WallyWeaver

Great picture, R&S. With any luck that's what will happen to me at my first game! I do have to say, it's pretty amazing how many people have been talking to me about getting into hockey lately. I'm getting it here on DV, 2 of my best friends are now pressuring me about it, and even my own Mother wants to go see a Duck's game with me this year! Sheesh, it's like a full-court press to turn me into a hockey fan! Ah well, at least I'm not being pressured to watch Soccer.... To me that is the most useless sport of all and I don't ever see myself liking it. Here's my quick list of why I will never like soccer: 1. No violence 2. No risk for serious bodily injury (ie. fastball to the head, bone-jarring hit from a LB, fast moving puck, etc.) In my opinion there has to be an element of danger to make a sport exciting. 3. You only use your legs in Soccer, how lame is that? In all major American sports the entire body is utilized. Soccer is essentially wasting usage of the entire upper body! I could definitely see myself becomming a fan of Soccer if, for example, NFL style tackling was allowed. That would be fantastic! 4. Not enough scoring. Watching a bunch of dudes run up and down the field with no violence and very little scoring makes for a very boring game, in my opinion. 5. Little girls play Soccer, literally. (In my experience little girls do not play full contact football and they do not play baseball (they play softball) or hockey). If a little girl can play it what does that say about the grown men who play it?.... Okay, that's just my quick list. Take care. WW. PS: With all of this pressure to go see a NHL game I'm confident it will happen soon. I'll keep you updated. Also, sorry about the Soccer tirade, I just really don't like the sport (in case you couldn't tell). The rest of the world can have their pansy sport, we'll keep our violence thank you very much.

A tryout for the Big Red Machine vs. a job at the chemical plant?...... That's one of those decisions that can haunt a person for awhile. The "what if's" of life, right? Okay: here's my complete 2013 MLB playoff's breakdown: Division Winners: AL East: Tampa Bay AL Central: Detroit Tiger's AL West: LA Angel's NL East: Washington National's NL Central: Cincinnati Red's NL West: LA Dodger's (AKA LA Doyer's in SoCal only) AL Wild Card: Toronto Blue Jay's AL Wild Card: NY Yankee's NL Wild Card: Atlanta Brave's NL Wild Card: San Fransisco Giant's ALCS: Detroit Tiger's vs. LA Angel's NLCS: Atlanta Brave's vs. Washington National's World Series: LA Angel's vs. Washington National's World Series Champ: LA Angel's (Yep, I'm that much of a homer) Think about it, though: This is a lineup that produced the third best offense in MLB last year, and now they have Josh Hamilton! There are 4 guys in that lineup who have 30+ HR potential (Pujols, Hamilton, Trout, Trumbo) and 3 of them have 40+ HR potential (Pujols, Hamilton, Trumbo). By the way, Pujols has hit over 40 three times in his career and Hamilton has done it once, so far. The Angel's will also have the best outfield in MLB, both offensively and defensively, with Trout in LF, Peter Bourjos in CF, and Josh Hamilton in RF. Coming off the bench you have past All Star and Gold Glover Vernon Wells and also Mark Trumbo will see time out there. I'm sorry, but no other outfield comes close (sorry Atlanta Braves). What about All Star's Jered Weaver and CJ Wilson at the top of the rotation? And then you add a solid guy like Jason Vargas? Sheesh! And don't forget about adding Ryan Madson and Sean Burnett to the Bull Pen with current sutds Ernesto Frieri, Kevin Jepsen, and Scott Downs. The bottom line is the Angel's biggest weakness last year was the Bull Pen. Last year the Halo's led the Major's with 22 blown saves! If they could've cut that in half they would've had the best record in baseball last year. Now that the Bull Pen issue has been addressed (Madson and Burnett) I expect the Angel's to be the best team in MLB in 2013. Again: big-time homer, I know, but that's how I see it. WW. PS: If the IQD hits before the WS my family would love to meet your family. That sounds like it would be a lot of fun, especially if the Halo's make it.

Hey Patty. No, I'm still hanging around, just not as much. Life has been starting to get busy again as I rapidly approach a return to work date. I have to tell you, I haven't been this excited to return back to work, maybe ever.... I'm more than willing to talk baseball with anyone else who wants to, there just haven't been anymore takers. Feel free to step up to the plate, my friend! I'm well versed and pretty opinionated when it comes to just about anything that has to do with baseball. Maybe someone would like to make their case for the best pitcher in baseball today. How about the best pitcher, ever? Who has an opinion on the greatest hitter of all time? What about the best team ever? I'm ready and waiting! WW.

These kind of articles crack me up. WW.

Man, I really feel special now..... At the end of the day I grew my brokerage account by 30% last year! I guess the real moral of the story is, at least for now, the best markets to make money are the US markets. Interesting read, though. And thanks for brining it over, my friend. The bottom line is, however, the more I learn about the markets the more convinced I become that the day will come when I will be able to trade/ invest for a living. WW.

Wow, you had it right, Caz! Unfortunately you did lose Prado and it never feels good losing All-Star talent in a trade, I can relate (see Kendrys Morales). But look at that outfield! Take it from a guy whose team was considered one of the best defensive outfields in baseball last year (Mike Trout, Torii Hunter): having a great defensive outfield makes a HUGE difference. As good as your guys' pitchers are this will only make them better (less balls will be finding grass out there). A great defensive outfield gives a huge advantage to any team. I did hear Buster Olney say this gives the Brave's possibly the best outfield in all of baseball. To that I say: "Heavy emphasis on POSSIBLY, bud." Let's not forget the Angel's will be fielding an outfield of : Mike Trout in LF, Peter Bourjos in CF, and Josh Hamilton in RF. Plus we've got past All Star and Gold Glover Vernon Wells coming off the bench as our reserve outfielder. How can that not be the best outfield in baseball, no questions asked, both offensively and defensively? I guess the bottom line is this is going to be a GREAT season. There are so many teams that are going to be competitive this year. When it's all said and done the 2013 MLB playoff's could be one of the most competitive/ exciting to watch in MLB history! Can't wait to see your Brave's get it going. And, again, best of luck this year! WW.

Hey, Caz, thanks for the info. on Tommy. He's slotted to be our #4 pitcher in the rotation this year and yes, he is a SoCal kid. Actually, many of our players originated from SoCal and grew up going to Angel's games. So that's pretty cool. I suppose it's pretty cool when you end up playing for the team you rooted for as a kid. By the way, I was just watching MLB Network and the word on the street is the Brave's have a very good shot to land Justin Upton from the D'Back's. Any deal for Upton (or Kubel) will be completed before this Friday, so keep your eyes open.... But could you imagine that? That would give the Brave's an outfield of BJ Upton, Justin Upton, and Jason Heyward.... that would be nuts. If they can close the deal on Upton, depending on who they have to give up, I definitely think the Braves will be contenders next year. I already thought they would be but this seals it. Think about it: solid rotation (1-5 starters), one of the best bull pens in baseball (Kimbrel), and now a studly offensive/ defensive outfield. Wow! Could be Angel's vs. Brave's in the World Series..... that would be fun. Anyway, take care. WW.

It's okay..... never to late to catch up, though. Take care. WW. It's all good, R&S. I suppose I should get into hockey at some point, anyway. Heck, the Kings just won the Stanley Cup.... I live much closer to the Ducks, though. Actually, the Honda Center (where the Duck's play) and the Big A (where the Angel's play) are right next to each other (walking distance). Maybe I will check out a live Ducks game this year, in your honor. Hope you are well, my friend. Take care. WW.

Thanks pg! You seem like a pretty impressive fellow.... Still playing hockey at 55? That's fantastic! It's contributions like yours that are making this thread what it is! WW.

Wow, great news for pm bulls. Hang in there, folks, 2013 could be a fantastic year, indeed! WW. Massive Squeeze Coming as World Gold Council Confirms Gold-Backed Yuan 01/23/2013 King World News is pleased to break the news first in the world for our global readers that the World Gold Council has now confirmed the Chinese are going to back the yuan with gold. Today a legend in the business, Keith Barron, who consults with major companies around the world and is responsible for one of the largest gold discoveries in the last quarter century, informed KWN of this development and also stated, “... the gold and silver bulls are going to begin to trample the bears at some point in the near future.” Here is what Barron had to say: “This is what I have heard firsthand regarding the silver shortage. I spoke to a dealer where I purchase gold and silver in the United States. He just told me that immediately after the Presidential Inauguration his firm immediately began selling the hell out of monster boxes of US silver eagles.” Keith Barron continues: “This dealer informed me that business is absolutely crazy right now and he can't keep product on the shelf because it's flying out the door. I would also like to mention two items which are very important that the KWN readers should be aware of. The first one is regarding an investment group…. “This is actually a hedge fund named Pacific Group, which is converting 1/3 of its hedge fund assets into physical gold. They have already taken delivery of $35 million worth of gold bars. The head of the fund was quoted by Bloomberg as saying, “In our judgment we are in the early stages of what would likely be the world's largest short squeeze in any instrument.” This goes back to what we were talking about the last time I was interviewed on KWN regarding gold repatriation back to Germany. Basically what these guys are saying is if everyone goes to claim their gold at the same time, the world will witness an incredible short-squeeze. I believe the world will see that short squeeze in gold. The Germans have given the U.S. 7 years for a small portion of their gold, which is supposedly stored at the Fed, to be repatriated. But I'm sure that if it starts to look difficult to get it back the Germans will accelerate the process. This will simply add fuel to the massive squeeze which lies in front of us. This will literally cause a feeding frenzy as the gold market explodes higher. The second thing I want to make KWN readers aware of is the report which was commissioned by the World Gold Council. This is an incredible document, especially coming from the World Gold Council because it's basically saying that the Chinese are going to back their currency with gold. This would, in turn, displace the US dollar and make the Chinese yuan the world's reserve currency. The Chinese are sitting on piles of dollars right now, and while the US continues its decline, the reality is that all of the fiat currencies are in a race to the bottom. We just saw the Bank of Japan yesterday talk about opening up QE and printing vast sums of money. This will be an attempt to reverse their deflation with inflation. This move by the Japanese is very, very bullish for gold. But between what is happening with the set up for the coming short squeeze in gold, coupled with the Chinese moving to back the yuan with gold, and the shortages we are seeing in the silver market, the outlook for gold and silver going forward are spectacular. Quite frankly, the gold and silver bulls are going to begin to trample the bears at some point in the near future.” Link: http://kingworldnews...acked_Yuan.html

Wow R&S, I love to learn new things about people that I didn't know, especially when it's something I didn't expect. I certainly never would've thought of you as a hockey player. Football lover: check. Gun enthusiast: check. Big heart: check. Midwesterner: check. And now, Hockey Player/ lover: check. Pretty cool! Did you play in college? Adult leagues? etc...... I've never played hockey before as it's not really all that big out here in SoCal, at least not when I was growing up. It may be now but I'm a long way away from being a kid. It was just too warm out here in the beach cities where I spent my youth to get into a sport like that. It was pretty much football, basketball, and baseball as our big 3. All sports you can play in the warm southern California sun. Anyway, neat story on the guy who could read the brand label on a hockey puck. That is pretty crazy, no doubt about it. I wasn't bothered by your ribbin', I think I'm just used to defending the merits of baseball as a natural reaction. Also, I love to debate/ defend things I'm passionate about, it's enjoyable to me. But, I didn't see your posts as anything but light-hearted jabs and I wasn't upset about them in the least. If that's as bad as it gets in putting up with you then you will be the easiest friend I've ever had to get along with! Take care. WW.

Wow, Patty! Look at you laying down the baseball info. Nice work! I'm very, very impressed. Letting Nolan Ryan get away stands as a black mark on the pages of Angel's history. It has to go down as the biggest bonehead move of all time for an Angel's GM. No joke..... And now he's the GM for the Ranger's, too. I guess the Angel's reaped what they sowed.... My best friend growing-up was a huge Craig Biggio fan so I always got an earful of how great Biggio was. I was actually a little surprised he didn't make it into the HOF on the recent vote. My guess is he will get in and it will happen soon. I love the story about your Mother and I can SOOO relate to that. I think I've missed something like 5 or 6 Angel's games over the past 5 years (no kidding). I either catch games on the radio, on TV, or I head over to watch a game in person after work (I work about 20 minutes away from the stadium, which is awesome). It's absolutely true that if they win I go to bed happy and am generally happy all next day. If they lose I'm miserable and don't want to talk much to anyone for the rest of the night. Pretty sad, huh? Anyway, I'm so happy you decided to have such a presence in this thread. WW.

Wow, cool! The WW. household just got a signed and framed Rod Carew Angel's jersey for Christmas. We're pretty excited about it over here. One of the greatest hitters of all time, no doubt.... I really like the Brave's chances this year with that fantastic bullpen and pretty good pitching, in general. The bottom line is dominant pitching wins championships, just ask the Giants. The only possible issue I could see with that team is the loss of Chipper. Sometimes it can be tough to lose the presence of a legend, both on the field and in the clubhouse. So we'll see how they adjust. I really like the Brave's chances this year, though. Believe it or not I think it will be between them and the Nationals for who represents the NL in the World Series. Hey, quick question: do you have any insider info. on Tommy Hanson? We traded Jordan Walden (power armed reliever) for Tommy straight-up a few moths ago. Would love to get a fans perspective on that guy. Noticed he had a bit of a rough year last year.... Here's some of my observations on Jordan: Walden is a right handed power pitcher who routinely hits the high 90's and even hits triple digits (100 MPH) occasionally with his fast ball. He also has a slider and was working on a change-up last year but never looked comfortable with it. He has a bit of a hitch in his throwing motion which always makes me wonder about longevity. Anglel's had high hopes for him as a closer but he wasn't able to make the leap. He's still very young, though, and is still developing. Anyway, best wishes to your Braves. I think they will do well in 2013. Thanks for joining the conversation! WW.

I have a confession to make: I have manager-envy with your team. This might seem like blasphemy to many Angel's fans but I was secretly hoping the Halo's were going to hire Francona out of his analyst role and replace Scioscia. I know, it's terrible; I probably shouldn't have admitted that. I even feel bad writing it because I love Scioscia. But Francona might be the best current Manager in the game. He consistently out-managed Sciosica in the play-offs, for years, when he was the Skipper of the Red Sox. The man knows how to produce a winning ball club. All that to say, you guys have a good one at the helm. It really seems like the Tribe are starting to be interested in winning again after a decade of consistently trading away their best players (see CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, among others). Good luck to you guys this year. I hope you give the Tiger's fits! WW.

Aw, thanks for the nice words, KK! If Mr. KK loves the Angel's then I'm confident we would be able to talk for many, many hours. Below is another great video for Angel's fans. This one is of the amazing Mike Trout (we call him Trouty here in SoCal). It may be a bit premature but I've been calling him the Michael Jordan of baseball as there doesn't seem to be anything that he can't do. It's especially remarkable when you consider he spent most of last year as 20 year old! Anyway, if anyone wants to see what a true 5-tool baseball player looks like check out this video, I guarantee you will be amazed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b6K-oj8bQo

Didn't know you were a hockey guy, R&S. But yeah, there are a lot of difficult scenarios in sports. Have you ever seen that show Pro's vs. Joe's? It's a favorite in the WW. household. The basic premise of the show is you take guys off the street and have them compete against ex-professional athletes in the sports they used to play. Pretty entertaining stuff. I love it when the "Joes" talk trash to the "Pros," it's hilarious. My only beef with the show is it seems like sometimes the Pro's hold back a little. It would be a lot more entertaining if they held nothing back and unleashed on the Joe's. I've not played hockey before but I imagine taking a 119 MPH puck in the chest wouldn't be all that pleasant. Could you imagine taking one of those in the face? Ouch!.... I will still stick with hitting a baseball from a professional pitcher as the hardest single thing to do in all of American professional sports, though. I was just talking to an ex-pro baseball player last night (close friend of mine) about this. Crazy, right? We were discussing how difficult it would be to face Justin Verlander (considered the best pitcher in baseball right now) and his 100 MPH fastball. My friend was telling me that it is virtually impossible for someone off the street to hit a ball moving that fast. He was telling me that from the time the ball leaves the pitchers hand until the time it passes home plate (the distance is 60'6") is a little under 4 tenths of a second! Professional hitters have to receive a lot of training and practice just to have a chance at a pitch moving that fast. And all we're talking about is speed, so far. They say the hardest pitch to hit in baseball is a fast ball with movement. Think about the difficulty of hitting a fast ball in the first place. And then add in the ball tailing a little to the left or a little to the right, as it crosses the plate. It's virtually unhittable, even for guys who get paid to do it for a living...... Anyway, just a few thoughts. That's usually the first thing I think of when people say baseball shoudn't even be considered a sport. I like to ask them have you ever experienced trying to hit a baseball from a professional pitcher? I guarantee it will be a humbling experience. Take care, friend. And thanks for stopping by with your input, it is appreciated. WW.

I feel for you..... I think you are going to find that the AL West is one of the toughest divisions in baseball. The pitching in this division is top notch (it's what this division has been know for for quite awhile). But now teams seem to be concentrating on offense so it should be an interesting year. That said, welcome to the AL West! It does, at least, look like your team is trying to improve by making some moves in free agency this offseason. They did sign reliever Jose Veras and DH Carlos Pena. These aren't moves that will wow anyone but they will help Houston be competitive. Good luck to you guys, you'll need it this year! Thanks for stopping by. WW.

There you go, Patty, now you're talking. There's always room for one more Angel! You probably look better in red than in blue, anyway! I must say: I did start this thread by saying I am a HUGE baseball fan. So I did give everyone a fair warning. I actually think it's been pretty cool as far as member participation goes. I've tried to start some other baseball threads before but those didn't generate too much interest. This one seems to have been somewhat of a success. So, thanks to everyone who has participated so far, I am sincerely appreciative. Oh, and I relish the trash talk, if anyone is interested..... WW.

It's okay R&S...... yeah, we're still friends. And yes, I know your post is light-hearted but I do have to defend the players in your picture. That actually looks like a minor league team for the A's (look at the logo on the hat's and add the youth of the players). I say that because there are a fair amount of guys in the minor's who also have to work jobs, sometimes full-time jobs, because not everyone makes the big bucks. I know this because I worked with a guy who also played for the Las Vegas Area 51's back when I was in my early 20's. So, there you go. The one thing I can say is in order to appreciate baseball you really have to follow the off-field stuff. In other words, a big part of baseball is understanding all of the story lines that go into making each roster. That's one thing about baseball is there's a lot of "swapping of the parts" that goes on amongst the teams, a lot more than any other major American sport, to be sure. Of course, you also have to love the technical stuff. Baseball is very technical, especially at the Major League level. In light of the saying you shared here's a little saying I've heard in reply: I've heard it said that the single hardest thing to do, in any sport, is to hit a baseball. Think on that for a bit. I do want to say that I also love football, but I am very close to boycotting the NFL. If they don't do something to loosen up some of these new rules on protecting QB's and hitting defenseless WR's I'm going to have to stop watching. It's getting a little ridiculous, if you ask me. There was actually a game this year, on a Monday night, where Michael Vick was in the pocket and just as he was about to get sacked he lowered his head into the D'lineman to protect himself. The D'lineman was penalized for roughing the passer (helmet-to-helmet contact)! I'm not kidding you when I say that was almost the last game I ever watched, I was so disgusted. It wasn't that it was just that one play, it had been many similar calls like that over this season and last year that almost caused that play to be the one that broke the camel's back. I will say this: if the NFL doesn't do something to loosen up those rules I will stop watching, simple as that. Roger Goodell is destroying the game.... Okay, I guess I got a little too serious, this is a light-hearted sports thread, after all. Maybe you will come around after the NFL declares itself as the NFFL (The National Flag Football League). Once that happens know that I'll have been keeping a seat warm for you in the world of baseball! WW.

You're too funny. No need to be afraid, most of your family has it right. No TV, huh? Here's what I can tell you on the Yankee's: You guys lost Raul Ibanez to Seattle; Russell Martin signed with the Pirates; A Rod will be out until summertime recovering from hip surgery (you signed Kevin Youkilis to play 3B until A Rod recovers); Jeter is on track to start on opening day; Ichiro signed on for 2 more years at a discount because he likes playing for the Yank's; Nick Swisher signed with the Indians; Hiroki Kuroda singed on for one more year; Mo (Mariano Rivera) should be ready on opening day, as well... that's all I've got off the top of my head. I'm sure the Yank's will be good, just like they always are. Even with all of their age problems they still finished with the best record in the AL last year. Anytime time you've got Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano in your line-up you're going to be pretty good. Throw in CC, Robertson, and Mo on the mound and I'm sure the Yanks will be fine. The only real problem they may have is finding a catcher after losing Russell Martin. But, again, I'm sure they'll have a great season. I can't believe I'm going to say this but good luck to you guys this year. I'm calling your division (AL East) the "meat grinder." WW.

Hey, thanks for bringing in your favorite team(s). I actually have a confession to make: Growing up as a kid my favorite player was Ryne Sandburg. No kidding. I actually followed the Cubbies back then because I was enamored with Ryno.... Mark Grace, Andre Dawson, Rick Sutcliffe, Greg Maddux, Harry Caray..... memories. So you must've been to at least 1 game at Wrigley? That's on my list as a place I must see.... I think the Cubbies are a team on the rise. Theo Epstein, the guy who built the Red Sox into a powerhouse, is now running the Cub's. Cub's fans just need to be patient a little longer, they should start getting good in about 2 years, in my opinion. Theo is restocking the farm system with good prospects so it's only a matter of how long it takes them to get to the Big Show. I don't have anything against the Mariner's, either. They are doing it right, as well. They're just in a tough division. I love their pitching, though. And as I stated before, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens to their offense now that they've moved their fences in. And take it from an Angel's fan: you're going to love having Kendrys Morales on your team. We call him KMO (pronounced Kay Moe) down here in SoCal. That dude is an elite level player, you'll see. I'd say good luck to your teams but neither one of them may need it in few years. WW.

What a post. You started me out with a smile and ended me off with wet eyes. My Mother lives with me now and hopefully she still has many happy years left. She's not much of a baseball fan but loves the beach so we go as often as my schedule allows it. Don't know what I'll do when she's gone. Thanks for sharing your story. WW. The D'backs puzzle me. Why are they so hesitant to trade Justin Upton when they clearly don't want him? Sheesh..... I say that because for the last two years they have been trying to deal him but still haven't pulled the trigger. It's baffling. Anyway, I have to say thank you for Jerry DiPoto, he's great (came from the D'backs front office). And our fabulous owner, Arte Moreno, used to own part of the D'backs but left to become the sole owner of the Angel's. So thanks for that, too. The NL West could be tough this year so good luck to you guys. Please try to beat the Doyers (Dodgers) as much as possible. Toronto and Washington seems to be a popular pick for the World Series this year. I can definitely see it happening. WW. Thanks for stopping by, fa. Your input is valued. I love going to games with friends and family. I have many great memories and, as you said, that's really what it's all about. Good luck to your underdogs this year! WW.

Whoa, whoa, whoa..... talk about bold predictions. I can always count on you Ranger's fans to come in and skew reality.... you guys are almost as bad as Yankee's fans. Alright, first off, let's get something straight: you guys started it by signing Vlad, Napoli, D.O. (Darren Oliver), and Darren O'Day. Yeah so we got Scott Servais in our front office along with CJ and Hambone, but that's just us getting even! And boy are you guys going to be surprised if you think "Slamilton" is just a leftover. If you're honest you know I'm speaking the truth when I say you guys started out hot last year because Hamilton started out hot. When he cooled off the whole Ranger's team cooled off. What am I trying to say? My prediction is you will sorely miss ole Hambone and you guys have not yet adequately filled the hole he left in your line-up. My understanding is the Ranger's had never won a playoff series in their history until Josh Hamilton was in the lineup. I guess I could keep going but I don't want the fork to sink in too deep. Okay, and you guys will win the AL West by 6 games? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.......... That's hilarious! Let's see: you guys didn't get Greinke and lost Hamilton; Koji Uehara and Mike Napoli are both Red Sox'; Michael Young is now a Phillie and you guys didn't even win the division last year! So you guys lost 4 productive players and the outcome is you will be better in 2013? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha......... there must be something in the water in Texas! Phew, now that I've recovered from my laughing spell I have a question for you: If Profar is at 2B where do you guys put Kinsler? 1B? DH? It is an interesting problem because I read an article where he said he doesn't want to play 1B, he likes 2B. And by the way, he's a pretty good Second Baseman. I'm not saying I have an answer all I'm saying is it will be interesting to see how Wash handles this. Anyway, thanks for your input and for being a good sport. I'm confident the Rangers will have a good year and I think the AL West is going to be pretty tough in 2013. Were the A's a fluke last year or will they get better? I certainly think the Mariner's will be better. How will the addition of the Astro's affect everyone else? Oh, and I certainly think the Halo's will be better. Their #1 problem last year was blown saves (they actually led the league with 22 blown saves last year). Adding Ryan Madson and Sean Burnett will be a huge boost. Either way, good luck to you guys and I am actually very glad you stopped by. WW. PS: Detroit is a good pick now that they've added Torii Hunter in the 2-hole and OF. All they need is a closer and they will be a lot of trouble for everyone. Philly is an interesting pick but hey, who really knows, right? I guess that's why they play the game.

Well, I definitely appreciate your optimism! I was actually just thinking about this very team and their potential so I'm glad you joined this thread. Let's take a look at the 2013 Mariner's: 1. The first thing that has to be mentioned is the Mariner's brought the fences in so that should help with overall run production (more HR's) but it could hurt your pitchers a little. 2. You guys did add a whole bunch of offense: Kendrys Morales is as good as Albert Pujols when he's healthy (see 2009 stats), in my opinion, I was very sad to see him go. But he's still only in his second year of recovery and not quite 100%; Jason Bay: we know what he's capable of but can he return to form?; and Michael Morse, pretty solid player but where does he fit on defense? Will you DH him, Smoak, Morales, or Montero? Who is the everyday first baseman (Morales, Smoak, Morse, or Montero)? Regardless of the questions I have one of the worst run producing teams over the last few years (really the Mariner's #1 problem) will now be scoring more runs. 3. Your pitching is still very good, even after losing Vargas to the Halos. Everyone knows pitching, defense, and timely hitting equals wins. While I will admit King Felix is great I don't know if I would call him the best pitcher in baseball (think Verlander, Price, Kershaw, and even Weaver, who may be as good). 4. Last year you guys were 75-87 or, 12 games under .500. Adding the Houston Astros to the AL West means there's a new whipping boy and everyone should benefit. Moving from 12 under to about 10 over .500 is probably about right. All in all I think you are right that the M's will be better. Competing for the Wild Card may be a stretch, though. But like I said: I do love your optism! Or maybe it's just the cold, wet weather that's getting to you? Good luck to you guys next year, I do think the M's will surprise a lot of folks with how much they've improved. I don't think anyone will be looking forward to a series with Seattle in 2013. WW.

The Braves will be a good team to root for this year. The Astros: not so much. They just switched to one of the toughest divisions in baseball (Angel's, A's, Ranger's, Mariner's) and will now be the whipping boy in that division. Thanks for stopping by, though. I appreciated your comment. WW. PS: Did you check out the video at the start of this thread? One of the big keys to enjoying baseball is understanding all of the story lines that go into making each teams roster. Check it out and catch the fever!