You CANT HAVE It BOTH WAYS..

Robinson Cano just broke the bank in Seattle. Everyone has an opinion. Yankee fans are sad he is gone, but glad that the Yankees didn't give him the key to the kingdom. Baseball is the king of the long term contracts, where players can't possibly be great for 10-12 years. The Dodgers are about to make Kershaw the richest pitcher in history. He is 25 and clearly the games premier hurler. Mike Trout at age 21 has been runner up in the m.v.p. balloting the last 2 years. Strasburg, Fernandez in Florida, Machado in Baltimore, Bryce Harper, Harvey in New York if he comes back healthy are all going to cost teams hundreds of millions of dollars. The only player in recent memory that has lived up to the big contract is Derek Jeter. Jeter had a long hall of fame career and captained five teams to titles.  Pujols did not get the big contract until he left St. Louis. Cabrera has a ring from his Florida days but all he does is rake. Manny Ramirez delivered for Boston two rings. Chipper Jones made it to the playoffs every year. Mike Piazza had a productive career with the Mets. Carlos Beltran did as well.
Here is my point. Media and fans complain that there is no loyalty in sports. Dustin Pedroia might be the last to be on a team for his entire career and get a payday.  David Wright for the Mets might be another. Tulo out here in Colorado? Maybe. Buster Posey? Joe Mauer? The point is you have to pay to keep people around. Seattle has gotten rid of Arod, Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey  Jr., Ichiro!!!! They don't know how to pay for loyalty and commitment to excellence. It is a disgrace that those guys bounced around as much as they did. Jacoby Ellsbury should have been a RedSox for life. Todd Helton may not have won a title but he was a vital part of the growth of baseball in Colorado. Jeff Bag well and Craig Biggio were the reasons to watch Astro Baseball. You can't blame the players. They don't want to leave. Cano wanted to be another Jeter. Long term deals keep fans coming to the stadium. You know when healthy if your star player is going to be there everyday if possible.  Pujols in St Louis. You knew he would hit 3rd and play first. Jeter, Ripken Jr., Helton would be at their positions. Owners make millionaires out of average players and now the world hates a sport where showing longtime loyalty is a foolish gesture ?  I stopped liking the Yankees and became a lifelong Met fan when the Yanks traded away Reggie. I almost abandoned the Mets when they let Strawberry go.  I guess if Peyton Manning and Brett Favre can change teams then anyone can. No one wins in all of this. Unless you are a fair weather fan and can cheer for anybody, then this sports world is for you. Don't cry to me about loyalty anymore. I guess I will be a met,dodger, mariner,angel, yankee, red Sox ,rockies, tigers fan. Go team!!!!

Baseball is truly back this year...

Baseball is back and this season is going to be the most memorable ever. Each division has a team that can win the world series. How many times can you actually say that in your life?  No one would be shocked if the Washington Nationals won the World Series. No one would shocked if the Cincinnati Reds won, the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Tigers, or Oakland A's won the World Series either. This season there are more teams that can eat at the "big boy" table than ever before. So who is going to get it done this year? Who is going to win the M.V.P., Cy Young in both leagues? Here we go....
Usually I give lengthy previews of each division. I will spare you that ad give an synopsis of each division. The American League east will go down to the final day of the season. The Orioles last year shocked the baseball world by the season they had. They won't sneak up on anyone this year. The Rays lost Upton and big game James. The Red sox have a chip on their shoulder but have a lot of holes to fill. The BlueJays spent millions and the Yankees are being counted out with all of its injuries and age issues. I like the Blue Jays and Yankees to come out of this division. The Jays stay healthy they could have a special season. They could put out a speed demon team and a team that can hit home runs. Scary. The Yankees have no one in their corner and that makes them dangerous. If they put their everyday lineup on the field for two months after the all star break, they will be in the post season.
The A.L. central is about as interesting as watching paint dry. The Detroit Tigers are loaded. Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander are the best at their position and want revenge for what happened last year in the world series. Getting Victor Martinez back makes this lineup the most difficult to face. They have bullpen issues. No closer,but they could just outscore e everyone.
The A.L west is just the opposite. No one can name a player on the Oakland A's yet theyre the scariest team in baseball. Every year, they make a second half run and no one can stop them u til post season. Texas lost a lot but they just reload. Losing Josh Hamilton and Michael Young will hurt their chemistry, but they can still rake. The Angels lost Greinke and Haren but gained Hamilton. They are hoping to have the real Pujols and that Mike Trout was not a fluke. Seattle has a lot of pieces and won't be an easy stop on anyone's schedule. Michael Morse and Ackley are looking to make a name for themselves. The Angels and A's will represent in the post season.
The Yankees and A's play in the play in game. Detroit and Angels play for the A.L. title. The Angels represent the A.L. Jerad Weaver is your Cy Young and Robinson Cano is your M.V.P.
The National League east is very top heavy. The Mets, Marlins are rebuilding. The Phillies are a mystery. The Braves and Nationals can win it all. The Nationals are scary good now that they have a closer and no restrictions on Super Steve. They have a balanced offense. They need 140 games from Zimmerman on offense. Zimmerman the pitcher could be x factor all season long.  The Braves have said goodbye to Chipper and Bobby Cox over the last two seasons and haven't missed a beat.  The Nationals and Braves will be in post season.
The Central Division in the National league is for real. The Brewers an Pirates have potential to be dangerous. Ryan Braun and Andrew McCutcheon can carry their teams to a title if  pieces fall into place. The Reds and Cardinals have carried the torch for this division over the past few years. Both teams are licking their wounds after the collapses in the playoffs last season. Yadier Molina is a better player than most think. He stops the running game and he is tough in the clutch. Joey Votto has this beautiful swing but is yet to explode in the post season. They both have great bullpens and good enough starting pitchers.  Both will fight for this division and only one will make post season. The Cincinnati Reds.
The National League west is all about the Giants and Dodgers. The Giants need Buster Posey to stay healthy because every year that he does they win the world series. They have a bunch of guys who have been clutch in big spots over the past three seasons.  A pure team. The Dodgers have a 240 million dollar payroll. They have all stars everywhere.  If they stay healthy, they will be difficult to beat. Matt Kemp pledged last year that he could be a 50-50  guy. He has protection in this lineup. Clayton Kershaw is as good a anyone and if Beckett and Greinke can give them 25 starts, the Dodgers will dominate the National league. Colorado and Arizona are a piece or two away from joining the big two. Arizona is like Oakland. Can't name anyone on the team yet they are always competitive. The Rockies needs healthy Tulo and let's see what they can do. The Padres are still rebuilding but have pieces in place for a good future.
The Giants and Braves will play in play in game. Dodgers and Nationals for N.L title. Nationals in the World Series. Matt Kemp is your M.V.P. and Steven Strasburg is your Cy Young.
The Angels and Nationals world Series. Nationals in 6.