Let the Games begin!!!!!!

Tomorrow,(although technically today but there is only ONE game)..the most hallowed of days..the start of the 2006 Baseball season. God, I get wet just thinking about it..well, kinda, you gotta know me to understand my obsession with baseball. The off-season was very stressful for me and I want my baseball now dammit! Lots of changes..

We won't discuss Barroid I swear to god..I have ranted enough on him as of late.

The Padres have changed so much I need a depth chart, as does most of the fan base. They gutted their pitching staff and my beloved Mark Loretta is now a Red Sox. That ain't so bad..I root for them as well, being a former resident of the Fenway area in Beantown...but I digress..the Padres are fighting an uphill battle with none other than..Mikie Piazza. Don't get me started..I hate that signing with every fiber of my being. My other NL West team, the Dbacks will either get better or lanquish in the bottom of the division again, they dumped Troy boy and his inflated salary. The Padres "real" catcher wasn't resigned, Ramon Hernandez was signed by the O's..speaking of the O's..

Slammin' Sammy Sosa is a man without a team. He wasn't offered arbitration by the O's. Only one team offered Sammy a contract this offseason. It was the Gnats..er..Nationals, and it was incentive-laden up the wazoo. Sammy politely declined. Wasn't it just six years ago him and Big Mac were chasing Maris? How fast they fall from grace ya know?

Grady Little, is now managing the hated Dodgers. I like ol' Grady but I hate the Dodgers...nuff said.

I still look for the Cards to be a strong team in the NL Central. They have the god of baseball..aka Albert Pujols. I like Pujols better than A-rod both as a player and a person.

I pray the Red Sox will dominate the AL East. I don't give a shit about the AL Central otherwise known as Comedy Central. The ChiSox should continue to lead that division, the rest will be playing catchup.

I would like to see someone other than the Braves do well in the NL East. With some major changes in both staff(Leo Mazzone left for the O's) and players in Atlanta there could be another team leading that division by the all star game. Mazzone had been the medicene man with their pitching staff for the last..god knows how many years. Could it be the Mets year? I dunno..Omar has been touted as the GM to get it done for the Muts..er..Mets. When is he gonna deliver? They have the two Carlo's..Beltran and Delgado. Both of those men were good at one point point in their careers prior to landing on the Mets and either got hurt or just couldn't cut it in Gotham last year. Cameron is now a Padre..see? I told ya the Padres went nuts on the open market this year, and Cammie's ass is starting the season on the DL..it doesnt bode well for my boys in San Diego..ok, onward sportsfans.

The AL West..I root for the Angels. Its usually them or the A's making a run. I wouldn't mind the Ass-Rangers doing something for a change, I love Buck Showalter from his days w/the Dbacks...my other NL West team.

Anyway..I gotta set up my rosters in my fantasy leagues. I cut back to five teams this year. Have a good weekend..batter up :)

Edit: Buck gets buried today. Its on locally so I am gonna watch it and tape it in case anyone wants a copy. I know my dad does...he made me watch Hee Haw as a child. Its been sad and quiet in BakeTown this weekend. NL Belardes,our local author, writer,podcaster and blogger extraordinaire has some nice posts up on his blog including a podcast exclusive interview with Buck's drummer on the nite before Buck died..Buck wasn't feeling good, but he played because people had come from Canada to see him. Whatta guy..whatta man..whatta legend. Did you know Buck was one of the first to play the solid body electric guitar? No shit sportsfans.