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Football is over.

Fortunately we have only a week or so now until Pitchers and Catchers report for Spring training.

Discuss.

Hoping for a better year for the Giants, not actually expecting it. They've pinned their offensive hopes onto guys who had devastating injuries last year, a guy locked into a constant battle with his own weight, and new acquisitions/rookies who may or may not do well (it's basically a crap shoot). As usual they will have some of the best pitching in the league, but if they don't score runs it won't matter.

I'm just hoping Buster Posey can really come back at 100%.

Milwaukee Brewers keys to 2012:

1. Pitching becomes a strength, especially starting pitching.
2. Ramirez and Gonzalez help solidify a major issue with this team since day one - defense.
3. Axford and K-Rod don't turn into flashes in the pan (see Mike DeJean, Danny Kolb, Derrick Turnbow, Eric Gagne, etc.)
4. That hole we have at 1B will be filled adequately (though not completely) by Matt Gamel.
5. The issue with our MVP left-fielder is resolved - and, hopefully, not in the worst-case scenario way - and does not hurt his production in any way.

2012 was supposed to be "the year" we were waiting for all this time. I'm not ready to buy it.

20 and counting, here we come.

What would not surprise me is if the Pi-rates were the "fifth team" in the post-season.

...only to lose in the 10th inning of the one-game play-in game on a walk-off HR.

Come on Astros, don't suck...

they will.

I feel like the Giants are just treading water while the rest of the NL West actually improves. The D-Backs are looking good, the Dodgers won't have the crazy distractions and they have some serious young talent, and thhe Padres are in rebuild mode. The only team that looks stagnant is the Rockies, and they still have the talent to be a threat. The Giants have made some terrible roster choices over the last few years, and those awful contracts are still biting them in the ass. Now they can't really do too much to fill their needs, unless they do it with their farm system. It's a good farm system, sure, but it's not equipped to fix their problems.

sixpackshaker said:

Come on Astros, don't suck...

they will.

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Don't worry. In 2013, when they switch leagues, they'll suddenly dominate the AL West.

Oh, and cheer up - it's almost slam-dunk time that you'll have two guys in Cooperstown by next summer.

jwhouk said:

Oh, and cheer up - it's almost slam-dunk time that you'll have two guys in Cooperstown by next summer.

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Oh I hope so, that was the last time they were interesting to watch. I used to make several games a year back then.

MLB.tv subscriptions for 2012 are now available. The MLB at Bat app will launch on 2/29 and is apparently free with MLB.tv premium this year (about damn time if you ask me).

If you live out of market this is a fantastic service.

The Seattle Mariners, taking the simple concept of a rebuilding year and expanding it into the concept of a rebuilding decade. We're entering out 11th "rebuilding" year with no end in sight, so I'm not holding out much hope for the franchise. It's like they forget every year that we need both good pitchers and good batters. One year we have some good batters but only one good pitcher, so they realize that they need to get more pitchers, but they trade the good batters to get them. Then, the next year they have a few good pitchers, but we can't hit the ball worth a damn and they realize they need more good batters, but they trade the good pitchers to get them. I think we're in the 4th or 5th evolution of this cycle and this year we traded our up-and-coming star pitcher away again. But bear with us, it's a rebuilding year. We're bringing in a lot of good young players who'll help us grow the team back to our glory days of finishing the season close to, or maybe even above, the .500 mark. And they wonder why the ballpark is always so damn empty every season.

A bit shocked the Pirates stuck to their guns and kept Garrett Jones, and yet still landed AJ Burnett (pending league approval). The optimist in me hopes getting out of New York is just what the guy needs to regain confidence.

My only question is, why would Selig veto this trade?

Because he's Selig.

Woohoo, Yankees cast off the albatross that is AJ Burnett. Good luck, whoever gets him!

Actually, to be fair, he can actually help a team like the Pirates, who don't have to face teams loaded with dangerous hitters on a regular basis, and who don't have any pressure on them to succeed.

In the past, I would have argued with you about that "loaded with dangerous hitters" line, but when I look at the NL Central, I'm seeing... well, nothing, n

Except Ryan Braun. And he might not be around at the start of the year.

On that note - does anyone know when exactly the news of the suspension/non-suspension should be coming down?

EDIT: Never mind - the suspension will be made known by next Friday (the 24th).

So how much does the Burnett trade up the Pirates payroll? Yankees are eating half of it, but I'm still willing to bet he's going to be the highest paycheck on the roster.

So my brother got me a gift certificate to shop.mlb.com for christmas so I could buy a jersey. For some reason they think a "Replica" Yankee Jersey includes the players name on the back.

Covar said:

So how much does the Burnett trade up the Pirates payroll? Yankees are eating half of it, but I'm still willing to bet he's going to be the highest paycheck on the roster.

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The Pirates will pay $13 million of the $31.1 million remaining on Burnett's contract, according to ESPN. Also from the same article, "Burnett goes from a perennial World Series favorite to a club coming off its 19th consecutive losing season, a record for the four major pro sports in North America."

So really I think Burnett should flourish, simply because there's no pressure, and even if he sucks, that's right in line with the Pirates' usual performance.

Of course, I don't think Hiroki Kuroda is any bargain, either. The Yankees do not have a good track record with Japanese pitchers (Hideki Irabu, Kei Igawa for example).

...I didn't realize Hideki Irabu had committed suicide last summer. Dang.

And we have VINDICATION!

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ti-brown_ryan_braun_wins_drug_appeal_022312

My take: Yes, that may be a technicality, but whoever that courier is will not be employed by MLB in the future.

Looks like AJ likes being on the Pirates so much he's gone and got himself an eyepatch.

I'm no Yankee fan, but holy crap.

He's done.

Oh Joba. WTH man?

It sounds like Houston is continuing their fire-sale... EVERYONE MUST GO!!!!!!!

I hope that the GM and new owner know what they are doing. But as it is, I don't think I know any of the Astros Players now.

Fucking christ, Joba.

This spring training has been decidedly lukewarm for the Yankees. I hope their regular season is better.

...I don't.