Houston Astros
74-88, 5th Place NL Central
2009 Review
Not much went right for Houston last year. They saw ace Roy Oswalt miss time with an injury. Lance Berkman had a down year. We witness the beginning of Carlos Lee’s decline, which saw his power numbers drop to his lowest number since 2004. Mike [...]
Selection Sunday is upon us which means March Madness is about to happen. I’ve seen hundreds of tourney games over the years and there have been thousands of memories. But, as hard as it was, I’ve narrowed it down to 5. These are my Top 5 Favorite or at least most memorable, NCAA Tourney moments. [...]
Last Year: 87-75 (-6)
Over/Under: 81 (-115)
Notable Gains
Robert Bono
Luis Bryan
Hunter Jones
Notable Losses
Alfredo Amezaga
Luis Ayala
Jeremy Hermida
Nick Johnson
Matt Lindstrom
Three Things To Love
Light At The End Of The Tunnel: Jeffrey Loria has convinced everyone that once the Marlins christen the new Miami Ballpark in 2012 that the Marlins income issues will cease to exist. So, hang in [...]
1. St. Louis Rams Sam Bradford QB, Oklahoma
I think that Jimmy Clausen will be the better pro, but I’ve read rumors that Bradford is the Rams’ guy right now. They’ve passed on Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez. They can’t afford to pass again. Suh and McCoy are the better prospects, but the Rams are desperate [...]
Detroit Tigers
Management: GM Dave Dombrowski; Manager Jim Leyland
Key Additions: Phil Coke, Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Jose Valverde, Johnny Damon
Key Losses: Freddy Dolsi, Curtis Granderson, Aubrey Huff, Edwin Jackson, Brandon Lyon, Placido Polanco, Clay Rapada, Fernando Rodney, Dusty Ryan, Dane Sardinha, Marcus Thames, Matt Treanor, Jarrod Washburn
Projected Starters
C Gerald Laird
1B Miguel Cabrera
2B Scott Sizemore
3B [...]
Colorado Rockies – National League West
2009 Record: 90-72, 2nd Place in National League West, 3 Games Back
2009 Review: The 2009 Colorado Rockies started lower than expectations. First, they did not have Matt Holliday returning as was with Oakland. Starting pitcher Jeff Francis was out for the season after surgery. Then, after [...]
1. Ndamukong Suh DT, Nebraska- Could be 1A and McCoy 1B, but Suh is the best prospect this year.
2. Gerald McCoy DT, Oklahoma- High motor tackle can play in either 3-4 or 4-3.
3. Eric Berry S, Tennessee- Drawing comparisons to Ed Reed, one of safest picks this year.
4. Russell Okung OT, Oklahoma State- Just [...]
Cleveland Indians
Management: GM Mark Shapiro, Manager Manny Acta
Key Additions: Brian Bixler, Russell Branyan, Brian Horwitz, Mike Redmond, Mitch Talbot
Key Losses: Greg Aquino, Jesus Brito, Jamey Carroll, Vinnie Chulk, Zach Jackson, Masa Kobayashi, Tomo Ohka, Kelly Shoppach, Jose Veras
Projected Starters
C Lou Marson
1B Russell Branyan
2B Luis Valbuena
3B Jhonny Peralta
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
RF Shin-Soo Choo
CF Grady Sizemore
LF Matt LaPorta
DH [...]
Cincinnati Reds
2009: 78-84, 4th NL Central
2009 Review:
While the Reds did win 4 more games than the previous season, many in the organization would still say the season was a failure.
First off, they were still in the bottom half of the divison. Part of this could be cited to injuries, as Joey Votto and Edinson [...]
Chicago White Sox
Management: GM – Kenny Williams, Manager – Ozzie Guillen
Key Additions: Alejandro De Aza, Freddy Dolsi, Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, J.J. Putz, Mark Teahen, Omar Vizquel, Daniel Cabrera
Key Losses: D.J. Carrasco, Octavio Dotel, Jermaine Dye, Josh D. Fields, Chris Getz, Jimmy Gobble, Scott Podsednik, Dewayne Wise
Projected Starters
C AJ Pierzynski
1B Paul Konerko
2B Gordon Beckham
3B Mark [...]
Chicago Cubs
2nd Place in the NL Central, 83-78
2009 Review
2009 was nothing but a disappointment for the Cubs. They saw their ace pitch below standards, their top hitter regressed, and their big signing was a bust.
The pitching was ok, but ace Carlos Zambrano was not very good with only 9 wins. The bullpen was [...]
A guy at work and myself got into this little discussion yesterday — pretty interesting stuff. This list is NOT a compilation of who could simply throw the hardest, so you will not find guys like Joel Zumaya.
1) Randy Johnson — I can’t imagine anything more frightening than standing in against the Big Unit, just [...]
Boston Red Sox
1. Casey Kelly, P – Kelly wanted to try his hand at shortstop, but didn’t fare as well as he hoped. The Sox wanted him to be a pitcher, where he has top of the rotation potential. I could see him up by the end of next year, depending on the [...]
Boston Red Sox – American League East
2009 Record: 95-67, 2nd Place in the American League East, 8 Games Back
2009 Review: The Red Sox finished eight games behind the Yankees in 2009. After winning the 2004 and 2007 World Series, any year that the Sox do not win the Series in considered a failure. [...]
1. St. Louis Rams Sam Bradford QB, Oklahoma
I think that Jimmy Clausen will be the better pro, but I’ve read rumors that Bradford is the Rams’ guy right now. They’ve passed on Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez. They can’t afford to pass again. Suh and McCoy are the better prospects, but the Rams are desperate [...]
Baltimore Orioles – American League East
2009 Record: 64-98, Last Place (5th) in American League East, 39 Games Back
2009 Review:
The Orioles had high hopes for the 2009 season, unveiling new uniforms with an updated Oriole on their caps, new patches and new road uniforms. However, sometimes new uniforms do not lead to positive [...]
Last Season: 86-76 (-7)
Over/Under: 85.5 (-115)
Notable Additions
Eric Hinske
Troy Glaus
Billy Wagner
Melky Cabrera
Jesse Chavez
Notable Subtractions
Rafael Soriano (RHP)
Garrett Anderson
Javier Vazquez
Three Things To Love
1) The Return Of Tim Hudson: The most exciting thing for the Braves’ Faithful is the fact their rotation features three guys who have had ace stuff at some point in their careers. Tim [...]
My board has reached 40: Rick Dees and the weekly top Forteeeeee…sorry. We are about 7 weeks away from the draft and the Combine is just about finished up. This board will keep changing up until draft night…as much as I hate that it’s on primetime.
1. Ndamukong Suh DT, Nebraska- Simply said about his senior [...]
Arizona Diamondbacks – National League West
2009 Record: 70-92, Last Place (5th) in National League West, 25 Games Back
2009 Review: The Arizona Diamondbacks finished the 2009 season with a 70-92 record, finishing last in the National League West, 25 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers. With a team average age of 26.3, the [...]
The final member of the 2010 IP Sports Inductee class was voted on by the fans. While the number of votes was tied on the forum, I did receive a couple of e-mail votes that swung in the favor of…
Alexander Mogilny, RW
Buffalo Sabres (1989-1995), Vancouver Canucks (1995-2000), New Jersey Devils (2000-01, 2005-06), Toronto Maple [...]
Pitchers and catchers have finally reported and that ‘sizzle-and-pop’ is back in the air – along with the ‘crack-of-the-bat’ and the sound of 40+ grown men acting like children. Man, do I miss baseball. Here are the Top 5 Reasons Baseball is better at the Ballpark:
5) The Grounds Crew – The only time you see [...]
Mark McGwire, 1B
Oakland Athletics (1986-97), St. Louis Cardinals (1997-2001)
Stats
A twelve-time All-Star, Mark McGwire was first drafted in the 8th Round by the Montreal Expos in 1981 (did not sign) and then as the 10th pick overall in the 1984 draft by the Oakland Athletics. Before signing with the Athletics, Mcgwire represented his country in [...]
The combine will be starting this week in Indianapolis, home of the “Desperate for Somebody to Take the Blame for the Super Bowl Loss Other Than Peyton Mannings.” Players will run and jump around in their underwear to try to impress NFL scouts. I am really into the draft and everything, but I can’t help [...]
Edgar Martinez, 3B-DH
Seattle Mariners (1987-2004)
Stats
A seven-time All-Star, Edgar Martinez was signed by the Seattle Mariners as an undrafted free agent in 1982. After Martinez became a full-time major leaguer in the 1990 season, Martinez was one of the most feared right-handed hitter for almost 15 years. If it were not for an injury that [...]
An Offseason Husker Update
My Thoughts on Tiger Woods -- I'm Tired
Under the Radar: More Interesting Baseball Moves? You Don't Say
Under the Radar: Yes, Even More Interesting Baseball Moves
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