Baseball Insider: April 5, 2009 - April 11, 2009
Steroids From a Doctor, Over the Phone
According to a report in the New York Times, at least four major league players received steroids and syringes from a doctor in the mail between 2000 and 2004, all cases that were identified via interviews connected with the federal investigation of a California doctor -- 62-year-old Ramon Scruggs --...
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Cameron Smith
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April 11, 2009; 7:25 PM ET |
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Nocturnal Omissions: NL
NL Quote of the Night "This is one of those games you have one or two of a year. Tonight was one of those miserable games where if it ended on a positive note, it would have been worth it. But it didn't." -- Nationals slugger Adam Dunn on Washington's...
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Cameron Smith
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April 11, 2009; 9:14 AM ET |
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Nocturnal Omissions: AL
AL Quote of the Night "It's not going to be like this the whole season." -- Kansas City third baseman Alex Gordon on the Royals' .194 team batting average. The Royals, picked to finally compete in the AL Central this season, have scored just seven runs in four games. Baltimore...
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CJ Holley
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April 11, 2009; 9:13 AM ET |
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Orioles Fend Off Rays in Series Opener
"Never a doubt, Georgie." That was the refrain last season from Orioles Manager Dave Trembley as closer George Sherrill often found a way to make things interesting before collecting a save. That same quote is apropos after Baltimore's 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The script was familiar for...
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CJ Holley
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April 10, 2009; 11:23 PM ET |
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Mets Won't Give Little Leaguers a Break
When they played at Shea Stadium, the Mets were known for being particularly generous to youth baseball programs. They routinely offered discounted tickets, and often had Little Leaguers come out on to the outfield for a parade before or after games, making the major leagues more accessible to kids that...
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Cameron Smith
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April 10, 2009; 4:57 PM ET |
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Talking Behind Their Backs: Yankees
Now that the New York Yankees have left town, we can talk about their three-game series in Baltimore In those three games (two Orioles wins) we learned that these Orioles can hit, especially at the top of the order. Baltimore's 1-2-3 combination of Brian Roberts, Adam Jones (whom ESPN's Tim...
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CJ Holley
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April 10, 2009; 4:15 PM ET |
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Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
YOGI? OR NO-GI? That, dear friends, is the question. Is this Yogi Berra or the tip top of a Berra imposter at Yankee Stadium? Make your guesses below. We know the answer, see if you can hash it out. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)...
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Cameron Smith
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April 10, 2009; 3:21 PM ET |
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Shoulder Issues Stopped Webb Extension Talks
On Wednesday, C.J. wrote how Brandon Webb will miss at least a start after being diagnosed with shoulder stiffness. Well, now FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting that prior concerns over Webb's shoulder are what derailed extension talks for the ace last summer. According to Rosenthal, Webb actually passed the...
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Cameron Smith
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April 10, 2009; 1:56 PM ET |
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Men Sought in Spectator Death in Anaheim
As if the tragic news about Nick Adenhart wasn't enough, according to the Los Angeles Times the Angels organization is searching for details about yet another untimely death. The news follows the passing of 27-year-old Brian Powers, who was killed in a fight as fans left Angels Stadium following the...
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Cameron Smith
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April 10, 2009; 11:54 AM ET |
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When It Clicked: CC Sabathia
One of the regular features from our dearly departed MLB Sunday page, "When It Clicked," today moves to its new online home, where it will appear each Friday during the baseball season. Here on "When It Clicked" we're always happy when a player uses the opportunity of speaking about his...
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Dave Sheinin
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April 10, 2009; 10:14 AM ET |
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Nocturnal Omissions: AL
AL Quote of the Night "He didn't have much today." -- Cleveland Indians Manager Eric Wedge with perhaps the understatement of the night in summing up starter Carl Pavano's performance. Pavano gave up nine runs while recording just three outs. Texas Rangers 12, Cleveland Indians 8 Texas completes an opening...
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CJ Holley
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April 10, 2009; 9:17 AM ET |
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Nocturnal Omissions: NL
NL Quote of the Night "I was feeling good. All of my pitches were working. The problem today was they took a chance on the base hits and the home run." -- Mets starter Oliver Perez, who allowed eight runs in just 4 1/3 innings in his first start since...
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Cameron Smith
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April 10, 2009; 8:34 AM ET |
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O's Fail to Sweep Away Yankees
The Orioles stumbled in their attempt to start a season 3-0 for the first time since the 1997 wire-to-wire season as New York blasts Baltimore, 11-2. New York finally got a strong performance out of a starting pitcher as A.J. Burnett won in his Yankees debut, giving up two runs...
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CJ Holley
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April 9, 2009; 4:57 PM ET |
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Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
LINCECUM FULLY CHARGED There's something strangely appropriate about Tim Lincecum, the Giants' sling-shotting, fire-balling ace, posing next to an electrical circuit box housing 480 volts of juice, isn't there? Even if his first outing didn't go so well. Maybe he needed the green hat for good luck. You know,...
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Cameron Smith
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April 9, 2009; 4:51 PM ET |
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The Rockies are Stockpiling Pitchers
As if a trade with the Rays to net Jason Hammel wasn't enough, the Rockies are reportedly on the verge of landing yet another re-tread starter, with former A's-turned-Cubs pitcher Chad Gaudin nearing a deal to join Colorado in an effort to continue his career as a starter. Gaudin, a...
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Cameron Smith
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April 9, 2009; 2:57 PM ET |
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Angels' Adenhart Killed in Car Crash
Let's start this off by making it as clear as possible: Angels starter Nick Adenhart was doing absolutely, positively nothing wrong when the silver Mitsubishi he was riding in was obliterated by a speeding red minivan that ran a red light. Rather, Adenhart and three others were passing through Fullerton...
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Cameron Smith
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April 9, 2009; 1:36 PM ET |
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What to Do With Madoff's Mets Tickets? Ebay!
One of the fascinating pieces of fall out from the economic recession has been the significant slowdown and defaulting on payments for "premium" seats at the new Yankee Stadium and the Mets' Citi Field. Now there's a poster child for the phenomenon, with none other than Bernie Madoff, the man...
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Cameron Smith
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April 9, 2009; 11:46 AM ET |
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4 for 4: Bad Bullpens, Phillies' Lineup, Webb, Gallardo
1. After the shockingly hideous meltdown of the Braves' bullpen yesterday in Philly, which featured four bases-loaded walks in the seventh inning - turning a 10-3 lead into an eventual 12-11 loss - Braves Manager Bobby Cox summer up the overwhelming sentiment from those on hand: "I've never seen anything...
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Dave Sheinin
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April 9, 2009; 9:27 AM ET |
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Nocturnal Omissions: AL
AL Quote of the Night "When he hits the ball, usually they're asking for a new ball." -- Tigers pitcher Zach Miner on teammate Miguel Cabrera who hit two home runs Wednesday. Detroit Tigers 5, Toronto Blue Jays 1 Detroit put up three runs in the first inning - thanks...
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CJ Holley
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April 9, 2009; 9:02 AM ET |
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Nocturnal Omissions: NL
Why do you start with quotes? Sometimes they tell the entire story, as was the case with a series of lines from the Mets pitcher not propping up the back of their bullpen, Billy Wagner. "I do exactly what I'm told," Wagner said. "But I'm going to break the rules...
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Cameron Smith
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April 9, 2009; 8:36 AM ET |
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Bats Again Lift Orioles Past Yankees
For the second straight game, the Orioles run off a Yankees pitcher as Baltimore hangs seven runs on New York's Chien-Ming Wang in 3 2/3 innings for a 7-5 victory. I won't crank out a game story, because you can read the AP version here but follow the jump for...
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CJ Holley
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April 9, 2009; 1:03 AM ET |
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A Strange, Strange Seattle Move
Evidently the Mariners decided not to stop the retro feel of their ballclub with Ken Griffey Jr. Instead, they're taking the bullpen back nearly a decade, too, signing reliever Jeff Zimmerman to a minor league deal with an eye to bring him up to the major leagues. Why is that...
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Cameron Smith
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April 8, 2009; 6:04 PM ET |
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Shoulder Stiffness Sidelines Webb
Arizona ace Brandon Webb will miss his next start due to shoulder stiffness. Webb was far from his usual dominant self in his Opening Day start, giving up six runs on six hits, including two home runs. Webb said the shoulder began to bother him on Monday in the fourth...
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CJ Holley
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April 8, 2009; 3:57 PM ET |
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Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
YUP, THAT'S A BIG APPLE New ballpark, some of the same, egalitarian chintz in New York. And when it comes to the Mets' digs, that's probably a good thing, isn't it? After all, Citi Field just wouldn't feel right without the Home Run apple in attendance. No word on...
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Cameron Smith
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April 8, 2009; 3:21 PM ET |
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Moment of Levity: Johan Santana's Handshakes
Usually, elaborate celebratory handshakes are reserved for the likes of Mets shortstop Jose Reyes. Well, it turns out that Johan Santana is a bit of a superstitious celebrator himself. How do we know? Well, there's terrific video reel proof from the minutes after he left his Opening Day start in...
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Cameron Smith
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April 8, 2009; 11:45 AM ET |
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The List: Favorite Obscure Ex-Nats
Can you believe it? We're already in our fifth season of baseball's return to Washington, which means a couple of things: One, it's time to stop blaming Omar Minaya for the Nationals' woes. And two, nostalgia for the franchise's good old days is officially permitted. This week on The List,...
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Dave Sheinin
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April 8, 2009; 9:23 AM ET |
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Nocturnal Omissions: AL
No rain-outs, no snow-outs, so let's get to it, starting with a feature that I'll probably trot out as I see fit: the Quote of the Night. We'll see if I can find enough material, of course managers like Ozzie Guillen and Jim Leyland could keep me rolling. Case in...
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CJ Holley
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April 8, 2009; 9:11 AM ET |
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Nocturnal Omissions: NL
We'll start this morning's wrap with the local nine: Marlins 8, Nationals 3 Well, the Nats look almost as woeful as they did last year, don't they? Two days in, that Emilio Bonifacio for Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham trade looks awfully interesting, and the Nats will have to hope...
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Cameron Smith
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April 8, 2009; 8:44 AM ET |
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Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
THE NEW YANKEE CATBIRD SEAT Yup, here's your official "as high as you can get in the left field upper deck" shot from Yankee Stadium. And, we have to admit, that's a heck of a view. Particularly on Flag Day, and the Fourth of July, and Patriot's Day and...
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Cameron Smith
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April 7, 2009; 4:21 PM ET |
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One Game In, Ramirez Sniping Begins
Last week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote a fairly mundane prediction column, calling all the shots for the forthcoming season and making few outside the box calls. He did, however predict one relatively surprising development: That Manny Ramirez would hold a "sit-down" strike at some point this season in...
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Cameron Smith
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April 7, 2009; 1:55 PM ET |
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How You Picked 'Em: Predictions Contest, Tabulated
The polls are closed (yes, we allowed a one-hour grace period beyond our 1:10 p.m. deadline yesterday -- we're a bunch of softies, what can we say?) and the picks have been tabulated and sorted. Some interesting tidbits before we go straight to the raw numbers: *We wound up with...
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Dave Sheinin
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April 7, 2009; 11:24 AM ET |
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NL Nocturnal Omissions
You saw C.J.'s dispatch from what you might have missed from the O's and the rest of the AL that wasn't rained/snowed/sleeted/frozen out. But there was plenty of Opening Day action on the senior circuit, and it all got started at the Findlay Market Parade, as it always does. Of...
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Cameron Smith
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April 7, 2009; 9:25 AM ET |
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The AL Wrap Up, or as We'll Call It...
Nocturnal Omissions. This will be our morning, league-specific roundup for the previous night's games, you know, the stuff you forget about or miss out on while you were sleeping. Now that the introduction's out of the way, let's revel in the glory of yesterday's Opening Day American League slate. Tampa...
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CJ Holley
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April 7, 2009; 8:26 AM ET |
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O's Win, Teixeira Booed
Well that was unexpected. Cesar Izturis hits a two-run homer in the eighth inning and Baltimore tacks on two more runs in a four-run eighth inning as the Orioles pull away for a 10-5 Opening Day win over the Yankees. Dave Sheinin was at the game today and I'm sure...
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CJ Holley
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April 6, 2009; 9:07 PM ET |
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O's Chase Sabathia
New York pitcher CC Sabathia failed to make it out of the fifth inning in his Yankees debut. The final nail in the coffin for Sabathia was a bases-loaded walk to Baltimore left fielder Luke Scott that gave the Orioles a 6-1 lead. Sabathia leaves after 4 1/3 innings, giving...
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CJ Holley
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April 6, 2009; 6:30 PM ET |
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Cliff Lee Learns This Year Aint Last Year
Last year Cliff Lee astounded pretty much everyone by turning in a dominant Cy Young season where he went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA. In five innings of work today in Texas, Lee gave up seven runs (all earned) on 10 hits as the Cleveland Indians trail the Rangers 7-0....
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CJ Holley
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April 6, 2009; 3:56 PM ET |
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At Camden Yards: Sunshine, Vitriol
For the first time in my 10-plus years covering baseball at The Post, I had to consult a seating chart to find my spot in the press box at Oriole Park at Camden Yards -- owing to the fact The Post decided to stop covering the Orioles this season, which...
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Dave Sheinin
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April 6, 2009; 2:19 PM ET |
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Opening Day, Acts 2-13
Well, there will actually only been 12 acts in this today's round robin of spring fun, thanks to the timely "potential" snow storm that's bearing down on Chicago, right in time to make a mess of an Opening Day without any scheduling blotches. See, you take Cleveland out of the...
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Cameron Smith
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April 6, 2009; 1:10 PM ET |
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Three Up, Three Down
This baseball season, we will be taking elements from the dearly departed MLB Sunday page and dropping them into Baseball Insider on a regular, weekly basis. Henceforth, Mondays will bring "Three Up, Three Down" -- an irreverent take on the local and national baseball zeitgeist. Here is the first installment:...
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Dave Sheinin
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April 6, 2009; 10:04 AM ET |
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Only a Few Hours Left To Post Your Predictions
I see we're up to 42 entries in our 2009 Predictions Contest -- actually, make that 40, since russtinator had to double back to add one pick he neglected on the first go-round, and since ejharrisjr40 apparently felt a vague range for the Nationals' win total would sufficiently show his...
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Dave Sheinin
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April 6, 2009; 9:05 AM ET |
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Kicking Out the Jams on Opening Day
After weeks and weeks of teasing ourselves, baseball is finally here. Sure, technically, the season opened last night but today is Opening Day, a day when all things seem possible - predictions are perfect, records are clean, ERAs are low and hopes are high. To start the season off right...
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CJ Holley
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April 6, 2009; 8:34 AM ET |
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Opening Day, Er, Night, Act 1:
And then there was baseball! And there was much rejoicing! The 2009 season is officially underway, right about ... ... well, right about 8:05 ESDT. We'd have to use far too many ellipses to bridge the gap between now and first pitch. The Phillies unveil their World Championship banner and...
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Cameron Smith
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April 5, 2009; 6:43 PM ET |
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2009 Humiliating Predictions and Very Special Contest UPDATE
Hah! No, there's not really an update. But we really do want everyone to proffer up their season predictions in the comments below. So get going, before the season gets going and you miss out on the eerily alluded to "Very Special Prize". It'll be worth it folks, it really...
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Dave Sheinin
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April 5, 2009; 1:12 AM ET |
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