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Results tagged ' MLB '
Could We See a 30-Win Pitcher in 2016?
More and more as time goes on, the win statistic is becoming less and less relied upon when it comes to determining how good a pitcher is performing over the course of any given season. Given, there are many better stats to look at — ERA being the most comprehensive one — to determine whether or not a pitcher is having a good year, but the win isn't completely worthless as some suggest.
After all, to receive the individual win, the pitcher had to place their team into position to pull out the victory in the ballgame. Although pitchers can still record a win after giving up 8 runs, as long as their team scores more runs in that given game (that's what makes the pitcher-win controversial), the win is still something that a pitcher strives to notch each and every time out on the mound.
But not since 1968 has the baseball world seen any pitcher been able to record 30 or more wins. It was in that year that the Tigers' Denny McLain tallied 31 wins in his campaign that saw him going on to win both the Cy Young award and MVP. You simply don't see pitchers having seasons such as that one anymore. But if things continue as they have so far, it could in fact happen once again this season.
In order to have a chance of breaking the nearly 50-year drought of thirty wins in a season, a pitcher needs to be nearly perfect on the year. Back when Denny McLain recorded his milestone season, it took him 41 starts, as opposed to the 32-34 starts pitchers receive in today's game, making perfection a necessity.
With that in mind, there are four pitchers who I feel have the only remaining shots at the coveted 30-win season this year: Rick Porcello, Jordan Zimmermann, Chris Sale and Jake Arrieta, who have all won every single start they've made this season.
Porcello is the least likely of the four to keep up the win streak, in my mind. While he's had a decent season in a struggling Red Sox rotation, he's also been the beneficiary of timely run-support. Porcello gave up ten total earned runs over his first three starts, but has settled down recently, not allowing a single earned run since April 20th. Even so, I don't see his win-streak continuing.
As with Porcello, Zimmermann isn't very likely to keep up his perfect start to the season, but that isn't meant to take away anything from the start he's had this year. Posting a 0.55 ERA over his first five starts, Zimmermann is truly breaking out as one of the top pitchers in the game. But despite playing in a Tigers uniform — the same as McLain back in 1968 — I don't see another 30-game winner in Detroit.
Chris Sale has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the recent history of the sport, but I'm not convinced that he can hold things together to record a 30-win year. Even so, sitting at 6-0 on the season, with a 1.66 ERA, Sale is continuing to impress the baseball world with how good he is, and he's seemingly only getting better. Perhaps he will end up proving me wrong when all is said and done.
However, if I had to put money on which of the four pitchers on my list I feel has the best shot at 30 wins this year, I would go all in on Jake Arrieta. There is no other pitcher in baseball who has been more dominant than Jake Arrieta since the second half of last season. After picking up another win on Tuesday night, Arrieta becomes the first Cubs pitcher since Mordecai Brown in 1908 to begin the year 6-0. That's absolutely amazing when you think about it.
Despite the great starts the aforementioned starters have gotten off to in 2016, a 30-win season is obviously very difficult to achieve. Given all of the obstacles pitchers have to overcome in getting there, the odds of it happening yet again aren't all that great. But even so, my pick to accomplish the feat, Jake Arrieta, has already defied all logic by going 17-0 over his last 19 regular season starts, dating back to last season.
The odds of that happening weren't great either.
Latest MLB Leaders (April 3rd – April 30th)
With the first month of the 2016 MLB season in the books, I thought I'd take the first day of the new month to recap the season thus far. It's been exciting as well as disappointing, depending on how you look at it and who you're rooting for.
But instead of talking about the events that have taken place so far this year, I decided to make a list of different categories and beside them name the player(s) that leads that particular category. I've done lists like these for the past several years, and they have been well received, so I decided to do it again.
The following lists are categorized into hitting and pitching, but not AL or NL:
MLB LEADERS (AL and NL) – HITTING
Most Games Played – David Peralta (26)
Most At-Bats – Jean Segura (111)
Most Hits – Jean Segura (37)
Highest Average – Aledmys Diaz (.423)
Highest OBP – Dexter Fowler (.474)
Highest SLG – Aledmys Diaz (.732)
Most Runs – Josh Donaldson (24)
Most Doubles – Four players tied for most (11).
Most Triples – Jackie Bradley Jr. (4)
Most Home Runs – Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story (10).
Most RBI's – Robinson Cano, Bryce Harper and Anthony Rizzo (24).
Most Base On Balls – Paul Goldschmidt (25)
Most Strikeouts – Justin Upton (38)
Most Stolen Bases – Jose Altuve (9)
Most Caught Stealing – Cesar Hernandez, Mallex Smith and George Springer (4).
Most Intentional Base On Balls – Brandon Crawford and Joe Mauer (5).
Most Hit By Pitch – Brandon Guyer (6).
Most Sacrifice Flies – Seven players tied for most (3).
Most Total Bases – Manny Machado and Trevor Story (64).
Most Extra Base Hits – Four players tied for most (17).
Most Grounded Into Double Plays – David Freese and Dustin Pedroia (6).
Most Ground Outs – Yunel Escobar (46)
Most Number Of Pitches Faced – Hunter Pence (497)
Most Plate Appearances – Jean Segura (116)
MLB LEADERS (AL and NL) – PITCHING
Most Wins – Four players tied for most (5).
Most Losses – Brett Cecil (5)
Best ERA – Jordan Zimmermann (0.55)
Most Games Started – Chris Archer and Zack Greinke (6).
Most Games Pitched – Zach Duke and Neftali Feliz (14).
Most Saves – Kenley Jansen (9)
Most Innings Pitched – Chris Sale (38)
Most Hits Allowed – Zack Greinke (47)
Most Runs Allowed – Jorge De La Rosa (24)
Most Earned Runs Allowed – Jorge De La Rosa and Zack Greinke (23).
Most Home Runs Allowed – Seven players tied for most (7).
Most Strikeouts – David Price (46)
Most Walks – Yordano Ventura (20)
Most Complete Games – Seven players tied for most (1).
Most Shutouts – Six players tied for most (1).
Best Opponent Avg. – Danny Salazar (.139)
Most Games Finished – Jeanmar Gomez (12)
Most Double Plays Achieved – Martin Perez (11)
Most Wild Pitches – Trevor May (5)
Most Balks – Twelve players tied for most (1).
Most Stolen Bases Allowed – Noah Syndergaard (9)
Most Pickoffs – Four players tied for most (2).
Most Batters Faced – Zack Greinke (166)
Most Pitches Thrown – Chris Archer (586)
My Initial 2016 MLB All-Star Game Ballot
We aren't even a month into the baseball season, and the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star game ballot has already been released. I feel it's a little too early to be casting votes for the Midsummer Classic, as some superstar players have gotten off to rough starts and will likely get back to their former glory by the time the All-Star game arrives on July 12th out in San Diego, while some previously unknown players who have busted out of the gate will likely be merely trickling along by that time.
But even so, I decided to go ahead and post a blog on the subject, regardless of the earliness of it all.
Voting itself is simple. Although there are no longer paper ballots that you can pick up and fill out at your local ballpark, you can head over to MLB.com and fill out an online ballot with the player you feel most deserves the honor for each position. You can vote up to 5 times per day, and 35 times total, for the players of your choice. (Voting is open until June 30th.)
Due to the All-Star game still being over two months away, I divided things up a bit this year. I'm going to go ahead and cast 15 votes for the players I feel are All-Star worthy as of now (the players discussed below), with a plan to go back and cast my other 20 available votes in the final week leading up to the actual game. Odds are, at least a few of them will be different, but as for right now, here are the players at each position that I feel are deserving of playing in the 2016 MLB All-Star game:
FIRST BASE: Joe Mauer (AL), Adrian Gonzalez (NL)
With guys such as Eric Hosmer, Miguel Cabrera and Chris Davis to choose from in the American League portion of things, this wasn't necessarily an easy decision, but I ended up going with Joe Mauer. Leading the pack in batting average, Mauer has really gotten off to a nice start of what looks to be a bounce back season.
For the National League, I chose Adrian Gonzalez. He is second in the National League first basemen group in average, and is off to an equally good start as Joe Mauer. Amazingly, Joey Votto, Freddie Freeman and Anthony Rizzo are all batting down around .200, making this a somewhat easy choice.
SECOND BASE: Ian Kinsler (AL), Neil Walker (NL)
Picking between Jose Altuve and Ian Kinsler was rather difficult, as both have stats very similar to the other. In the end, however, I chose Kinsler for the all-around game he brings to the table. While Altuve has had a hot bat to begin the season, it's Kinsler who I feel can continue to hold his streak the longest.
There are multiple options for National League secondbaseman, with Daniel Murphy and Jean Segura's high averages jumping out as All-Star worthy. But I wound up picking Neil Walker, who has a combination of a good average, along with a high early homer total that make him All-Star game worthy.
SHORTSTOP: Carlos Correa (AL), Zack Cozart (NL)
After winning the 2015 American League Rookie of the Year award, I currently have Carlos Correa being the AL starting shortstop at the All-Star game as well. Correa plays a great defense and has just as much pop in his bat as anyone around baseball. Therefore, I picked him on my ballot.
The National League shortstop spot goes to Zack Cozart in my mind. While Trevor Story leads the pack in homers and RBI's, the majority of those came during his extremely hot (and historic) first several games. Recently, Story has cooled off a ton, and the shortstop spot is Cozart's to lose, in my opinion.
THIRD BASE: Manny Machado (AL), Nolan Arenado (NL)
There are a ton of worthy candidates in the American League for All-Star game third baseman, but, unfortunately, I could only choose one on my ballot. Josh Donaldson, Mike Moustakas, Nick Castellanos and even Adrian Beltre all have cases. But I went with Manny Machado, who has been incredible to start the season.
Going against Maikel Franco and Kris Bryant was extremely hard to do, especially with them getting off to good starts, but I didn't go with either of them. Instead, I went with Nolan Arenado. Although his stats aren't much better than any of the other options, Arenado is one of the best both offensively and defensively at the position.
CATCHER: Salvador Perez (AL), Wellington Castillo (NL)
Though his average is a good distance away from the magic .300 mark, Salvador Perez is deserving of the All-Star catcher slot. He is having a great season in Kansas City, once again, and easily earns my vote. Always consistently good, Perez is one of the best catchers in the game, and should be honored as such.
Yadier Molina is always the heavy favorite for National League starting catcher, and he is once again on top in batting average. But I didn't go with Molina. Instead, I went with breakout catcher, Wellington Castillo. Castillo is having a great year to this point, and he has a very good case for being named the starter in July.
DESIGNATED HITTER: David Ortiz
David Ortiz could be hitting .100 by the time the All-Star game rolls around and he still would be worthy of the vote. Being his final season, and with all he's done over his career, he deserves it no matter what. But the stats are there, regardless. Ortiz more than deserves to play in his final All-Star game.
It's never easy to narrow down several dozen players to three All-Star picks for each league, especially when you could make a strong case for a dozen of the outfield choices for each league, but it's a requirement when casting a ballot. So, while I voted for the players who I felt were All-Star caliber players at the moment, there are a few more I would've liked to vote for, but couldn't. Keep that in mind when reading the outfielders I selected for the American League and National League:
Mark Trumbo, Mike Trout and Steven Souza Jr. (AL)
Picking Mark Trumbo and Steven Souza Jr. was a bit tough, but they're having too good of seasons for me to ignore. Although they likely won't be the top vote-getters when all is said and done, they earn my vote for now. Mike Trout, on the other hand, was a no-brainer. Despite a slow start, Trout is heating things up, and is still a superstar.
Bryce Harper, Yoenis Cespedes and Ryan Braun (NL)
As with Mike Trout in the AL, picking Bryce Harper for National League outfield was the easiest choice of the three. But after a lot of debate between the candidates to fill the other places, I wound up choosing Yoenis Cespedes and Ryan Braun, who are each having uniquely great seasons, and are each very exciting players to watch.
Jake Arrieta No-Hits the Reds in Blowout Game
The Cubs absolutely pummeled the Reds on Thursday night, scoring sixteen runs to Cincinnati's zero-spot. But it wasn't the blowout by the Cubs — including the "home run cycle" of a solo homer, a two-run homer, a three-run homer and a grand slam — that the baseball world was buzzing about when the final out was recorded. Instead, it was once again Jake Arrieta.
Arrieta only struck out six batters in the game, but he was still able to mow down the Reds' batters, throwing the first no-hitter of 2016, and the second in his last eleven regular season starts. With the no-no, Arrieta joins Max Scherzer, Tim Lincecum, Homer Bailey and Justin Verlander as the only active pitchers with multiple no-hitters for their career.
But there's something about Arrieta that makes this no-hitter extra special. Once a forgotten man within the Orioles' system, in which he posted ERA's well above 4.00 in each of his four seasons in Baltimore, Arrieta has been dominant ever since arriving on the scene with the Cubs in 2013. Through four starts this season, Arrieta is 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA, and has been the biggest part in leading the Cubs to having the best team ERA in all of baseball of 2.14.
Winning the Cy Young award last season for his historic outings, Arrieta is well on his way to doing so again this season. Having gone 20-1 in his last 24 regular season starts, with a collective 0.86 ERA, Arrieta has transformed himself into something special as of late, and there are no signs of him stopping anytime soon.
But with the Cubs now 12-4, and with the best winning percentage among all the teams in baseball, there is something more important on the minds of people than Arrieta individually. The question many people are asking with such a hot start is whether or not 2016 will finally be the Cubs' year as had been predicted before the season began.
If Jake Arrieta has anything to say about it, the answer very well could be yes.
My First Games of 2016 Taking Place This Week
If you've been following this blog for any extended period of time, or if you've simply taken the time to peruse through the hundreds of posts I've written, you know that one of the many things I enjoy doing during any given baseball season is going out to the ballpark and getting autographs from some of baseball's up-and-coming top talent.
This season, I'm planning to be much more selective than I have been in the past with which games I go to (due to a number of factors), but I still plan on making it out to my fair share of games in 2016.
Tuesday kicks off my baseball season, as I'm heading out to watch the Mudcats take on the Salem Red Sox. The top three prospects of the Red Sox farm system — Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi — are all apart of the current Salem team, so I'm really looking forward to attending this game.
On the other side of things, the Mudcats have their top prospect, Dansby Swanson, as well as 2014 first round draft pick, Braxton Davidson. With so much talent, I'll either leave the game very elated — having gotten an autograph from most if not all of them — or very disappointed.
But while that game features four of the top 25 prospects in all of baseball, making it one of the best minor league games I've ever been to (talent-wise) in my life, the next game on the docket for me isn't far behind.
On the following Sunday, April 24th, I'm planning on heading out to Durham to see them take on the visiting Indianapolis Indians — the Pirate's Triple-A affiliate. I'd been looking forward to seeing this team since last season, when I projected so many good players to be apart of their roster. Three of their top four prospects makeup this team, in Tyler Glasnow, Josh Bell and Jameson Taillon, in addition to Alen Hanson, their number ten prospect. Thus, it should turn out to be a great game.
All in all, this coming week, I'm planning to see eight of the top 53 prospects in person (including Blake Snell for the Bulls). With this season so uncertain as to how often I'll be out at the ballpark, it's nice to get off to such a great start to the year. No matter how the season winds up panning out for me autograph-wise over the next five months, I'm still planning to blog about it all (as I have in the past) after I've attended my last game sometime in September.
Vincent Velasquez Completely Shuts Down the Padres
If you aren't already familiar with Vincent Velasquez, you inevitably will be very soon.
On Tuesday afternoon against the Padres, Velasquez absolutely dominated San Diego's lineup, allowing just three hits and striking out 16 batters over the course of his complete game shutout, in which Velasquez received 27 swings and misses. This following his first outing of the season, where Velasquez struck out nine over six innings, giving up no runs, it would appear that he's already in midseason form.
Velasquez has now struck out twenty-five batters in just fifteen innings of work, and subsequently holds the new record for a Phillies pitcher of most combined K's in their first two starts of the season, previously set at 20 back in 1964.
Originally a product of the Astros, getting drafted by them in the second round of the 2010 draft, Velasquez came to Philadelphia as part of the Ken Giles trade this past offseason. To this point, it would appear to be a great move on the part of Philadelphia (especially with Giles getting off to a slow start with Houston).
But Velasquez's career hasn't been a smooth ride to the top.
Back in 2011, Velasquez underwent Tommy John surgery (an all too common procedure at this point), forcing him to miss the entire 2011 season. In addition to the injuries, once Velasquez finally did make it to the major leagues, he didn't immediately post the type of numbers he has recently, notching a 4.37 ERA over 19 total games pitched and 7 starts in 2015, leaving many to question him moving forward.
However, Velasquez appears ready to take off.
It certainly can't come soon enough for Philadelphia, who has been fairly pathetic in recent years. While they dominated their opponents for a number of years in a row not too long ago, they have been in the process of rebuilding over the past few seasons But other than Velasquez, the Phillies' pitching staff merely consists of standouts Aaron Nola and Jeremy Hellickson — nothing close to resembling their rotation of 2011 that included Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay.
Likewise, the Phillies lack a good, intimidating lineup, currently possessing very little power threats within it. With Ryan Howard no longer the slugger he once was, and seemingly on his last stretch with Philly, Maikel Franco is truly the only major power threat available of what was once an efficient offensive machine.
But there is help on the way, with the Phillies holding seven of the top 100 prospects in baseball throughout their farm systems. Pitching-wise, the Phillies have guys such as Jake Thompson and Mark Appel in Triple-A, both of which are ready to help very soon. Hitting-wise, J.P. Crawford and Nick Williams are coming fast, and should be contributing to the run scoring in Philadelphia before too long.
With the win on Thursday afternoon, the Phillies have now won three straight, and five of their last six, keeping their overall record for the season at .500 (5-5). Inevitably, however, the Phillies will taper out of contention as the year goes on, and as other teams begin to figure things out, ultimately finishing at or near the bottom of the National League East division.
Even so, once every fifth day, Phillies fans will be reminded by Velasquez that their club is well on their way to transforming back into a contender once again, as it was for so many years not so long ago. Rebuilding is a process that takes time, as well as patience on both the part of the team and the fans.
But as Vincent Velasquez proved on Tuesday, the rebuild is getting closer to completion.
Fastest and Slowest Starts to the 2016 Season
It's been said time and time again by myself and other people around baseball, but it's worth repeating: You can't always take a team's or player's hot or cold start to a season in stone as to how they will perform over the rest of the season.
While it's easy to overreact and declare that a team predicted to finish last is now World Series bound because they got off to a good start (or the opposite, that your favorite team is doomed because they're yet to win a game), it's still very early, with extremely small sample sizes to look at. But despite that, I decided to take a look anyhow at the starts teams and players around baseball have had to kick off 2016:
Fastest Starts
1 — Orioles (5-0)
2 — Cubs (5-1)
3 — Reds (5-1)
The Orioles are off to a surprisingly good start (their best since 1970). While their team has the ability to win often, I would never have guessed that they would be the only undefeated team remaining in baseball a week into the season. Chicago, on the other hand, is off to the great start that people around the baseball world predicted, and are well under way to their World Series destiny. Like Baltimore, the Reds are also over performing tremendously. Them kicking off their season 5-1 isn't how I ever thought things would pan out for them.
1 — Tyler White (.556, 3 HR, 9 RBI)
2 — Eugenio Suarez (.435, 4 HR, 9 RBI)
3 — Trevor Story (.333, 7 HR, 12 RBI)
None of these three were household names before the season got underway, but they are each posting numbers that would qualify them as such towards the end of the season. Tyler While is absolutely on fire for the Astros, as is Eugenio Suarez for the Reds. Both will look to continue to lead their given teams. However, while they are each off to hot starts, the talk of the baseball world is Trevor Story. Although Story has numerous players ahead of him in the batting average department, I included him on this list because of his historic seven homers over the course of his first six career games.
Slowest Starts
1 — Twins (0-6)
2 — Braves (0-5)
3 — Marlins (1-3)
It's not all that surprising that these three teams are at the very bottom of the pack among the other 27 teams in the baseball standings. Despite an unbelievable season last year, in which the Twins proved many people wrong, they are off to the worst start in their franchises history. The Braves aren't faring any better, having yet to win a ballgame, with the Marlins having notched one victory, but still not seemingly on the verge of postseason glory when October rolls around.
1 — Curtis Granderson (.050, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
2 — Logan Morrison (.056, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
3 — Brad Miller (.059, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Having yet to record a home run isn't all that rare this time of season, nor is it unheard of to have recorded hits that didn't result in a single run batted in. But to be hitting below .100 at any point in the year is a clear sign that your bat has gone ice cold. That's certainly the case for Curtis Granderson, who is hitting just .050 on the year to this point. Logan Morrison is not far behind, with a mere .056 average, with teammate Brad Miller hitting just .059. While they will each inevitably raise their averages as the season goes on, it's certainly not the start they were hoping to get off to.
As you can see, there are tons of teams and players who are off to amazingly great starts, with others having yet to show up. Over the course of the 162-game season, the majority of teams and players will inevitably wind up close to where they were predicted to end up before the season began (given, there are always a few surprises). But even so, it's always fun to take a look to see what kind of start players and teams get off to when any given season begins. How long it lasts is the part that will be intriguing to watch.
Trevor Story Wasting No Time Setting Records
Any time a baseball player makes their MLB debut, it's bound to be a special day for them. When it happens on Opening Day, it makes it all that more thrilling. But Trevor Story has taken things a step further, not only doing both of the aforementioned things this season, but also exploding onto the scene with the Rockies.
In his brief, three-game MLB career, Story has already accomplished something that no other player in baseball history has ever been able to do. Over the course of his first few games in the bigs, Story has proceeded to launch four home runs (one of which was off 2015 NL Cy Young winner, Zack Greinke), hitting at least one in every single game he's played, and becoming the first player to ever do so in three straight games to lead off their career.
After a strong Spring Training showing, the Rockies felt confident that Story could be brought up to the majors to fill the void left by Jose Reyes during his absence from the team, but no one could have anticipated Story performing the way he has to this point.
Story is now batting .286 on the season (his only four hits have been home runs) with 4 home runs and 7 RBI's over the course of three games, and has gone from an under the radar prospect in the Rockies farm system to a star overnight. While I'll be the first to admit that Story inevitably won't be able to keep up this historic pace, currently hitting a home run every 3.5 at-bats, it's still amazing to watch while it lasts.
But while Story will ultimately not reach his on-pace number of 200+ home runs for the season, all signs point to him continuing to produce quality number for the Rockies, likely for years to come. While Corey Seager was the heavy favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year award after his terrific stint with the Dodgers towards the end of last season, it appears that Story is going to give Seager a run for his money.
Although this is baseball, where guys can go from being red hot to ice cold in the matter of a single game, Story is well on his way to breaking his career high of 20 home runs set last season in the minors between Double-A and Triple-A. After all, Story is yet to play a single game at home in Coors Field, where the ball is known to fly out of the park.
It's crazy to think, but Trevor Story might be just getting started.
Justin Verlander Shines in First Start of 2016
A quick glance at the box score of Tuesday night's Tigers game versus the Marlins wouldn't necessarily leave you to believe it, but Justin Verlander was terrific on the evening. Yes, he gave up three earned runs; and no, he didn't strike out a ton, or receive the win for that matter. But he showed flashes of the old Verlander that the baseball world has come to miss.
Following a 67 start stretch over the course of 2011 and 2012, in which Verlander went 41-13 with a combined 2.52 ERA, winning a Cy Young and MVP award, he has recorded a 3.84 ERA ever since. Heading into this season, you truly didn't know what to expect from the six-time All-Star, but he hit the ground running right out of the gate in game one of the year for his 2016 campaign.
Verlander carried a no-hitter all the way into the sixth inning on Tuesday night. But, unfortunately, that's when things began to fall apart. After surrendering hit number one, in the form of a double to Dee Gordon, Verlander proceeded to give up an RBI-single to Marcell Ozuna and a two-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton, which brought the score up to 5-3, Tigers. However, despite the poor inning, it was just that — one inning. Verlander had already proven in the previous five that he still has a ton of talent remaining.
It's been quite some time since Justin Verlander performed anywhere near the caliber of pitcher he was just a few seasons ago. However, if his first start of the year is any indication, the old Verlander could be on the verge of breaking out once again. For the Tigers' sake, they better hope so. Detroit's lineup is more than good enough to produce a very special season, but their starting rotation has a few question mark; the biggest of which being Verlander heading into this season.
Even so, if Justin Verlander can continue to build upon his outing on Tuesday night, the Tigers could end up surprising quite a few people around the baseball world when all is said and done.
Baseball Returns With a Three-Game Slate
It's been a little over five months since the last non-exhibition Major League Baseball game was played, but meaningful baseball is finally taking place again today (Opening Day, part one). After a month of Spring Training games, six of baseball's thirty teams are scheduled to dual it out over the course of this afternoon and evening, with the remaining twenty-four squads playing their opening games on Monday.
Game one of the regular season is set to kick off at 1:05, and sees the Cardinals taking on the Pirates in a National League Central battle. Francisco Liriano and Adam Wainwright are the scheduled starters for the contest, leaving little to doubt that it will be a great game. With the NL Central likely to be a very close race throughout the coming 162 games, it's never been more important to get off to a good start against a division rival.
The second game on the docket for today is another divisional faceoff, as the Blue Jays are going up against their American League East counterpart Rays. While the Rays aren't predicted to hold up against Toronto in the long run, anything can happen in the first game of the year. On the mound for Tampa is Chris Archer, with Marcus Stroman toeing the rubber for the Jays. It will likely be a fun one to watch, with this game beginning at 4:05 in the afternoon.
But while the previous two games are sure to be exciting and well worth watching, the one I'm going to be watching the closest and am looking forward to the most is the World Series rematch between the Mets and the Royals at 8:37. Game five of the Fall Classic way back on November 1st saw Matt Harvey starting for the Mets, with Edinson Volquez setting the tone for Kansas City, which just so happens to be the pitching matchup for tonight. For that reason, this should wind up being an unbelievable game.
As we all know, the Royals walked away World Series champions over the Mets in 2015, however, that was last season. It's a new year, and with it comes new opportunities for each and every team around baseball. The road to the World Series starts with game one, and the first week always promises excitement from teams and individual players around baseball, as they all look to get off to hot starts.
Let the season begin.


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From the smallest biotech to the biggest pharmaceutical stock, The Motley Fool's Market Check-Up covers the health-care sector's biggest headlines, hottest market movers, and Obamacare's ongoing rollout.
In this segment, health-care analyst David Williamson discusses Merck's (NYSE: MRK ) latest anti-viral successes. The company now has a new HPV vaccine that offers protection not only against the four strains that the company's previous vaccine covers against, but also against five additional strains. David also says he likes Merck's hepatitis C drug combo, currently in phase 2 trials, even though it may be a bit late to the game in this space. David tells investors what he likes about these two developments but also discusses why he isn't excited about these drugs just yet.
Getting a handle on cancer
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subset: commoncrawl


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Yesterday, The Jersey Journal reported on a wreath-laying ceremony by the local George Washington Society as part of the Presidents' Day observance at the Apple Tree House on Academy Street in Jersey City. What some NJ.com commenters couldn't get past was the $4.1 million funding for repairs and planning for incomplete renovations of the house.
Local legend has it that Washington met with the Marquis de Lafayette in 1779 at the house and the pair under an apple tree in the backyard. The tree later fell during a storm and a walking stick made from the tree was given to Lafayette. There is no proof that the meeting ever took place.
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In a related story, the 100 years war was finished in less time than it will have taken to rebuild the World Trade Center.
OMG, so far $4.1 Million has gone into the restoration of a house that 'local legend' says Washington met with Lafayette. I grew up in that neighborhood and my father was waked there. A small sign used to signify the alleged event, but it seems like an enormous amount for such a small venue with $700k left for the landscaping and yet there are no plans for its future. It brings back memories of the School Construction Corp.
Who financed this fiasco?
Better to buy a round of drinks at Jack Miller's Pub.
"I cannot tell a lie..." $4.1 million went missing! Wonder how much was spent on rent-a fence since 2005.
Guess the mayor is trying to make the rest of the city feel like Valley Forge with the poor snow removal.
What's with all the pix at bar? Clearly this project (lots 'o money!) is about the people!!! Same old, same old for NJ/JC.
All that money spent and still a 19th century porch remains! Yikes!!
$4.8 Million????????


text: It has a kind of bullying attitude..that's what I see. The first clip pushing a sandwich in a girls face..not cool and not classy at all .2nd, butting in on a girls conversation when she is with another man and bashing her..hmm not very nice.. I dont think the commercial makes a Cougar look good at all .There was no class and definitely no respect. It makes it look like us Cougars are women who think we can do what we want to who we want.


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HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Clear blue skies, a gentle breeze, plenty of sunshine and rows of beautiful flowers. What better way to kick of the annual Spring Plant Sale at the Huntsville Botanical Garden?
Gardening enthusiasts swarmed the sale by the dozen, moseying through row after row of plants, planning and plotting each purchase, all while enjoying the perfect spring weather.
Members of the Garden are invited to opening day of the sale, which takes place today, April 10, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
The sale will open to the public Friday and Saturday, April 11-12, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., as well as Sunday, April 13, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Garden Guild's Spring Plant Sale is the largest plant sale in North Alabama.
Customers can browse through an assortment of annuals, ferns, geraniums, a huge selection of herbs, cherished heirloom plants, houseplants, orchids, perennials, old-fashioned roses, vegetable plants, water plants, wildflowers, shrubs, vines, trees and much more.
All varieties have been specially selected to thrive in North Alabama.
Visit the Botanical Garden website for more information about the sale.


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Halak Inks Four-Year Deal
Finally, Halak is officially a member of the St. Louis Blues. Acquired in a trade with Montreal that sent Lars Eller packing, the Blues obtained the rights to Halak but still needed to work out a contract with the goaltender. Today, Halak signed a four-year deal signaling that the Blues have officially acquired their man in net.
Gone are the days of the Blues targeting a veteran netminder that has likely seen his best days pass by. Gone are the days of having two backups and no clear starter. Welcome to the Jaroslav Halak era.
Sure, the trade went down a while back but the Blues still were faced with the task of signing their goaltender now that they had the rights to him. Today the club announced that Halak has signed a four-year deal.
The deal works out like this:
2010-11: $2.75 million
2011-12: $3.50 million
2012-13: $4.25 million
2013-14: $4.50 million
Average cap hit = $3.75 million
Clearly, the Blues feel that Halak has what it takes to be their man for years to come, and have designed a deal built to reward his expected improvement as the years pass by.


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I'm back, and this time I really mean it!
I won't bother apologizing for another extended absence. If you've been following my adventures at all, you know that I recently located back to the United States after four years in Sicily. If that's not a reason to take a month off, I don't know what is! Continue reading →


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Disney (NYSE: DIS ) has a new virtual world for gamers to explore. Don't expect Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI ) to be happy about it.
The family entertainment giant introduced Disney Infinity yesterday. When the gaming platform rolls out in June for all three major video game consoles and PCs, fans will be able to purchase one of three play sets. Actual figurines docked into a portal will then be transported into the virtual realms that can be customized along the way. Whether someone wants to be Jack Sparrow or Monsters, Inc.'s Mike Wazowksi, they can create the seemingly endless combinations that will continue to multiply as Disney introduces new figurines.
Now, anyone who has played the Activision Blizzard's Skylanders franchise will find some of these elements strangely familiar. Docking data-storing action figures on a base that transforms the figurines into a virtual game is exactly what helped Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure become the industry's biggest seller through the first half of 2012.
The video game industry has been struggling for three years, so when you have a hit, you milk it. Now it seems as if Disney is out to steal some of Activision Blizzard's thunder, if not its young gamers.
Don't underestimate Disney's potential here. The original figures are limited to Pixar and Disney icons, but isn't it just a matter of time before Marvel and Star Wars jump into the fray?
If anything, Disney may actually be doing the industry a favor.
Think about GameStop (NYSE: GME ) . The video game retailer has been in a world of hurt lately. It has hosed down its same-store sales guidance four times over the past year. As the industry goes digital, there isn't much of a market for the prepackaged software and the higher-margin resales. Well, tangible action figures are required here -- and they're going to get traded in along the way.
What if Disney Infinity is the franchise that gets younger gamers -- the ones who no longer care about playing traditional console games with their brothers when they can play free apps on tablets -- interested in video games again? Yes, the House of Mouse is blatantly ripping off Activision Blizzard here, even though the actual game has little in common with Skylanders beyond the setup. However, if Disney's ambitious mission here breathes new life into a dying industry, Activision Blizzard may want to be thanking Disney instead of branding it a copycat.
Disney has been a longtime pick of Motley Fool superinvestor David Gardner, and has soared more than 2,498% since he first recommended it in June 2002! David specializes in identifying game-changing companies like this long before others are keen to their disruptive potential and helping like-minded investors profit while Wall Street catches up. Learn more about how he picks his winners with a free online tour of his flagship service: Supernova. Inside you'll discover the science behind his market-trouncing returns. Just click here now for instant access.


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Jérôme Kerviel, the rogue trader who brought Société Générale to its knees when he lost almost €5 billion, made a final attempt to avoid jail yesterday.
The 37-year-old hairdresser's son from Brittany went to La Cour de Cassation, France's high court, to overturn his conviction for breach of trust and fraud.
His lawyer told judges that the French investment bank where Mr Kerviel worked should shoulder some of the blame for France's biggest financial scandal.
Mr Kerviel was given a five-year jail sentence, with two years suspended, by the Paris Appeal Court in 2012 in connection with the scandal, which


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By far the largest town on the Vesterålen islands, HARSTAD is just 130km from Narvik and easily reached by car, bus and the Hurtigruten coastal boat. Home to much of northern Norway's engineering industry, its sprawling docks are a tangle of supply ships, repair yards and cold-storage plants spread out along the gentle slopes of the Vågsfjord. This may not sound too enticing, and it's true that Harstad wins few beauty contests, but the town does have the odd attraction, and if you're tired of sleepy Norwegian villages, it at least puts on something of a bustling interlude. The downtown core has little appeal, though the comings and goings of the ferry boats are a diversion, and almost everything you need is conveniently clustered around the harbour, with the bus station, and the jetties for the Hurtigbåt and Hurtigruten boats within a few metres of each other. The only other spark of interest takes place in late June, when the eight-day North Norway Arts Festival (Festspillene i Nord-Norge; wfestspillnn.no) provides concerts, drama and dance performances; note, however, that the town's hotels are full to bursting throughout the proceedings.
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A scenic drive: from Harstad to Andenes
A scenic drive: from Harstad to Andenes
The drive between Vesterålen's two main settlements is one of Northern Norway's most atmospheric, its wild and isolated coasts evoking both desolation and surpreme awe. Although Andenes lies northwest of Harstad, it's reached by heading south out of town along the E10, then it's 50km southwest along the fjord to the turning for the Lødingen ferry and a further 50km to the bridge that spans the sound over to Sortland. On the near side of this Sortland bridge, Highway 82 begins its 100-kilometre trek north, snaking along the craggy edge of Hinnøya island before crossing a second bridge over to humdrum Risøyhamn, the only Hurtigruten stop on Andøya, the most northerly of the Vesterålen islands. Beyond Risøyhamn, the scenery is much less dramatic, as the mountains give way to hills in the west and a vast, peaty moor in the east. Highway 82 strips across this moorland and, despite offering panoramic views of the mountains back on the mainland, it's an uneventful journey on to Andenes. If you have time to spare, consider taking the more scenic route along the west coast of Andøya, branching off from Highway 82 just past Risøyhamn to pass through a series of tiny villages like Nordmela, Stave and Bleik (see Puffin safaris).


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This house was built in 1933 and is currently listed at $2,750,900. It has six bedrooms and nine baths. For more information on this property, click here.
This elevator goes to one of two master bedrooms suites. For more information on this property, click here.
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