Week in Review

One week is in the books (well for most teams, I would not want to be a Cleveland Indians fan right now) for the MLB regular season. We have seen some surprises, some disappointments, and even some dramatics, in what has been a wild and crazy opening week.

Lets start with the Cleveland/Seattle series, which was completely wiped out because of snow. Now the Indians next series with the Angles has been moved to Milwaukee's Miller Park. This essentially has taken three home games away for the Indians, and at the very least postponed three more. This has brought up a debate that hasn't really come into play, at least taken this seriously, for the history of Major League Baseball: Should cold weather teams host early April home games? Frankly, I'm not sure which side of the fence I am on. The fact that this has not really been that big of an issue in the past say, 100 years leads me to believe that it should not be changed or addressed. However, I do realize this does cause a problem for fans, and can lead to early season injuries for players.

If I had to choose, I believe the players, fans, coaches, umpires, and executives should suck it up, and play as long as the weather permits. Obviously, this weekend's snow was unplayable, but for the most part this is very rare. Weather effects outdoor sports all the time, why should the MLB be any different?

I find it amazing how one swing of the bat can change a players game and mental state. The same can be said for the fans and the media. On Saturday afternoon, Alex Rodriguez did just that by CRUSHING a walk off grand slam, down one, with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth on a 1-2 count. You could feel for him, you knew he was going to choke. Against Tampa Bay less than two days before Arod was in an almost identical situation and in "typical" form failed to come through. He had even swung straight through a fastball the pitch before, the anticipation of boos and angered fans was palpable. Then with one pitch, one stroke of the bat all of that disappeared.

Of course, that being said, it's a week into the season, and obviously Arod will not be able to keep up this pace. However, with that one moment, he avoided the usual criticism, at least for now, and it looks like he could have a monster year and help lead the struggling Yankees to the playoffs.

Overpaid pitchers market: Dice-K (6 years, $52 million, + the $51.1 million posting fee) looked great, no real surprise there. Barry Zito (7 years, $126 million), not so much.

Dice-K (1-0): 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1BB, 10K, 1.29 ERA
Zito (0-2): 11.0 IP, 13 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, 8.18 ERA...(Giants 1-6), yikes

Top 10 Power Rankings (through week 1):

1. LAA Angels (5-2): Strong pitching staff is only going to get stronger with the additions of Colon and Weaver down the road.
2. NY Mets (5-2): This line-up is very, very scary and Reyes is a special player. Starting pitching has been a nice surprise though, not sure if they can keep it up, let's hope they're aren't many Bingo games floating around Shea.
3. Atlanta Braves (5-1): Very impressive start, sweep of the Phils and taking 2 of three from the Mets. Starting pitching still a concern (what a surprise Hampton is out for the year). Bullpen is phenomenal, and if Kelly Johnson can start to get on base they will score a lot of runs.
4. NY Yankees (3-3): Starters have been horrendous, yet the Yanks still managed to squeak out 3 wins. The pitching will come around and this line-up is the best in the majors.
5. Boston Red Sox (3-3): If Dice-K can continue his strong start, they will make a push for the AL East Title.
6. Florida Marlins (5-2): Miguel Cabrera is the very early NL MVP and putting up fantastic numbers (he will be getting Pujols and Bonds treatment by the All-Star break). Still very young. Hanley Ramirez needs to stay healthy, he is exciting to watch.
7 Arizona Diamondbacks (6-2): Strong pitching (Randy Johnson to still to come), clutch hitting, but they play in the NL West.
8. Minnesota Twins (4-2): Mauer, Cuddyer, and Morneau are one of the better 3-4-5 combo's in the game. And they have the best starter (Santana) and closer (Nathan) in the MLB today.
9. Detroit Tigers (3-3): The defending AL champs are off to a somewhat slow start, but still have the line-up and the young fireballers to still be one of the favorites to come out of the AL.
10. Toronto Blue Jays (4-2): I liked this team at the beginning of the year, but playing in the AL East its impossible to pick them to finish anything above third. Pitching has been inconsistent, but could make a serious run if Burnett can pitch consistently like he did last night. Haven't played anyone yet or I would have put them higher.

Teams to watch for: San Diego Padres (5-2): Strong pitching, but again, NL West. Cleveland Indians (2-1): Like the squad as a whole, bullpen questions plus they literally haven't played anybody. Pittsburgh Pirates (4-3): In a wide open division, and I like their young line-up.

Disappointments: SF Giants (1-6): Zito signing is looking worse and worse every game. Philadelphia Phillies (1-6): Jimmy Rollins might want to think about taking the foot out of his mouth. The offense is no where to be found. Charlie Manuel may be looking for a new job sooner than later if this keeps up. St. Louis Cardinals (3-4): Defending World Champs were swept by the Mets at home, and now their star pitcher has landed on the DL. I can see myself taking shots with Tony LaRussa in the near future.

One comment on the Masters:

Ballsy performance by Zach Johnson by holding off Tiger. It was half Johnson playing well enough to win and not falling apart. Half Tiger not being on his game and unable to make a serious run at the green jacket.

And I didn't see this shot until after the tournament, but are you kidding me??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGfDk1Oxj_A

How did he not break his wrist? How did he even come up with a shot like that? And how did the result of the shot end up as good as it was? He knew the risks of the shot, he knew he wouldn't be able to replace the club for the rest of the round, and he KNEW what he was doing. This is why you love to root for Tiger.