Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez brought his hair and wacky behavior to Tampa Bay. Did he bring his big bat along with him?

That is the million dollar question.

Things did not end well for Manny in Los Angeles. That has become his new M.O.. He played well enough when he played, hitting .311 with 32 runs, eight HRs and 40 RBI in 66 games, but he was either hurt or a distraction most of the time.

Tampa Bay Rays fans shouldn't pin their hopes upon the dual offseason signings of veterans Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez. 

The addition of the pair of former World Series-winning heroes is merely papering over the cracks of Tampa Bay's unconvincing roster.

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. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the calendar has turned to March and that means that spring training is well underway and the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season is just weeks away. It's the best time of the year, forget football and all those other sports, baseball is where it's at.

With a new year comes new and in some cases renewed optimism. Whether or not your favorite team is able to put together a great year is irrelevant right now because everyone believes that they have a chance, they just need one or two things to go right for that to happen.

This year's American League East is going to be a very hotly contested division. With all five teams easily capable of putting together .500 or above seasons, the order of finish could be dictated by just a few games.

For the Tampa Bay Rays, the new look of the franchise gives them a new set of advantages and disadvantages over their division rivals. While the other teams within the division spent big bucks this offseason, the Rays were able to cut their payroll from over $70 million to approximately $42 million without sacrificing a tremendous amount of production.

Carmelo Anthony has been one of the most talked-about figures in sports in 2011. The saga that led to his eventual departure from Denver was incredible. As was the New York Knicks' pursuit of him and the package they surrendered to the Nuggets in the resultant 13-piece, three-team trade.

So, could the story repeat itself in the upcoming baseball season? Here, we take a quick look at five candidates for the role of Anthony—players who could give up on their team, demand a trade, or both, before the July 31st trading deadline.

All major league teams are now full bore in camp and the countdown until March 31st can't get here quick enough. With teams going through their full workouts and games starting last weekend, who are the "old timers" that came into camp maybe a little more fit than last year? Bleacher report will look at these aging stars and see if they can regain or increase their numbers from last year.

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This past calendar year has been nothing but heartbreak after heartbreak for New England sports fans.

(All 29 other sports regions/cities roll their eyes collectively).

We're no Seattle or Cleveland, but these have been somewhat trying times for fans that have high standards for success.

In the long and cherished history of the Boston Red Sox, the team has managed to flourish with, and despite of, some of the most oddly reclusive players in the game of baseball. These stars of the diamond have often been compared to Greta Garbo, the famous actress and movie star. She made the mold for the term “Drama Queen” and lived in opulent seclusion.

Ahhh I can smell the clay already.

Pitchers and catchers have reported to camp, there is less than a week before the first Spring Training game and speculation about who will finish the 2011 season where in the AL East is already brewing.

The AL East has always been one of the toughest, if not THE toughest, divisions in baseball.

This year will be no different.

In fact, I expect it to be more competitive this season than it has been in a while.