New Season and Other Things.

Baseball is back!  These words are great comfort to junkies like me.  My childhood in the middle of nowhere consisted of a lot of time listening to ball games, usually the Cubs in the day and the Reds at night.  After that, it was whoever I could get to come in on a transistor radio.  It was better than having the corn talk to me.  It worked for Ray Kinsella, but I doubt it worked for anyone else.

Today, the availability of information allows me to know the identity of the Angels TV broadcast team: Victor (son of Cookie) Rojas, and Mark Gubicza (strat-o-matic hero.)  The highlights can be sent to your cell phone as the game goes on, a far cry from waiting until Tuesday morning's Journal-Gazette to get the Sunday night score.  Nolan Ryan threw a no-hitter, and I didn't hear about for two days.

The Tigers were active in the offseason and should be the favorite in the American League.  I just wonder if Miguel Cabrera can do it again.  The uncertainty of the future of Max Scherzer could threaten the Tiger Dynasty, almost as much as the lack of plate control by Cabrera.  He needs to control the one he eats from as well as the one he swings around.

The Yankees could be dangerous if  Jeter can spark a revitalization.   Masahiro Tanaka could be the new #1 starter.  I understand Sabbathia was barely breaking 90 with his fast ball:  at least it is MPH.  I have a feeling Tanaka is the second coming of Hideki Irabu, which the Yankees pronounced "Twelve million dollar Boo-boo".

I find the Dodgers interesting, but wonder what Yasiel Puig will do next to tick off Don Mattingly.  Provided Los Angeles doesn't fall into the ocean after the next swarm of earthquakes.  Angelinos' expectation is that everything east of California will fall into the Atlantic.

Hope the Angels make a solid run.  The roster is there, Pujols, Hamilton, David Freese, and the bullpen will make or break the season.  I still feel good about their chances in a division where the Texas Rangers added Prince Fielder, last seen killing a rally as a slapstick comedian in the last game of the ALDS, and the Rangers will be a tough team to knock out, especially in a seven game series.

I'm going on a limb in preseason: an all Los Angeles World Series.  Dodgers vs. Angels.  If both teams play up to their potential, it's a possibility.

-IndyCar's opener was a bit of a letdown.  The lack of strong side-by-side racing, and strategy that didn't work, lead to a lot of single file racing.  The lack of cautions stole all the pit strategy that could have made the race intriguing.  Will Power made the only truly gutsy move of the race and it netted him a victory, third of the last five.  Of note was the strong performance by Helio Castroneves, who will be answering questions about possibly becoming a four time Indy 500 Champion until he does it, and a pretty weak outing by a rusty Juan Pablo Montoya.

Points to Dario Franchitti: he didn't cry or attempt to choke a reporter when asked about how hard it was to not be in the car today.  I know I would have been strongly tempted to react that way in his place.

So...am I off base?