Opening Day has arrived!

This is a day that you baseball fans, myself included, have been waiting for since the World Series ended back in October.

Well, that day is finally here, Opening Day 2008 has arrived. There are 14 games scheduled for today, the first of which will be the Yankees and Blue Jays which gets underway at 1:05pm EST. Roy Halladay will go for Toronto opposite Chein-Ming Wang for the New York Yankees.

Can you feel that intense feeling, that excitement? It's baseball season! Get ready, because this is going to be a fun ride all year long.

Roberts deal dead?

After all the talk about Brian Roberts being traded to the Chicago Cubs over the last few months, it's not being reported that the deal is dead.

Baltimore Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, "we worked at it this long, and we don't have a deal."

Cubs fans were looking forward to this deal going down, bringing a legit 2nd baseman and leadoff threat to their lineup would have made their offense that much better. Now that the deal seems to be dead, the question becomes, are the Cubs now looking elsewhere or are they content to go with what they have for the time being?

Giants "going in another direction"

The Giants have finally washed their hands of Barry Bonds, and it's about time. Owner Peter McGowan was asked if the Giants would consider bringing Bonds back at a reduced price, to which he responded "No, not this team. We're going in a new direction, that would not be going in a new direction. The time has come to turn the page. With Barry Bonds gone, this is a club at the beginning of a new era."

Not only is the clubhouse going to have a different feel to it, but also AT&T Park is removing anything that had Barry's face on (ex. left field wall) as well as the "756" that was posted towards the Right Center area. The Giants did say however, through a team spokeman, that they would post a plaque where Bonds' last HR with the team landed.

Even though the Giants are picked to finish dead last in the NL West division by just about every major sports network, the team is headed in the right direction to putting together a very good team for year's to come.

Now that they're out from under the distraction that Bonds was, they can finally become a team again.

Can the Cubs end the 100 year curse?

With a new season fast approaching, fans will dig in their heals and hope it's their team that will be celebrating a World Series Championship come October.

For Cubs' fans, that hope is stronger than probably any fan of any team in baseball. When you go 100 years without a World Series Championship, you hear words like "cursed," as we did before Boston broke their long winless streak in 2004. There's an article from Mark Newman of MLB.com yesterday that talks about that long winless streak, but are the Cubs really good enough? I have serious doubts of that.

The one concern that I have, and it's not a small concern, is their starting rotation. As of right now, you're looking at a rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Rich Hill, Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis. We all know what Zambrano is capable of, but we also know that he's capable of a complete melt down as well. The one player I'm concerned about in this rotation is Ryan Dempster, especially since he hasn't been a full time starter since 2003 with the Cincinnati Reds. Since then, he's started only 6 games combined between 2004 and 2007. Can he come out of the bullpen from the closers roll to a starter and be effective?

The other place that I have a concern is their bullpen, especially with Kerry Wood closing for them. I'm not saying that he can't do the job, there's no question he can, but the one question that comes up every single year is, "can he stay health?" He's yet to show that he can stay healthy for an entire season, something the Cubs desperately need from him this year.

They do have a very potent offense, especially with guys like Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, not to mention the addition of Kosuke Fukudome, but how will these guys do against some of the best pitching in baseball? How will Felix Pie do as the every day center fielder?

This team has a lot of question marks, and although we won't have answers to these questions right away, I think you'll start to see the answers within 2 or 3 months. If the starting rotation can stay healthy, and I'm talking about all 5 guys, then I think the Cubs will be just fine. There's no question they are the best team in the NL Central, the race shouldn't be close in my opinion, but the big question of this article is, can they finally win the World Series?

My answer....no. This team just isn't good enough, key word, yet. There's just too much that can go wrong with this team, and usually does.

Brewers cut Vargas

In a surprising move, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal, the Milwaukee Brewers have released veteran right-hander Claudio Vargas.

Later the same day, manager Ned Yost announced the Brewers official starting rotation:

Ben Sheets
Jeff Suppan
Dave Bush
Carlos Villanueva
Manny Parra

Looking for new music?

For any of you wanting new music to listen to or any local bands that are looking for someone that can put together a demo video for you, this will give you both.

The band is called "The Breach" the song is called "Blue Eyes," take a listen and I hope you enjoy it.

On the flip side, the guy that directed the music video is Evan Kaufmann who is one of the best directors in the Dallas area. You can reach him here if you're interested in having someone professional to work with.

Twins, Nathan agree on new 4-year deal

The Minnesota Twins finally got a contract extension done with one of their top players.  This time is was closer Joe Nathan.

Nathan and the Twins agreed on a 4-year $47M contract on Tuesday which will include a team option for 2012.

Joe Nathan, “We’ve shown that we’re committed to winning. A lot of people are counting us out, but we’re going to be good this year and for years to come, because we’re young and a lot of our guys are hungry.  With the way they handle the pitchers here, they take care of us.  They worry more about careers than they do seasons. They think long term more than they do short term.”

Canseco targets A-Rod in new book

Won't or can't Jose Canseco just go away?  The answer to that seems to be an emphatic "NO."

The former Oakland Athletic slugger has a new book coming out and, apparently, is targeting a star of today's game...Yankees' 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez.  Canseco alleges that he introduced Rodriguez to a steroid distributor and that Rodriguez was trying to sleep with Canseco's wife.  Although Canseco says he never injected ARod himself, but says "he introduced Alex to a known supplier of steroids."  Doesn't mean ARod took anything or was injected, so why make accusations he can't back up?

Now, this whole story comes from a free lance writer, Joe Lavin, who says he picked up Canseco's book at a bookstore in Cambridge, Mass but the book isn't due to be released until April 1st.

What I find so hilarious about this whole situation is, Canseco thinks he's going baseball a favor by outing these so called "steroid users," and that he's "saving baseball," but didn't he cause this problem in the first place?  So why is he trying to take credit for it?

You hope people are smart enough not to put more money in his pocket by picking up his book, but there are those people who just have to know who took steroids and who injected who.  

Can't Jose just go away....probably not.

Rolen may not be ready for Opening Day

New Blue Jays' 3rd baseman Scott Rolen may not be on the field when the Blue Jays open the 2008 season.

During a fielding drill on the back fields on Sunday, Scott Rolen suffered a broken finger when the ball hit him on the fingernail, ripping it completely off and breaking the top knuckle on his right middle finger.

GM J.P. Ricciardi, “It’s a non-displaced fracture, which is the good news. I’m not a doctor, but the early prognosis is it isn’t going to be six weeks, so I don’t even want to throw a schedule out there. Our best-case scenario is that it’s quick and our worst-case is it isn’t as long as most things we have had to deal with. My instinct is I am preparing for the worst-case scenario but I can say this, he won’t be lost for the year.”

Tigers, Cabrera agree on 8-year contract

According to the AP, the Detroit Tigers and 3rd baseman Miguel Cabrera have come to a prelimnary agreement on an 8-year $153.2M contract.

The details of the deal are not yet final. In January, Cabrera agreed to a $11.3M deal with the Tigers for the 2008 season, so Cabrera will get an additional $141M over the next 7 years.

Javy Lopez retires after being cut by Braves

After the Atlanta Braves optioned veteran catcher Javy Lopez to Minor League camp, he decided to call it a career.

Lopez hit .188 in his bid to be the backup catcher to Brian McCann. Lopez made his decision after he had a meeting with manager Bobby Cox on Saturday.

Javy Lopez, "It didn't happen in spring training. This is the only chance I get. They give me the opportunity to come back and prove to myself that I can still play. I had the chance and didn't do what I'm supposed to do, or at least not good enough."

Randy Johnson won't be ready for Opening Day

According to Owen Perkins of MLB.com, Randy Johnson has made progress but not enough so to be ready for Opening Day.

So far during Spring Training, Johnson has pitched between ace Brandon Webb and new acquisition Dan Haren, but manager Doug Melvin isn't convinced that it'll stay that way when the season opens.

Manager Doug Melvin, "I think there's a good chance it's Danny Haren on Day 2. And probably Doug on Day 3. And then we'll see where we go from there."

On Friday, Johnson threw 63 pitches in 3 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs (2 ER) on five hits and walking three against the Los Angeles Dodgers. On Wednesday, he's scheduled for 5 innings and a 75-80 pitch count against the Colorado Rockies.

Left-hander Randy Johnson, "Right now I've got eight innings in. I think it's safe to say that if I was to go five innings against Colorado, that would give me 13 innings, and that's still not quite enough."

If Johnson isn't ready to go in the #4 slot for Arizona, manager Doug Melvin could consider Micah Owings but with his lack of command so far, that spot will probably go to Edgar Gonzalez with his 2-0 spring record and 1.64 ERA in 3 starts and 1 relief appearance.

Nomar to miss Opening Day

According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, 3rd baseman Nomar Garciappara is now "doubtful" for Opening Day.

Team officials are saying that his broken right hand is worse than first thought. After Nomar had undergone an MRI on Wednesday, the results revealed a microfracture of a bone at the base of his right hand.

Nomar Garciappara, "Everybody wants to predict. I'm not. I have no control over it. I'm looking one day at a time. That's all I can do."

Manager Joe Torre, "I don't anticipate him being ready for Opening Day." Though Torre did list Tony Abreu as the logical choice to be the Opening Day starter at 3rd, but he also listed Blake DeWitt and Chin-lung Hu as candidates as well.

Alomar to be inducted into "Level of Excellence" by Blue Jays

Catcher Roberto Alomar will be inducted into the "Level of Excellence" by the Toronto Blue Jays prior to their home opener on April 4th, according to a team press release.

The Level of Excellence is the highest award bestowed by the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club to recognize tremendous individual achievement.

Alomar will join George Bell, Dave Stieb, Joe Carter, Cito Gaston, Tony Fernandez, Pat Gillick and Tom Cheek.

Cardinals, Wainwright agree to 4-year deal

Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports, the St. Louis Cardinals and pitcher Adam Wainwright have agreed on a new contract.

The deal is reportedly a 4-year $15.5M deal with a team option for 2012 and 2013. The two sides had already agreed on a 1-year deal worth $448,000 earlier this month.

Giants think they'll be in the hunt

Apparently the San Francisco Giants expect to be in the hunt in a very tough NL West division. The same division they finished 19 games behind in 2007.

Newcomer Aaron Rowand, "Nobody in here expects to be at the bottom of the barrel in the NL West. We expect to be in the hunt. That's the outlook we're going into the season with. That's why we're here working as hard as we are. It's going to take a group effort, a collective effort."

Veteran outfielder Dave Roberts, "If you look at the numbers, we were in virtually every game last year. If we get the pitching that we're capable of getting, we're going to be in every game like we were last year."

No offense to Dave Roberts and Aaron Rowand, but they fail to realize that there are 4 other teams that are much better than the Giants. The Giants had the starters to get it done, just ask Matt Cain, but their bullpen was awful and won't be much better this year.

The team might be more relaxed than years past, especially due to the fact that there's no Barry Bonds in the locker room for the media hords to surround.

"Obviously, nothing against Barry as a person or a player, but it's a lot more relaxed now," Roberts said. "I think that anyone with his status, in all walks of life, they command that kind of respect and people are more uneasy. I thought he was a great teammate and he's a very good friend of mine, but it seems like now people can be themselves more so."

The Giants still have one Barry that should concern them. That being left-hander Barry Zito. Zito has gone from being the ace of the staff, to probably a #3 at best behind Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. Can he be effective for the Giants in 2008, more so than he was last season?

I wonder about Aaron Rowand myself. There's no question this guy outhustles anyone in the major leagues, noone works harder than Rowand, but will he really make that much of a difference for the Giants. His numbers were put up in a bandbox in Philadelphia, now he has to try and duplicate those efforts in some of the biggest pitcher's parks in baseball. I have a hard time believing that he can do that.

The Giants will be in the hunt alright....in 2010 maybe.

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times stopped by Pro Sports Beat to talk about the China trip and the Dodgers interest in a 3rd baseman, here's just an excerp from that interview.


Todd Kaufmann: Were you surprised that Andre Ethier, Russell Martin and maybe a Kuroda didn't go on the China trip?

Bill Shaikin: No. It is common for established major leaguers to be excused from long spring trips, particularly when a split-squad game is available at home. In regards to Kuroda, the Dodgers did not send him -- or Brad Penny or Chad Billingsley or Derek Lowe -- because the team believed all that travel would have hampered the starting pitchers as they prepared for the regular season.

Astros to start season without Matsui

Off-season acquisition Kaz Matsui will start the season on the DL for the Houston Astros after undergoing surgery on Monday.

Matsui had surgery on Monday to repair an anal fissure and will miss 2-3 weeks. In his absence the Astros could platoon both Mark Loretta and Geoff Blum until Matsui is ready to return.

Wes Helms heading to San Francisco?

The San Francisco Giants are looking for a 3rd baseman, could that guy be Phillies' Wes Helms?

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the Giants and Phillies are apparently talking trade. The deal would send Wes Helms to the Giants in return for reliever Steve Kline.

Kline wanted to sign with the Phillies during the offseason, and the Phils did offer him a 1-year deal, but when the Giants offered him 2-years, he took it.

The Dodgers are also looking for a 3rd baseman, mostly because they don't trust the health or glove for that matter, of Nomar Garciappara, so the Dodgers could also get into the mix for Helms or even the Tigers' Brandon Inge.

Dodgers' Schmidt will try pitching through pain

According to Kevin Baxter of the LA Times, Jason Schmidt doesn't seem to have recovered fully from shoulder surgery last season.

Instead of taking time off and trying to let it heal, Schmidt says he's going to try and pitch through it.

"Instead of babying it, we're going to push it," he said. "It's a weird thing. I'm the same as I was a few days ago. I can't quite get to the next level."

Whether or not that's a good idea, I'm not sure, but the Dodgers seem unconcerned about his comeback. Though, I have a hard time believing that the Dodgers are just a little concerned that Schmidt will go into the 2008 less than 100%. I guess we'll find out when the season opens, just how effective he'll be.

Also, 3rd base prospect Andy LaRoche underwent surgery on Monday to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb and is expected to miss 8-10 weeks.