Matthew

And the Giants won. Only undefeated team in the MLB. BOO-ya! A couple impressions from this game: Tim Hudson looks like he's going to have a great year. The Giants have the look of a team that can be special this year. The J-Hey Kid seems like he's going to be up-and-down this year, but, for a twenty year old, he can be special. Edgar Rentaria is playing great now that he's healthy, and even Aaron Rowand is looking good. I'm sticking with my prediction of the Giants in the World Series.

Can Seattle please call an end to the Milton Bradley experiment? No good is coming from it.

A lot of people do stupid shit. No way I'm getting up there. You have to remember that someone actually built it What's with all the people up there, is there a Starbucks at the end of the trail?

Hey Goodie, you have to admit Zito was very good the send half of the season last year, after the All-Star game, he went 5-4, with a 2.83 ERA. I'd take that any day of the week for a number three starter. If he's even close this year, that's going to be a killer top three: Lincecum, Cain, and Zito. I think the Giants can go a long way in a weak National League. I would too if the season was only 80 games long. In short: Zito sucks. Zito really sucked tonight: 6 innings, 3 hits, 1 BB, 5 K's. Get rid of the bum.... See me in July. Then we see how smug you are. What the heck??? Zito has a very good second half of the season last year, has a great first start, and all of a sudden, that's smug? Geesh, give a player his due....

Hey Goodie, you have to admit Zito was very good the send half of the season last year, after the All-Star game, he went 5-4, with a 2.83 ERA. I'd take that any day of the week for a number three starter. If he's even close this year, that's going to be a killer top three: Lincecum, Cain, and Zito. I think the Giants can go a long way in a weak National League. I would too if the season was only 80 games long. In short: Zito sucks. Zito really sucked tonight: 6 innings, 3 hits, 1 BB, 5 K's. Get rid of the bum....

I was thinking when that came on: God bless the man who invented the mute button.

Matthew, thanks for making this comment--I thought it was just me. They went on and on about Cano being a bit slow off the plate on that long single earlier, too. Boy, CC really looking shaky in the 5th and now in the 6th...Bosox have 2nd and 3rd with no outs. EDIT: now 5-4 and Bosox have a runner on 3rd with no outs. It's a ball game! Matthew, how long is Cliff Lee on the DL for? Cliff Lee is on the 15 day DL, plus a five game suspension. I have a feeling the Mariners will be lucky to see Lee before May. Typical Joe Morgan comment always starts with: "When I played the game..." What I really hate is when he and Miller go off about these small, picayune things, like Gardner throw or Cano's being slow off the plate, and go on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, about it, just so they can let you know they understand inside baseball. If I'm Boston, I'd start getting worried about Beckett, he just doesn't look the same.

I had forgotten just how awful the ESPN announcers are. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill, you'd think Billy Gardner committed a felony with his errant throw in the 5th. Geesh, I can't believe how terrible they are, they have nothing to say and take the whole game to say nothing.

It's the old Polo Grounds in New York, which has quite a storied history to it. The bluff behind the stands that you can see is the famous Coogan's Bluff. Of course, everything connected with New York baseball is "legendary."

I honor of the start of the baseball season: 1913 World Series, New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Athletics. Athletics wins 4-1.

It is going to be interesting to see how Josh Beckett season goes, he just didn't look as effective last year as he had in the past. It seemed as if he'd be going great, piling up the k's, and then an inning would come along, a walk here, infield hit there, then a three-run homer. I saw him as inconsistent in the final two months on the season last year. He needs to come up big this year if the Red Sox are going to have a chance. The weather looks like it's going to be good for tonight, though I still prefer the tradition that Cincinnati opens the season -- just another little part of the baseball I grew up on gone for good.

After the dullest spring training in years, the real season is upon us. As the man says: "Play Ball" edit: for spelling

I picked it up the other day when I was at Costco. Pretty reasonable price, like $18.00. I haven't read it yet, but it's gotten very good reviews. The fact that it's an authorized biography and that Mays made himself available to the author should make it a pretty good read. Thanks for the Costco alert, I'll have to get my parents to pick up a copy for me (might even pay them back ).

Have you read the new biography of Mays that came out? Is it any good? I saw it at B&N today.

And this from someone who defends Aaron Rowand...

Billie Holiday: Fine and Mellow. I just love this version....

I guess because it's been such a long time, everyone has forgotten how depressing those April & late September games actually were when the Twins played outdoors. Can you imagine what it's going to be like in the Twins make the playoffs? A Colorado vs. Minnesota World Series -- Burrrrrrrrrrrr!

Hey Goodie, you have to admit Zito was very good the send half of the season last year, after the All-Star game, he went 5-4, with a 2.83 ERA. I'd take that any day of the week for a number three starter. If he's even close this year, that's going to be a killer top three: Lincecum, Cain, and Zito. I think the Giants can go a long way in a weak National League.

Gore's a great singer, and she was popular, so I understand that part, but in the context of the T.A.M.I Show, she definitely brought down the energy level. The Supremes were not too bad, but they and Gore just seemed out of place to me.

I don't want to get New and Improved Dan worked up too early in the season, but even with the signing of Texiera, Sabbathia and Burnett, the Yankees overall payroll was $16.5 million less in 2009 than it was in 2008. At this point, finally putting a lid on their outrageous and unconscionable spending habits of the past would seem to be working out quite well, wouldn't you say? We're going down that road are we? In terms of 2009 team salaries, please note that the Yankees spent 52 Million dollars more than the next team, the New York Mets. 79 Million dollars more than the Red Sox. 88 Million dollars more than their World Series opponent. Case closed, the Yankees flat-out bought and paid for their championship. PS: Link to 2008 and 2009 team salaries.

I say the wild card will come from the Central because of my iron-clad law of never predicting a playoff spot for TBTMCB*. Even given that neurosis of mine (scientific term: Hateus Yankeeitus), I see New York, Boston, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Minnesota, Chicago, bunched within six games of each other. I see Boston and the Yankees coming back to the pack, and not running away with the wild card, so anything can happen in my book. Also, I'm tired of the Yankee/Boston duo always making the playoffs, so this is my purely contrarian ego at work. Who are your guys going to trust more, me or a computer? *The Best Team Money Can Buy

Classic Condon Mob Sessions. Disk one, the Bud Freeman and His Famous Chicagoans session is great.

I guess this is a good time for predictions: AL East: Boston Tampa Bay New York (I'm keeping to my annual tradition of saying the Yankees won't make the playoffs, you're welcome Ghostie ). Toronto Baltimore AL Central: Detroit Chicago -- Wild Card Minnesota (it will be close, any of these three can win) Kansas City Cleveland AL West: Los Angeles Seattle (I'm not completely sold on the Mariners, they'll be improved, but the offense will be their downfall). Texas Oakland NL East: Philadelphia Atlanta (I predict a one-game playoff between these two for the division, with the Phillies winning) Florida New York Washington NL Central: St. Louis Chicago Cincinnati Milwaukee Houston Pittsburgh NL West Colorado San Francisco -- Wild Card Los Angeles Arizona San Diego AL Champion: Chicago White Sox NL Champion: San Francisco Giants (their pitching will get them through any series) World Series Champion: San Francisco Giants. Pitching and defense is the name of the game this year, so the Giants can win it all with their pitching staff, though like Seattle, offense will be a continuing problem.

50/50 -- Either David Wright or Johan Santana. These are the Mets after all.....