CC Sabathia

For the past decade, the All-Star teams have been highlighted by the same players year after year. Players like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Ichiro, Albert Pujols, and Chipper Jones have appeared in the starting lineups every year and it's starting to get old. Between now and 2014, a new generation of faces will emerge as baseball's best and brightest and the old ones will begin to fade.

In baseball today, fickle fans have a fascination with speed when it comes to pitching.  Unless a pitcher can throw a fastball upwards of 94 miles per hour, it seems that he is not worth one's total attention.  While the fastball is certainly a fine pitch, I would prefer today to talk about a horse of a different color: the changeup.

It was a cold, rainy day in the New York area. Some even wondered if there would be baseball in the Bronx on Thursday with the gray skies looming above.

But that wouldn't stop 50,000 faithful Yankee fans from coming out Thursday afternoon to turn out for the 2011 Opening Day game between the Yankees and the Tigers.

It has been almost four years since the Indians last finished a season with record of .500 or better. The last time, in fact, was 2007, when the Indians won the AL Central with a record or 96-66. Since that time it has been all down hill for the Tribe,  81 victories in 2008, 65 in 2009, and 69 in 2010. Had it not been for a hot 7-3 finish the Tribe would have finished in the AL Central basement for the second consecutive season.

Bad news for Tribe fans: this season may not be much better than any of those.

There was good news all over the place on Sunday afternoon, as the New York Yankees hammered the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-1, in Grapefruit League action.

Start with the starter, Yankee ace CC Sabathia, who looked in midseason form. During his time on the bump, Sabathia allowed only one run (on a solo homer to Jimmy Rollins) on six hits and one walk, while striking out five.

"Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I’ll win a pennant every year"

-Sparky Anderson

A contract year seems to always bring out the best in players. From being a good teammate inside the clubhouse to playing well on the field, nothing seems to motivate, and focus, players like a contract year. 

Nowadays, with massive amounts of money on the line, and with teams willing to pay big bucks for a player with only a season or two of proven success, players on their contract year have a lot on the line.

This is a 2 part series in which I will analyze a current Cy Young Predictor formula, offer a replacement formula to account for the change in philosophy for the Cy Young voters with the growing influence of new-age statistics (sabermetrics), and use this new formula to project the Cy Young race in 2011 and beyond.

As baseball's opening day approaches teams are sizing up their division chances. Spring brings excitement to every team. Even those teams whose chances look bleak have the potential to catch lightning in a bottle and make this season memorable.

For every team, it will take more than dumb luck to reach the postseason. They’ll need to play from their strengths and hope that there weaknesses can be covered or muted by breakout stars or exceptional play. So here’s a look at each teams strengths and their glaring weaknesses and what it means to each team. 

The American League East has been the best division in baseball since its creation in 1969. This is mainly because of the division's perennial top-two teams, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. These two bitter rivals have had many classic battles in the past, such as the unforgettable 2004 ALCS. This year should be no different.

One of the most important qualities for a fantasy baseball starting pitcher is consistency. Having a pitcher who can deliver a solid performance week in and week out is worth its weight in gold, especially in head-to-head leagues that are scored on a weekly basis. 

Even the most seasoned pitcher will have an off night now and then. However, finding a bookend starter who will provide a consistent level of strikeouts and wins with a below-average ERA is the key to a successful season.