Here are the details on how the Red Sox will be protected in case something does happen to Drew’s shoulder:

*If Drew goes on the disabled list for a shoulder related injury in year three of deal, Sox can void final two years.

*If Drew is injured in the fourth year, Sox can void the final year of contract.

*The out clause applies only if the injury is shoulder related.

It remains to be seen if he will make it through the contract…

Yankee Stadium to Get 2008 All-Star Game

The baseball world has chatted about this expected announcement for a while, but it is widely expected that Yankee Stadium will get the 2008 All Star Game. Bud Selig and the Powers That Be in this instance went against the trend of giving All-Star Games to showcase new parks.

Yankee Stadium is expected to be torn down in 2009, so the MLB brass must have felt the need to give the game to a place that has had so many historic moments take place.

San Francisco will get the 2007 All-Star Game, and Busch Stadium will have it in 2009.

According to the New York Times, the press conference announcing the official awarding of the game is planned for Jan. 31 at New York’s City Hall and will be attended by Commissioner Bud Selig and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

As a person who went to school in New York City and spent a lot of time up there, Yankee Stadium has a distinct charm, lovely Memorial Park and a lot of history, but it is certainly time for it to go. 2008 will certainly be an emotional time for Yankee fans, as the House the Ruth built will be a footnote in history thereafter.

The new stadium will probably be a playground for the rich with nice plush corporate boxes and amenities for those with the cash to spend. New York City, of course, is a place with enormous wealth and the new stadium will almost certainly cater that clientele.

What is unfortunate is that the average fan will have almost no chance to get tickets, unless they enter in a contest or get lucky. Corporate sponsors, MLB officials and teams get first dibs at tickets, and the season ticket holders. If there are any left, they will be dispersed to the public and considering prices in New York City, it will come at a premium.

Fenway Park Expanding

Fenway Park is expanding.

According the official Red Sox website, the changes include renovations to some of the women’s restrooms, more luxury box seats ans suites, a new concourse behind the third base seating area to accommodate standing room fans, vending machines to purchase Charlie Cards to make stumbling onto the Green Line easier after the game, and a “Bleacher Bar” under the center field seating area.

The Red Sox have done upgrades in the offseason since 2002, and notable improvements and additions have included the famous Green Monster seating, more available seating in the mezzanine and third tiers, and adding batting cages for both the home and visiting teams.

The changes, more or less, are to “enhance�? the fan experience, but also to pump more money into the team as well as bring more fans into a place already cramped and tight.

* Houston Astros third baseman Morgan Ensberg, shortstop Adam Everett and outfielder Jason Lane agreed Thursday to one-year contract with the Houston Astros & thus avoided arbitration.

* The Toronto Blue Jays finalized a $1.5 million contract with pitcher Tomo Ohka on Thursday after he passed a physical. Ohka could also earn another $1.5 million in performance and bonus incentives.

* The New York Mets on Thursday signed pitcher Aaron Sele to a minor-league contract. He would get a $1 million, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster and would have the chance to earn another $1 million in performance bonuses.

* The Texas Rangers on Thursday signed righthander Jamey Wright to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

* The Detroit Tigers on Thursday signed veteran Joey Eischen to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

The friendly city of St. Louis was awash in red after the underdog Cardinals surprised the nation & won the World Series. The Cards beat the heavily favored Mets in dramatic fashion to win the National League Championship Series and in the World Series, beat a Detroit Tiger team that was on an amazing wave of momentum. Skipper Tony LaRussa won his third World Series, while Albert Pujols won his first. The Redbirds may have limped their way only 83 wins to finish during the 2006 regular season, but they came through then it mattered.

Although Redbird Nation had an exhilarating end to 2006, the winter for the Cardinals has been relatively full of fanfare. Even though the Cardinals have not signed a marquee free agent, the team took the initiative to extend ace Cris Carpenter’s contract, as well as resigned Jim Edmonds and Scott Speizio, who was nothing short of clutch in the playoffs. Meanwhile, pitchers Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis left the team for greener pastures and join rivals within the division.

However, fans should feel confident that the National League Central is fairly weak this season, and the Cardinals have a good as chance to win the division with exception of perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cardinals have won consistently in the past decade, and there’s no reason to doubt the team can’t do it in 2007. The Cardinals do not look as strong on paper as they have in past seasons, but there’s no doubt that they will be contenders in the Nationals League.

Right now, the Cardinal pitching rotation remains unresolved. The only pitchers penciled in the starting rotation are ace Cris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, who resigned with the team and is coming off an injury riddled 2006, and Anthony Reyes, a young pitcher who showed amazing composure during the playoffs. Carpenter, of course is the man in the starting rotation as he’ll be expected to win and put up solid numbers as usual. Mark Mulder will be counted on returning back to pre-injury form; Anthony Reyes will need take his success from the playoff run in 2006 and translate into to big things in 2007.

Read more here…

* Aww, that’s sweet… According to an ESPN report, assuming Clemens plays for the New York Yankees this upcoming season, Cano gave up his number, 22 and will switch to No. 24. I guess they are doing whatever to get Clemens to sign and it’s a show of respect.

* The White Sox will have Scott Podsenik sit out almost 2 months of the 2007 a groin injury in which he had surgery, so they signed Darin Erstad to a 1 year deal worth 1 million dollars depending on if he passes a physical.

* Angels’ infielder Dallas McPherson underwent surgery Tuesday to remove a herniated disc in his lower back and is expected to miss all of 2007.

* Update on Bernie: According to ESPN, Jorge Posada says that Bernie Williams is not ready to retire, or play for another team. Bernie hopes to play one more year, but space, much less playing time may tight for him if he returns to the team. More: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2740803

* Brendan Donnelly agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Red Sox, thus avoiding arbitration.

* The A’s treaded Kirk Saarloos to the Reds got the right-hander for David Shafer and each team will get a player to be named to complete the trade.

* First baseman for the Mets, Carlos Delgado, could miss a few games at the start of the regular season for the birth of his child.

For the boys in pinstripe blue, every year brings high expectations from fans, the press and more importantly, George Steinbrenner. The Yankees have won the American League East division nine years in a row, but to most in Yankee nation, the season starts in October. In 2006, the Yankees lost in decisive fashion to the Detroit Tigers and disappoint reigned with all their fans. As a result of the loss, much of the offseason was spent wondering how it happened and to fix the team which seemed to lack chemistry and heart.

Since the New York Yankees missed their goal of winning the World Series, changes were abound and came swiftly. First, Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright and Gary Sheffield were traded and bench Lee Mazzilli was fired and replaced by Yankee legend Don Mattingly. Second, 2005 saviors Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon were released from the during the 2006 season along with a litany of other pitchers. However, the Yankee method of operation has been altered & instead of spending big bucks to entice superstars to play in the bright lights of New York, the Yankees have now started to cultivate and trade for young talent, while being fiscally more conservative.

Like with every winter as of late with the New York Yankees, this one was particularly newsworthy. The trades of Johnson, Wright and Sheffield netted a lot of young talent and also dumped salary. Meanwhile, it seemed that the Yankees were covered 24 hours a day with news of deals, trades, rumors and drama. Longtime Yankees manager Joe Torre was rumored to be on the chopping block right after the team was disposed in the playoffs, but George Steinbrenner gave Torre one more year. On the field, enigmatic third baseman Alex Rodriguez was rumored to also be traded after a turbulent year in New York.

Much of the attention in the offseason for the Yankees was focused on the starting pitching. Although the Yankees coasted to the AL East title, the rotation was a big concern as it dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness. Randy Johnson had an oft-ailing back, Jaret Wright also struggled with few ailments, and Carl Pavano sat out pretty much all of 2006 recovering with shoulder problems and injuries from an accident.

Randy Johnson, as well know by now was traded back to Arizona after 2 lackluster years with the Yankees. While in pinstripes, he won 34 games in 2 years, but he dealt with a bad back, bouts of ineffectiveness and bad outings. He also never did fit in with Yankee culture, and in he looked uncomfortable while a member of the team. More importantly, he did not do the job in playoffs, and that got him jettisoned from the Yankees.

Read more here…

* Infielder Felipe Lopez and Washington avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.9 million deal. He’s played most of his major league career as a shortstop but has agreed to shift to second base in 2007, when he’s expected to be Washington’s leadoff hitter.

* Ramon Ortiz, who won 11 games for Washington agreed to a one-year, $3.1 million, contract with the Minnesota Twins.

* Jason Michaels, an outfielder for the Indians, finalized a two-year, $4.25 million contract, a deal that includes a $100,000 signing bonus and $2.6 million club option for 2009.

* Justin Duchscherer and Oakland avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year, $1,187,500 contract.

* The San Diego Padres doesn’t expect to finalize its deal with left-hander David Wells until next week.

Hope springs eternal for every team before the first game of each and every team before a season, and some teams know they are contenders and some do not. Sadly, for the Washington Nationals, most experts and pundits believe they will not be contenders at all in the National League and perhaps will lose 100 games or more. However, even though the Nationals are rebuilding their organization for the future, the team has potential All-Stars like Ryan Zimmerman & Chad Cordero emerging as the cornerstone of the franchise. With the exception of a few players, 2007 will be a year for many to show they belong on a major league club.

2006 was a year which saw ground break on their new home in 2008, the release of Frank Robinson as manager, to the hiring of former Mets’ coach Manny Acta, the upcoming 2007 season will determine the road that the Nationals are on for the years ahead. The team lost superstar player Alfonso Soriano & the team was widely criticized for not trading him, but they made one of shrewd deals of 2006 in which they traded away some members of their bullpen for youngsters Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez.

Right now, baseball is in a period of economic boom, and from that result, the contracts free agents have received this offseason have been unprecedented. However, the Nationals have pretty much stayed out of the fray and have had no big signings during the winter. The Nationals’ front office, led by Stan Kasten and General Manager, Jim Bowden have a plan in place to rebuild from within via draft picks, talent in Latin America and lower level players than rather than investing heavily in the free agent market. The team was able to get some young talent via trades and had a good draft; so much of the energy in the offseason was spent trying to rebuild a moribund minor league. Hopefully under the tutelage of Manny Acta, the Nationals perhaps could do better than expected.

As we are heading into the New Year, the Nationals’ have a litany of needs, primarily in the pitching department. The batting lineup and bench are in better shape; however, besides young star Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Johnson and perhaps Austin Kearns to an extent, the Nats’ have a lack of power and impact bats in the lineup and on the bench. With second baseman Jose Vidro being traded, strong bench guy Daryl Ward gone, Alfonso Soriano now in the Windy City, the Nats are looking to become younger and have a core of players that will help them to compete.

Read more here…

Needless to say, the Boston Red Sox had a very turbulent 2006. With a rash of injuries & ailments to key players such as Jason Varitek, Tim Wakfield, Trot Nixon, Manny Ramirez, along with David Ortiz’s heart condition and Jon Lester’s lymphoma diagnosis, the Red Sox who were at the top of the division during the first half, fell out of the AL East race after the New Yankees slaughtered them in a 5 game series at Fenway Park in August. That weekend tempered with the injuries, and Manny Ramirez controversy over his injuries pretty much a season with high expectations into a tailspin.

Red Sox Nation have gotten accustomed to going to the playoffs for the past few seasons and continuing their never ending war with the Yankees, but sadly that was not the case in 2006. The Yankees eventually won the division handily until getting beating by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS.

As the dawn of the 2007 season approaches, New England and Red Sox Nationsis once again ready for the fever, and this winter for the team was nothing short of successful for fans of the team, in my eyes. With a fan base itching for another World Championship and unbridled love for their team, GM Theo Epstein and company are once again focused into making the Red Sox a winner.

During the offseason, the Red Sox made a huge wave going from one continent to another by signing Japanese uber-stud, Daisuke Matzsuaka, whom the team big an earth-stopping $51 million on, beating out the Yankees and Mets for his services. In addition, the Red Sox signed shortstop Julio Lugo, pitcher Joel Piniero, and probably one of the most controversial signings of the winter, J.D. Drew.

Much of the offseason for the Red Sox was shoring up the pitching rotation. Curt Schilling returns in what could possibly be his last season, as well as steady mainstay Tim Wakefield, and Josh Beckett who won 16 games, but had a propensity for giving up long balls, too many walks, had problems with his pitching and struggled his way to an ERA over 5.

The wild cards in the pitching staff are wonder kid Jonathan Papelbon and Japanese stuff, Matsuzaka. Papelbon had a breakout 2006, becoming one of the most dominant closer is the game, ending up on the All-Star team, and having an ERA well under one, until he ended up on the shelf for the rest of the year due to shoulder problems. The Red Sox are letting him go into the starting rotation where they expect him to translate the success he had as closer into a starter.

Read more here…

I’m going to attempt to do an team preview for each of the teams in baseball, or just do a run of each division. I have not decided yet, but today I’m going to start off with the Baltimore Orioles. The article is a little lengthy, as I wrote it for my own personal blog, but I hope you enjoy it.

As we are less than a month away from spring training, the Orioles have been beaten up in the media not their losing way over the last nine years, but the perception that the front office is inept. Even though the team didn’t make too many waves in terms of a “sexy�? big name signing, or getting a marquee player, the Oriole have improved, but perhaps not enough to contend for a wild card spot.

Considering we are less than two and a half months from opening day, the anticipation of baseball not only here in Maryland, but around the nation is growing. For most fans of the Orioles, the season may bring renewed optimism, but hopefully by July the team will still be in the hunt and perhaps impact as well as be a player in many of the races in the Americans League.

However, once again, the Baltimore Orioles may perhaps be relegated to 4th place again and looking up in the standings to their usual foes the Yankees and Red Sox at the top of the division, and the Blue Jays in third.

It has nevertheless been an interesting off season, not only for the Orioles, but for all of baseball. First off, we remade our bullpen, which was sort of an Achilles heel throughout the 2006 season. Second, we tried to get an impact bat and failed because of the market, but we were able to get Aubrey Huff, a versatile player has had some success in the past. Third, we tried to get a frontline starter, but did not for the same reasons we didn’t get an impact bat – money in comparison to the talent and the length of contracts of out in the market.

Read more here…

Well, unless you have DirectTV, if you’re a hard core baseball fan life is going to suck for you. According to the NY Times, Major League Baseball and DirecTV have come to an agreement for the MLB Extra Innings package. Now, DirecTV is the exclusive outlet for the Extra Innings package.

As well, MLB will have a baseball network starting up too, ala the NFL and NBA.

Anyhow, I have DirecTV, so it’s not a big deal for me. Besides, I usually just watch games via my laptop from MLB.com’s web service both at home and work.

From the NY Times article: “Extra Innings has been available to 75 million cable households and the two satellite services, DirecTV and the Dish Network. But the new agreement will take it off cable and Dish because DirecTV has agreed to pay $700 million over seven years, according to three executives briefed on the details of the contract but not authorized to speak about them publicly.

InDemand, which has distributed Extra Innings to the cable television industry since 2002, made an estimated $70 million bid to renew its rights, more than triple what it has been paying. Part of its offer included the right to carry the new baseball channel, but not exclusively.

The baseball channel is scheduled to start in 2009.�?

I can understand why quite a few customers would be upset, as you’d have to ditch your cable service for DirecTV. The problem is there are a lot of apartment communities that will not allow you to have a dish, so that’s part of the market unable to access other games via TV. The only option for those without DirecTV would be to subscribe to the MLB.com package that streams video of the games (I’d strongly advise you only get it if you have a Broadband connection).

I think it sucks that MLB did this, but it’s all a business, and in they end, they want greater control of their product.