Update Time…

Ok so you know how I said that I was back and that I would be posting more often?  Well, that was kind of a lie.  Sorry.  I had no idea how busy I’d be working (those 10am-11pm days catch up to ya) and there’s no way I can write at work and stay employed so instead I’ll have to settle for Saturday nights at midnight to write.

So, where to begin? Our team (Salem Red Sox) are sitting pretty in first place.  These guys can really rake and it’s been a lot of fun to watch them play the last seven games that they played at home.  Ryan Lavarnway, Oscar Tejeda and Anthony Rizzo are the real deal so remember those names.  My responsibilities during games consist of walking around and making sure peeps are happy and talking into a walkie talkie which is interesting at times (I have been told that I abuse my privileges because I like to page people that are right in front of me.  Someone needs to spice it up when there is only 1,300 people in the stands and I felt the need to step up) Other then that I take care of birthday parties (which I tend to dislike so far) and I update the FB page (be a fan of the Salem Red Sox! Do it now!)  That’s about it as far as work goes.  So far I really enjoy working during games because I get to wander around and snap photos.  All in a days work…

The one thing that I do not like about working in baseball is that I do not get to fully enjoy my favorite team in any sport.  I guess that’s what happens when your favorite team is a baseball team and you work in baseball: but how bout them Twinks?  They opened up Target field with a bang (and what a beautiful park btw.  I’ll make an apperance this year if its the last thing I do)  Joey Baseball is picking up right where he left off last year and Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer are actually hitting in the month of April which is a nice surprise.  I can’t remember an April where the Twins have played so well.  It’s pretty easy to say that I’m very excited to see how this whole season plays out.  But please Twins fans, it’s too early to chant MVP for Joey.  Sorry.

I also promised a mock draft in the same light as last years, but as I stated above I had zero time to actually sit down and do one.  Which I am kinda bummed out about because I had fun mocking last years mock draft process.  Oh well, there’s always next year right?  This years draft was like any other: there was some shocking picks (Tebow, Tim to Denver at #25) and then some not so shocking picks (Bradford, Sam to St. Louis at #1)  Most of the first round is a crap shoot anyway so we won’t know for years who really messed up and who really made good picks.  Everyone thought that Houston made a mistake by not drafting Reggie Bush and/or Vince Young but I’d say that Mario Williams has worked out pretty well for them so far.  I like the Vikings pick of Toby Gerhart.  They may not have had to trade up to get him but oh well, when you want someone in the NFL draft you trade up to get him instead of sitting about and waiting for him to fall to you.  Touchdown Toby will take some of the pressure off of AP that Chester Taylor used to do (and hopefully not fumble as much as AP), as for the rest of the Vikings draft?  Whatever,  I don’t really know of any of the guys they picked (apparently Emerson Griffin doesn’t like to try hard but what can you expect from a USC product) The Vikes were one throw away (or four fewer fumbles) away from the Super Bowl last year so there wasn’t much to improve on through the draft.

Other then that I really got nothing much for ya.  Virginia is still Virginia.  Salem is still Salem.  Roanoke still doesn’t have any cute girls.  And the Waffle House is still the place of choice after the bars.  Lucy is still crazy and I still don’t get enough sleep.  Having a roommate is nice because I can actually talk to someone and have them talk back to me (sometimes anyway).  Hopefully I can get on here a bit more and keep talking about how great we are as a baseball team (I can say “we” since I work for the team.  I’ll try to decipher which “we” I’m talking about since I also say “we” when I talk about the Twins)  Remember: Lavarnway, Tejeda and Rizzo.  One or two of them will be either traded or moved up to Portland in the coming months so keep an eye out.  Peace out homies. 

MLB 2010 Preview brought to you by Another Sports Blogger

(disclaimer: this took me a week to write which is pretty pathetic.  One, I had no time.  Two, some idiot crashed in to our ticket office at work causing me to have no time.  Three, I’ve had no time.  I started this on Monday and finished on Wednesday…fun times)

Yeah, I know that the first week of the baseball season that is 2010 is already underway but I suppose its better late then never right?  At least that’s what Billy Smith thought with the Mauer Power deal (8 more years!).  So with that, I bring you my vast knowledge on the sport I love.  You can basically write these predictions in stone because they will happen.  Just trust me on this one.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

1) New York Yankees

Let’s face it, the Yankees are good.  Real good.  And they should be when Curtis Granderson is batting 7th followed by Nick Swisher batting 8th.  Oh and A-Rod is almost making as much as the entire roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates…Look for them to be in the 95-98 wins range.

2) Boston Red Sox

The Sox made lot improvements on last years team that bowed out of the playoffs in the first round last year.  They bring in Mike Cameron to roam center, Marco (Polo!) Scutaro to play short and Gold Glover Adrian Beltre to man 3rd base.  Gone are the days of ‘Tek sucking at hitting, now Victor is giving the lineup some pop.  John Lackey was also added to be a 3rd starter (umm what?  Lackey as a 3?)  Should be a fun summer for all AL East foes.

3) Tampa Bay Rays

Well Tampa, you didn’t really come through last year for me when I predicted that you would win the World Series so because of that you will finish 3rd in the East and everyone can keep talking about realignment (which I’m opposed to.  Too complicated and someone well always have a beef with where they are that year)

4) Toronto Blue Jays

Adam Lind, Vernon Wells, Jason Frazor, Rickey Romero… that’s it.  Those are the Blue Jays I could name without looking at their roster. 

5) Baltimore Orioles

Not much to say about the Orioles except that I will be making a trip to Camden with a buddy in late July to see the Twins dominate.  Go Twins!

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

1) Minnesota Twins

C’mon, like I would pick anyone else but the Twins here. 

2) Detroit Tigers

The Tigers always find some way to win and I’ve never figured out a rhyme or reason as to why.  They just do.  But they wont win enough to topple the Twins because the Twins are just that good. 

3) Team that sux from Chicago

White Sox Sux, that’s all you need to know about them

4) Cleveland Indians

The Indians have turned into the Royals as they cannot sign big time players (Cleveland: Victor Martinez, Cy Young winners (in consecutive seasons no less) Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia.  KC: Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Beltran) So instead they rebuild, and rebuild and rebuild some more.

5) Kansas City Royals

The one thing going for the Royals is the New K.  And tha’ts about it.  They did sign Zach Greinke but he could have a nervous breakdown at any moment and turn into the old Zach Greinke.  So be on the watch for that.

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

1) Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim

Many “experts” think that this is the year the Seattle takes the division and the Angles fall to the way side…I say NOT SO FAST. Angles pull out (and pray) the division and shock the masses.

2) Seattle Mariners

Cliff Lee is out until May but when he returns, the Mariners will have as good of a 1-2 punch as anyone in the league.  If the first week is any indication, the Mariners will struggle to score runs which could hurt them in the long run.  And they have Milton Bradley…

3) Texas Rangers

Ron Washington does coke (probably supplied from someone that Josh Hamilton hooked him up with) and the team is now in the hands of Nolan Ryan.  Improvement?  Only time will tell.  If Hamilton and Kinsler can stay healthy all year they could be dangerous. 

4) Oakland A’s

This team seems to be in constant rebuilding ever since their last playoff appearance in 2006 (why did you dive at that ball Torii?  WHY?)  The A’s look to do the same this season.  At least they have a real badass fan in the crowd.

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

1) Philadelphia Phillies

This squad is good.  I mean real good.  Halladay, Rollins, Hamels, Howard, Utley, Werth.  Want me to continue?  Oh you do, ok.  Polanco, Happ, Victorino, Ibanez.  Pretty stacked right?  Right.  First place to them.

2) Atlanta Braves

The Braves tout quite the prospect in Jason Heyward.  He also hit a home run on his first ever swing.  If he were to keep up that pace I think he would hit roughly 938 home runs this season (give or take a few).  The Braves also have a good core of hitters and young pitchers.  And you can never under estimate the power of “win one for the skipper” year because this is Bobby Cox’s last season as the Braves manager. 

3) New York Mets

The Mets…what to say about the Mets.  I’ll start by saying that if I was a Mets fan, I would never tell anyone because I would be so ashamed of their “productivity” the last few seasons.  Blowing the division in the last few weeks in 07 and 08 and then bombing to 70 wins last year?  Ouch.

4) Florida Marlins

The move to Miami cannot come quickly enough for the Marlins.  No one goes to games, no one cares about how they do.  That cannot be fun for the players.  Or the fans.  Good riddance I say.

5) Washington Natinals

Wake me when Strasberg is pitching…yawn.

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

1) St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals look as good as ever on paper.  I can’t imagine anyone in this division even competing with them this year.  Now that they are protecting Pujols with Holliday?  Game over.

2) Milwaukee Brewers

Brew crew are looking to do some damage but it’s just too bad that they are in the same division as the above Cards.  If they can somehow lock up Prince Fielder (see How To Sign Young Star by Billy Smith) they should be a competitive team for years to come.  That is, if they can ever find decent pitching.

3) Chicago Cubs

Sorry cubbies fans, this year will not be your year either.  This club is basically as messed up as the Mets and it doesn’t look to improve any time soon.  If only Mark Cuban was allowed to buy the team, then at least it would be entertaining to watch him yell at umps.

4) Cincinnati Reds

According to Bud Selig, the Reds are one of the up and coming teams in baseball (but what does Bud know anyway) but I may agree with him a bit here.  The Reds look like they know what they are doing and made a big splash with the signing of Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman who looks to help out the club sometime this season.

5) Houston Astros

As I write this the Astros are the only team in the bigs that are winless (0-7).  That’s pretty bad, but they are still better then the Pirates.  Sorry Pirate fans…if there are any of you out there.

6) Pittsburgh Pirates

See above…some good prospects in the organization but still, it’s the Pirates.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

1) San Francisco Giants

The Giants are stacked at pitching this season as they return the best pitcher in the entire universe in Timmy L (as I like to call him, we have a good vibe) and Barry Zito is looking like the old Barry Zito.  The only question for this team is will they score enough runs but if Kung-Fu Panda has anything to say about it they will.

2) Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are another team that build within (like the great Minnesota Twins) and it has definitely worked for them.  Guys like Tulo, Dexter Fowler, Ian Stewart and Ubaldo Jimenez have blossomed in the last few years and trading for Carlos Gonzales was key as well.  Look for them to compete for the division as well as the wild card.

3) Los Angeles Dodgers

This may very well be the closest division race in all of baseball and I think this will be LA’s year to come up short.  Manny is off the PED’s and while Andre Either and Matt Kemp are very good prospects, the Dodgers do not quite have the pitching the rest of the division has.

4) Arizona  Diamondbacks

Have you ever seen the Diamondbacks logo?  Is it just me or could this be the most unintentially inappropriate logo of all time?  You be the judge.

5) San Diego Padres

The town named after a whales vagina has a baseball team that sucks.  Coincidence?

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISIONAL SERIES

Minnesota Twins vs Boston Red Sox

We’re gonna win Twins, we’re gonna score.  We’re gonna win Twins, watch the baseball soar.  Go Twins!  Territories sometimes beat nations.  This is one of those times

New York Yankees vs Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim

New York wins.  Easily

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISONAL SERIES

San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals have the pitching to match the Giantes and also have the superior offense.  And that is why they will be moving on.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Colorado Rockies

In the biggest upset in professional sports of all time in history (notice the sensationalism.  What is it about sports that causes announcers to sensationalise everything.  On Sunday, Lefty hit that shot on 13 during the masters, you know, the one from the pine needles to 5 feet to the green, and the announcer said that was the best shot he’s ever hit.  Was it?  Maybe, but just to throw it out there was pretty iffey) the Rockies upend the two time National League champ in a gritty series. 

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees

Revenge is sweet, right Twinks?  The Twins use Target field to their advantage (I’m still trying to figure out how) and beat the evil empire in six games.  Take that A-rod and Cameron Diaz.

 

NATIONAL LEAUGE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

St. Louis Cardinals vs Colorado Rockies

The rox advance to the World Series behind strong play from Tulo (one of my 6 keepers in fantasy) and Carlos Gonzales (potentially one of my 6 keepers in fantasy).  Albert Pujols then goes and dances with people with down syndrome because he is such a good guy (those that think that’s a mean joke, read the ESPN the Mag article on Winny the Pujols)

 

WORLD SERIES

Minnesota Twins vs Colorado Rockies

In the coldest World Series ever (with 3 games delayed because of snow…it could happen) the Twins open and close the inaugural season at Target Field victorious.  Ladies and gentlemen, your 2010 Baseball Champions, the Minnesota freakin’ Twins.  Yes.

Another Sports Podcast feat. Sam Leof

Sam and I have been mulling doing a podcast for years now and finally we decided to actually record one. I hope to do these at least once a week with various people and topics so stay tuned. Enjoy!

On This Day 20 Years Ago…

Some big joke was played on all of us.  He came in a 6 pound, 21 inch package and on a cold, overcast day. As the story goes, my mother was starting to have strong contractions and had to be rushed to the hospital. I had been promised a ride in my fathers new truck so I obviously threw a fit because who wouldn’t want to ride in a sweet new Isuzu pickup truck?  My father then drove me around a few blocks because I had him wrapped around my finger at an early age (only child).  I was dropped off at a neighbors so the beast inside my mother could be released.   He was given the name Matthew David but the name givers would rather had named something something like Michelle or Megan.  Instead of dressing up in frills, he would be given hand-me-down clothing and toys.

20 years ago today I gained a little pest of a brother.  I would be subjected to countless hours of torture and being followed where ever I went.  I would be forced to include my little brother in the tackle football games that we would play in our yard, only he was so young that he couldn’t be tackled (by anyone other then me that is, and yes, I did tackle him.  Hard.  He probably deserved it).  I was forced to baby sit him when my parents were at work only he would never listen to me.  We would box with little boxing gloves that he got for Christmas one year only I could only use my left hand (in fear of the potential homicide).  I could go on and on but you get the point.

Years later something crazy happened…we started to actually like each other.  There came a time when I realized that we actually like the same stuff, the same type of music, the same type of clothes, hell even the same athletes (you know, because we we both made by the same two people).  I know some siblings are tighter then Carl Pohlad’s wallet (RIP, speaking of Carl, would he ever have signed Joey to a $184 million dollar deal? My gut tells me no) but my brother and I were not one of those siblings.  Until I went off to college.  We grew closer and actually hung out when I was home.  He was no longer my pest of a little brother but a friend that I could bullshit with and not have him run to mama (which he did when we were kids…mama’s boy).  So on this, your day of birth, I wish you a Happy Birthday Ma-chew.  I wouldn’t trade you for any other brother in the world, which is something that I actually tried to do when we were kids… Love ya Bro.

I would say have a drink for me but you can’t do that yet (legally anyway).  We’ll sneak one when mom goes to bed when you are out here in May.