Before I make my projections about the 2007 Major League Baseball season, let me start by apologizing to the teams and players I’m about to project good things for. I realize that by predicting the following teams and players to thrive, their chances at doing so will automatically diminish. But I have to do it anyways. There is little to no chance that the majority of these prognostications will come right, but that isn’t going to stop me from from posting them. Read the rest »

Today on my national baseball talk-show, Minors and Majors, I was joined by thre entertaining and enjoyable guests. Talented author Chris Epting, professional ball-shagger Zack Hample, and top-rated Boston Red Sox prospect Jacoby Ellsbury were all kind enough to take time out of their busy schedules to join me.

Epting wrote a book called “Roadside Baseball,” which brings attention to some of baseball’s most historically significant landmarks in the country. Epting gave listeners tips on how to plan baseball trips. He also discussed why it is that baseball is the most story-oriented and historically-laced of all the major sports. Read the rest »

A YEAR AGO at this time, only one of the five starters expected to make up the Baltimore Orioles’ starting rotation was in the team’s spring training camp in Fort Lauderdale. The other four were scattered around the world, competing in the inaugural World Baseball Classic.

If you’ve ever tried teaching to an empty classroom, you know how Leo Mazzone must have felt. You will also know that even the world’s best teacher can’t help students who aren’t at school (just ask the people who taught me). At this point in his legendary career, I’m sure even Mazzone would agree with the concept. Read the rest »

By Jordan Greenberg 

“As his career winds down, 41 year old Tom Glavine has been an above average player. Drafted ahead of future Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille in the 1984 Amateur Draft, Glavine has put up 181 career goals, and 308 career assists over the course of his 22 year NHL career….”

 This could have been the beginning of an article had Glavine chosen the NHL over Major League Baseball, when he was selected in the 4th round of that ‘84 draft by the Kings. Alas, he is not honing in on 200 career goals, but instead on 300 Career Wins, as he enters his 20th professional season. Read the rest »

If I were a general manager and I could build a team with any current Major Leaguers, these are the players that I would choose. Realize that I’m building a club to be successful for the long-haul, so I was looking for youth and future-potential. Read the rest »

Today on my national baseball talk-show, Minors and Majors, I was joined by two entertaining and enjoyable guests. Talented author Brad Snyder and Pittsburgh Pirates all-world outfield-prospect Andrew McCutchen both took time out of their busy off-season schedules to talk baseball with me on my weekly radio-show.

Snyder is the author of ‘A Well-Paid Slave,’ a book he wrote documenting former St. Louis Cardinals’ outfielder Curt Flood’s fight for free-agency. Snyder discussed with me how he went about gathering information for the book, which was difficult for him because Flood passed away 10-years-ago now. He also explained Bowie Kuhn’s role in the book, and in Flood’s life. Kuhn you may or may not know, was the commisioner when Flood sued baseball for the freedom to play where he wanted to. For more information on Snyder’s book, or on Flood’s astounding story, visit the author’s website at www.wellpaidslave.com. Read the rest »

Greg Oden received the ‘Lebron James treatment’ in high school. That is, a handful of Oden’s high-school games were televised nationally on ESPN, and at 18-years-old, he was a regular talking-point on sports-talk radio shows everywhere. 

As a high-schooler in Ohio, Oden wasn’t just the talk of the state. He was the talk of the country. He would have been the first-overall pick in last year’s draft had it not been for a new NBA-sanctioned rule that mandates high-school hoopsters to play at least one-year of college ball before being eligible to play with the big-boys. So rather than making an impact as a paint-player on a bad NBA team, Oden was forced to enroll at Ohio State University as the best starting center in the Big-10. Read the rest »

A year ago at this time only one of the five starters expected to make up the Baltimore Orioles’ starting rotation was preparing for the 2006 season in spring training. The team’s other four starters were scattered around the world, competing in the inaugural World Baseball Classic.

If you’ve ever tried teaching to an empty class-room then you know how Leo Mazzone must have felt. You will also know that even the world’s best teacher can’t help students who aren’t at school (just ask the people who taught me). At this point in his legendary career, I’m sure that even Mazzone would agree with concept. Read the rest »

Gilbert Arenas may not be shooting as efficiently right now as he was earlier this season. But you wouldn’t have known that based on his performance in Seattle last evening, when the three-time NBA all-star hit a game-winning lay-up as time expired. The clutch basket, which dropped into the net as the red-lights on the back-board lit up, propelled the Wizards to their third-win in four-games.

Arenas finished the night with 42-points and also dished out seven-assists in helping to lead Washington to a win in the second-game of a five-game road trip. Every win is big, but this particular victory was monumental for the first-place Wizards, who’s lead in the Atlantic Division has dwindled to just a game over the second-place Miami Heat. Read the rest »

Gilbert Arenas has proven this season that he is one of the NBA’s most elite-players. Not only is he the best player on a division-leading team, but he has also become one of the league’s most un-containable scorers.

Part of what makes Arenas so dangerous is the fact that he is playing with a chip on his shoulder. He always has been. He wears the number-zero because that is the number of minutes detractors expected him to get after he signed-on to play ball at the University of Arizona. As if that wasn’t enough Arenas has played this year with more motivation than ever, because he has been on a mission to prove a few basketball’s best coach’s wrong.  Read the rest »