It's glad to be back in the blogosphere, here's something for ya'll to chew on

Well, the baseball season is only three weeks old but we do have a few surprises.  Here's the list of surprises, both negative and positive:

The Detrot Tigers are playing like an A-Ball team.  I know that they got some wins over the weekend against Cleveland, but this team needs to put together some big weeks to get back into the race.  They will be getting Curtis Granderson back soon, but they still have glaring holes in the bullpen with the absence of Fernando Rodney and Closer-In-Training Joel Zumaya.  I think they'll turn it around before Memorial day, which is the first true measuring stick for the season.

Also in the AL Central, the Kansas City Royals have been a pleasant surprise this season so far.  The team is at 9-10 right now after being swept by the A's(more on them later), but I like their starting rotation with Zack Grienke, Brian Bannister, and Gil Meche.  I know the Mets could use Bannister now.  The questions that I have all have to do with their lineup.  This team will only go as far as Alex Gordon and Billy Butler will take it, which I think will be an improved team, but still about a year or 2 away from the playoffs.

The Oakland A's are leading the AL West and I can honestly say that I didn't see this one coming.  I was expecting Joe Blanton and/or Rich Harden to be traded as the team rebuilded again.  Once Harden and Eric Chavez get back from the DL, look for the A's to continue their run at least until Memorial Day.  By then, John Lackey for the Angels and Erik Bedard for the Mariners will be healthy.

Who would have thought that the Florida Marlins would be leading the NL East?  A team of no-names that gets paid less than A-Rod and Manny are leading the division.  This definitely won't last, I'm still going with the Mets over the Phillies and Braves to win the division.

Speaking of headline grabbers, how about the NL Central.  The Cardinals, who many picked to finish in 5th place, were in 1st place until yesterday and now sit a 1/2 game behind the Cubs.  I hear that the "What the Fuk?" shirts are popping at Wrigley, we'll see how the lovable losers fair when they play someone other than the Pirates.  Miguel Tejada got 2 years older overnight, what a shock.  Eric Gagne is pitching horribly for the Brewers and Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun can't hit right now, but that should change soon.  And look at the job that Dusty Baker is doing in Cincinnati.  Sure, I'm not a Reds fan but it's always good to see the Reds play well.  Ken Griffey will always have a place in the hearts of many people my age and Johnny Cueto?  What a stud!

The NL West hasn't really been too crazy, except for the fact that the Baby 'Backs are doing what they couldn't do last season.  They are crushing the ball behind Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds.  With the staff that they possess, they have to be the favorites to win the division.

Remember though, it's only been 3 weeks so we'll see how it works out.

We've had everyone under the sun complain about starting the season in early April in cold weather cities(Hey, that's where the sport started!) and we've had tons of games postponed due to the weather and we even had a series moved from Cleveland to Milwaukee and that series drew more fans in BrewCrew country than a Marlins 6, 9, or maybe 12 game homestand in Miami.(around 56 K for the Angels-Indians series) But here's the big things I've gotten out of the first 2 weeks of the season.

First, how are the Atlanta Braves doing it? They’re off to an amazing start without one of their starters in Mike Hampton, who is out for the year, and then they find out at the beginning of the season that Andruw Jones wants to stay in Atlanta. I can tell you how they’re doing it…pitching, pitching, and more pitching. Their biggest problem last season was their bullpen and now that is fixed with Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez setting up Bob Wickman and their starters are pitching pretty good. Sure, it’s early in the NL East but I think it’ll be a 3 team race to the end between the Braves, Mets, and Phillies(a 1-6 start is almost a kiss of death…ALMOST) and at the end of the year, the Braves might be the team to beat.

Next, the NL Central and NL West won’t be decided any time soon. Sure the Dodgers are attempting to run away from the rest of the division, but it’s not happening. In the Central, the Cardinals are winning without Chris Carpenter while the rest of the division is not taking advantage of this.

At the beginning of the season, who would have thought that Jose Valverde, Saloman Torres, Al Reyes, Armando Benitez, Dan Wheeler, Eric Gagne, and 50 Florida Marlins relievers would have more saves than Mariano Rivera? The Yankees are 5-6 and they are either losing or blowing teams out(the exception was A-Rod’s game-winning Grand Slam against the Orioles April 8). The rotation has more holes in it than a piece of Swiss cheese and they can’t get Roger Clemens to the Bronx soon enough. I think, in the long run, the Yankees will fall short to either the Blue Jays or the Red Sox(or both).

Does the AL Central have a bad team? I know that the Royals are struggling right now(they need more pitching…when’s Luke Hockevar or Brian Bannister coming up?), but they will have a good team later in the season behind Alex Gordon and David DeJesus. Can I be the first to say that this is the best division in baseball….As of 4/15, the only team with a losing record was the Royals and the Indians are leading the division with a 6-3 record, a ½ game in front of both Minnesota and Detroit, with the ChiSox in 4th Place 2 games back with a 5-6 record. Just think if this division wasn’t located in cold weather locations….

The AL West has the 2007 AL Cy Young award winner in it. Take 3 guesses who that is…Rich Harden…NO….John Lackey….NO….Dan Haren….NO…..Felix Hernandez! King Felix outdueled DiceK in his Fenway debut with a one hitter. Hernandez hasn’t given up a run in his first 2 starts(an 8 inning win and then the one hitter on Wednesday). When I watched this kid’s major league debut, I thought he was going to be special. This season, he’s 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 18/4 K/BB ratio. That’s what we like to call a great start to the season.

Buddy Bell has a young team that has been rebuilding since the George Brett/Brett Saberhagen years.  This season should be the first for highly-touted prospects Alex Gordon and Billy Butler.

Catcher
The offseason trade for Jason LaRue shows that the organization is not too happy with John Buck's play.  This will be a position of weakness for the Royals and whoever wins the job will have their work cut out for them.  Grade:  C-

First Base
Ryan Shealy was acquired last season from Colorado and was the starter as soon as he landed in KC.  He hit .277 with 7 HR and 37 RBI and should be able to continue his maturation process.  Grade:  B-

Second Base
I love Mark Grudzelanek because he is a hard nose player.  However, he is getting up in age and could have a down season in '07.  Grade:  C+

Shortstop
Angel Berroa's numbers regressed in '06 to .234, 9 HR, and 54 RBI.  At least his error total went down from 25 to 18.  Grade:  C

Third Base
Let the Alex Gordon countdown begin.  Gordon, the University of Nebraska prospect, was the top prospect in the Royals organization last season playing in AA.  If he makes the team, that may make Mark Teahan expendable.  Teahan, part of the Beltran trade in '04, is a good player who doesn't make a lot of mental mistakes.  Grade:  B

Outfield
This is a group that needs some fresh blood.  I'm not a big fan of Emil Brown and even though I like Reggie Sanders, he is getting up in age.  The defense in the outfield revolves around David DeJesus in center.  Grade:  C-

Designated Hitter
Mike Sweeney is way past his prime and needs to retire!  Grade:  C

Starting Rotation
Gil Meche has to be grinning all the way to the bank when he signed his 5 year-$54 million contract in the offseason, my one question for Dayton Moore is.....ARE YOU NUTS?  Meche is not a #1.  Hell, he's not even a #2 on most teams but you paid him that much money.  I do like Luke Hudson and Brian Bannister, but they both need more experience.  Grade:  D

Bullpen
Dotel is the only person in the pen I would keep....and that's even a stretch.  Grade:  F

Overview
I wish ownership would allow Dayton Moore to rebuild and retool the way that Royals fans want them too.  I love the youth on the team, but then need more veterans.  Maybe they should go after Jose Vidro in the offseason.  Grade:  D+