Funny Friday: Scott Stapp/Dicky Barrett Songs

Scott Stapp and Dicky Barrett sing to their favorite games.

2010 MLB Preview: NL East

This is the first of the 2010 MLB Division Previews! We start with the NL East, which has been the home of the two time NL Champion Philladelphia Phillies. Will Jason Bay save the Mets? Find Out All This and more in the first MLB Preview!

PHILLADELPHIA PHILLIES
If the Phillies, who have appeared in the World Series the past two seasons, needed to get even better, they pulled off the blockbuster of the offseason by Trading away postseason hero Cliff Lee to Seattle for Prosepects, and then trading for Roy Halladay. Halladay, who has been the best pitcher North of the Border for a long while now, heads to a Phillies team that was this close to winning the World Series for the second straight season.
This club really hit the long ball well in 2009, and expect them to do that again this season. The club is led by Ryan Howard, who hit 45 homeruns and 141 RBI's last season. The Club made the right move in signing Raul Ibanez, and he didn't dissapoint, as he hit 34 homeruns and 93 RBIs. Chase Utley continued as the game's best Second Baseman with his 31 homeruns and 93 RBIs. The Club lost a big bat in Pedro Feliz, but brought back former Phillie Placido Polanco to play the hot corner. Polanco won't have the offense that Feliz had, but he's versatile and he can play any position in the infield. Let's not forget about Jimmy Rollins, the man who puts the Phillies in motion. His .250 average may convince some folks that he no longer belongs in the leadoff spot, but he does everything you want in a leadoff man. he works the count, gets on base, and can head from first to third in a heartbeat if the opposing pitcher doesn't check on him. What may be the most scary about Rollins is how scary accurate his predictions can be. He recently said that the 2010 Phillies may be even even better than they were last year, and that's bad news for the rest of the National League.
Rotationwise, this team is solid, starting with the Ace, Roy Halladay. Halladay won 17 games in 2009 in Baseball's Toughest Division. Expect him to get even better now that he has switched leagues. Cole Hamels had an off season in 2009, finishing 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA. Expect him to get more wins, less losses, and to bring that ERA down to around 3.00. J.A. Happ was the game's best Pitchig Prospect and may have been their best pitcher last season, as he was 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA. In The Bullpen, Brad Lidge was 48 for 48 in Save Chances in 2008, but led Baseball with 11 Blown Saves in 2009. Expect him to get Back On track. When he has that slider working, it's almost impossible to hit.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS
The Washington Nationals are a team on the rise. They've got a future Hall Of Famer catching for them in Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, and they have a very underrated Pitcher in Jason Marquis who has become the Ace of the Staff. He can hurt you not just while pitching, but with the bat as well, as he is one of the National League's best Bunting Pitchers. Scott Olsen is a former Florida Marlin who is looking to get back on Track.
Their entire offense is Adam Dunn, a guy who hit 38 homeruns and 105 RBIs. Ryan Zimmerman is an underrated Third Baseman, and he hit 33 homeruns and 106 RBIs last season.
The Washington Nationals are obviously waiting in the wings for Stephen Strasburg, the best young pitcher in quite some time. Don't sleep on the Nationals.

FLORIDA MARLINS
The Marlins are led by Josh Johnson, who just flat out dominated, finishing 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA. Hanley Ramirez is the Best player on the Marlins, with a .342 average and a .410 OBP. Dan Uggla hit 31 homeruns and 91 RBIs. The Marlins will be looking to move up in the division this year.

ATLANTA BRAVES
This is Bobby Cox's final Season managing the Braves. The Braves rotation is led now by Tommy Hanson, finishing 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA. Jair Jurjens, Tim Hudson and Kenshi Kawakami finish out the rotation. They newest slugger and First Baseman is Troy Glaus. Expect him to have a great year now that he is in Atlanta. Right Fielder Jason Heyward could be one of the biggest breakout stars of 2010. The way the ball Jumps off his bat is Scary! Brian McCann is one of the best catchers in baseball. In the bullpen, Billy Wagner is looking to return to the form he had as a member of the Mets, Astros, and Philiies.

NEW YORK METS
Jason Bay may be the Biggest prize the Mets have reeled in since Johan Santana back in 2008. If there's one thing the Mets are wishing for, it is for their key players (Beltran, Santana, Jose Reyes) to be healthy. David Wright lost his swing in 2009, going from 33 homeruns in 2008 to just ten in 2009. He's gonna have to get back into the swing of things if these Mets are to be competetive in the NL East.
Beyond Johan Santana, the Mets are questionmarks in the rotation. Mike Pelfrey, John Maine are capable starters, but Oliver Perez, Jon Niese, and Fernando Nieve aren't going to light the world on Fire. Carlos Delgado is gone, but Daniel Murphy has a lot of potential at first base. Jeff Francoeur will be looking to get back on track.
Francisco Rodriguez is a great closer, and the bullpen is capable. Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano, Bobby Parnell, and Pat Misch are all capale. The Mets signed another Japanese Pitcher, Ryota Igrashi.

2010 Is a Make or Break Season for the Mets. If they don't make the Playoffs, expect Heads To Roll.

My Division Picks
1.PHILLIES
2.METS
3.BRAVES
4.MARLINS
5.NATIONALS

MLB Highlights 4-30-09

Padres Vs Dodgers


Atletics vs Rangers


Angels Vs Yankees


Red Sox Vs Rays


Matt Garza talks about his fantastic outing.


Marlins Vs Cubs


Diamondbacks Vs Brewers


Cardinals Vs Nationals

MLB Highlights 4-18-09

Cardinals Vs Cubs


Indians Vs Yankees


Buster Olney talks about the new Yankee Stadium's "problem."


BBTN talks about Cleveland's amazing inning.


The City of Brotherly Love says goodbye to a legend.


Diamondbacks Vs Giants


Rockies Vs Dodgers


Astros Vs Reds


Tigers Vs Mariners


Angels Vs Twins


White Sox Vs Rays


Orioles Vs Red Sox



Braves Vs Pirates


Royals Vs Rangers


Padres Vs Phillies


Brewers Vs Mets


Blue Jays Vs Athletics


Marlins Vs Nationals

MLB highlights 4-12-09

Mets Vs Marlins 4-12-09


Astros Vs Cardinals 4-12-09


Yankees Vs Royals 4-12-09


Pirates Vs Reds 4-12-09


Rangers Vs Tigers 4-12-09


Braves Vs Nationals 4-12-09


Twins Vs White Sox 4-12-09


Rays Vs Orioles 4-12-09


Blue Jays vs Indians 4-12-09


Red Sox Vs Angels 4-12-09


Los Angeles Dodgers Vs Diamondbacks 4-12-09


Giants Vs Padres 4-12-09


Cubs Vs Brewers 4-12-09

Three Marlins Combine On No-Hitter

It's only Spring but still, pretty cool.

MLB Preview: NL East

The Mets have a new Ballpark and New Closer. Will they finally win end the pain of two consecutive seasons out of the playoffs?

The NL East was very familiar in 2008. The Phillies repeated as division champions, the Mets repeated their chokejob. Hanley Ramirez continued to become a great young star, and the Washington Nationals were the place where Ryan Zimmerman continued his development.
NEW YORK METS
The biggest Achilles heel for the New York Mets last season was the fact that their bullpen could not hold any leads, helping the Mets lose the division for the second straight season. The Mets have finally decided they have had enough. They went out and signed record setting closer Francisco Rodriguez to contract, and then traded for J.J Putz from Seattle to become New York's new Setup man. The key for the Mets will be: How tired are they of choking away the division for the last two seasons? I think we will see guys like David Wright, Carlos Delgado, and Carlos Beltran with fire in their eyes this season.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The Washington Nationals now have a 40 homer guy in the capitol city, as they have signed slugger Adam Dunn to a contract. Dunn is a big time power hitter, don't let his many strikeouts bother you. Their rotation may be headlined by the former Baltimore Orioles Ace Daniel Caberera. Two former Marlins are now in DC, outfielder Josh Willingham and pitcher Scott Olsen. The Nationals seem ready to let Joel Hanrahan take over the closer duties. This team seems ready to take the cellar, but Adam Dunn could be the team's saving grace.
FLORIDA MARLINS

The Florida Marlins are ready to revolve around shortstop phenom Hanley Ramirez. The Marlins are going through a growth spurt. The Marlins will have to sort out their mess of an infield? Will Dan Uggla stay at second? Who plays third base? Ditto with the void the Marlins have at first base. If the Marlins are able to answer these questions, they may place fourth in the division, behind Washington.
PHILLADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Phillies are coming off an amazing season. Nobody picked them to win the division, to beat Milwaukee in the NLDS (or the Dodgers in the NLCS), or to beat the Rays in the World Series. Sure enough, they did all that. The Phillies are going to defend their title on Opening Night against their division rival Atlanta Braves. Cole Hamels developed into the premier pitcher before our very eyes this season. Let's not forget about players like Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard. The Phillies biggest pitching strength last season was Brad Lidge, as he was 48 out of 48 in save chances in 2008. Could he do it again? The Phillies are prepared to defend their NL east crown, as they will play the Atlanta Braves Opening Night, the team that had a stronghold on the NL East for the past 14 seasons.
Speaking Of Those Atlanta Braves:
ATLANTA BRAVES

The Atlanta Braves used to be the model for the rest of the NL East to imitate and envy. Times have changed. The Braves are trying to recapture their glory years, as they signed sinkerballer Derek Lowe. They may have missed out on A.J. Burnett and Jake Peavy (along with longtime Braves Pitcher John Smoltz), but they are ready to let top prospects Tommy Hanson and Jo-Jo Reyes compete for the rotation. Jeff Francoeur will have to get back to his 2005 form, as they will be a make or break season for him. Chipper Jones turns 37 this season, could he have another great season left in him? The Braves may have lost an answer to their Left Fielder question when Ken Griffey Jr. returned home to the Seattle Mariners, but Jordan Schafer will hit the Big leagues very soon.


My Division Projections:
1. NEW YORK METS
They have to be tired of choking their season away, right?
2. Philladelphia Phillies
They are the defending World Series Champions, but I think they are poised for a dropoff. Not from Ryan Howard, of course.
3. Atlanta Braves
The Braves have some good young players who will make it on the Braves this season. They are still only the third best team in the NL East.
4. Washington Nationals
Could Adam Dunn make all the difference between fourth and last place?
5. Florida Marlins
The only thing certain for them is that Hanley Ramirez will play Shortstop this season.

In the next MLB Preview, we will look at the NL West. Does San Francisco now have a Super rotation? Are the Dodgers in trouble if they lose Manny Ramirez? Find out in the next MLB Preview!

The Kerry Wood Era Is Over In Chicago

The Cubs traded for Closer Kevin Gregg, ending Kerry Wood's ten years of service to the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs made a shocking announcement on Friday.

The rumors were true. Kerry Wood was not coming back.

The Cubs on Thursday traded for Closer Kevin Gregg from Florida, ending Wood's career in Cubbie Blue.

Closing duties will now apparently go to Carlos Marmol, who was in the running to close last year. Gregg may also be used in Save situations this year.

As a Cubs fan, it pains me to write this. Wood's been one of the best, classiest guys in all of Baseball, and I can't beieve he's not coming back.

It's going to be hard to watch Kerry with his new team, but I think Cubs fans will wish him the best with his new ballclub.

It's the end of an era in Chicago.

Mets Hoping Johan Santana Will Revive Their Playoff Hopes

The New York Mets lost a heartbreaking game last night to the Florida Marlins 6-1 last night. That added to a Brewers victory over the Cubs last night means Milwaukee took a one game lead in the National League Wild Card.

Hoping that he can lead the Mets to victory today, Mets Manager Jerry Manuel will start Johan Santana on three days rest despite throwing a season high 125 pitches against the Cubs on Tuesday.

If the Mets do not win this game, they will not win the series, meaning they again will not make the playoffs for a second straight year.

My Opinion Of MLB.TV

Check Out the MLB.TV Mosaic by clicking on the video below!


I got one week free of MLB.TV due to voting in the MLB Final Vote. This is my first time ever watching MLB.TV on My Computer and, I have to say, it is really cool! Yesterday was the first day of the Free Trial of MLB.TV and I watched the final two innings of the Dodgers-Marlins game where the Marlins Pitcher (Volstad?) had not allowed A Dodger past second for eight innings. Volstad got to two outs in the ninth before he gave up a base hit, advancing the Dodger (Eithier?)runner to second for the first time in the game. Marlins Manager Fredi Gonzalez decided that was enough and he removed Volstad with two outs in the ninth inning. Volstad had thrown exactly 100 pitches. Kevin Gregg comes in to get the final out facing Jeff Kent, and Kent hits a long fly ball to the warning track in right field, and the Marlins win the game 3-1.

After that game was over, I wanted to see the Cubs game, but I didn't want to spend three hours at my computer (it was late at night when the Dodger game ended), so I watched the Cubs-Giants "Condensed Game" meaning they take A Baseball Game (running an average of three hours, which is the same ammount of time given for Football Games) and cut it down to ten minutes, but you still see all 27 outs of the ballgame and any base hits or homeruns or anything like that. The Cubs and Giants were scoreless Through eight innings before Aramis Ramirez smacked a three run homerun down the Left Field Line, giving the Cubs a 3-0 lead. The Giants would get runners on in the ninth against closer Kerry Wood, but Wood would get out of the Jam, and the Cubs won 3-1.

MLB.TV Is Awesome!

Pop Goes Pedro...And The Mets Season?

Pedro Martinez will be out until at least May with a strained hamstring. Pedro hurt the hamstring in the fourth inning. The Mets lost Pedro and ended up losing the game to Florida 5-4 in ten innings. Many Mets fas are already starting to panic. Calm Down Mets fans. You're less than a week into Baseball season, and your already pressing the panic button.

This brings up a bigger issue. The Mets rotation is one huge mess without Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez. Tom Glavine is gone, and there is a glaring hole in that Mets rotation that only got bigger with the loss of Pedro.

Hopefully, that wasn't Pedro's final bullet from his arm. I've always enjoyed watching Pedro pitch because he's a smart pitcher who doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he's smart and knows how to pitch.

Huge Baseball Trade Went Down Last Night!

Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are both heading to Detroit.

The 2006 American League Champions, the Detroit Tigers have just made a blockbuster deal with the Florida Marlins.

Florida and Detroit have reached a preliminary agreement that will send star third baseman Miguel Cabrera and left-hander Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers for a package of young players headlined by outfielder Cameron Maybin and left-hander Andrew Miller.
Detroit also sent catcher Mike Rabelo and right-handers Burke Badenhop, Eulogio De La Cruz and Dallas Trahern to Florida.

The deal immediately raises questions about the future of current Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge. Inge is set to make $6.3 million this season, $6.3 million in 2009 and $6.6 million in 2010. The acquisition of Cabrera and Willis will add close to $20 million to the Tigers' payroll.

Florida didn't even approach the Tigers until Tuesday morning. The Marlins told the Tigers they could have the two stars for those six players, then Detroit called back about two hours later and agreed.

This trade makes Detroit's lineup number one in Baseball. The Angels had the best lineup in Baseball with the addition of Torii Hunter until last night. The trade of Willis and Cabrera means there are no members of the 2003 Florida Marlins left with the team.

The Angels and Tigers right now are both Postseason Bound.Will these two meet up in the 2008 American League Championship Series?