MLB

The Miami Marlins played an exhibition game against Team Venezuela, set to take part in the World Baseball Classic, and recently deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez was not remembered with a moment of silence before the contest.

Because so much went right for the San Francisco Giants in 2012, they really can't be expected to do it all over again. And, honestly, it wouldn't be a disaster if they didn't repeat as World Series champions.

Hey, don't look at me, Giants fans. I'm just summarizing what Matt Cain is thinking.

The 2013 World Baseball Classic is underway and at least one new face will be working the circuit this year.

On the heels of his third world championship, Tony LaRussa left his managerial post with the St. Louis Cardinals while he was on top.

As we edge closer to the halfway mark in spring training, the New York Yankees are already beginning to evolve.

Although Derek Jeter hasn’t played in any games and most of New York’s top starters haven’t seen live action, there is a lot to learn from thus far.

In only a few weeks the Yankees have begun to form a new identity, without Nick Swisher and Russell Martin.

As the St. Louis Cardinals reflect on the unfinished business of 2012, they have to feel proud and disappointed at the same time.  Being one win from the World Series was not something Cardinals fans thought would have been possible in mid-August.

However, the Cardinals showed their teeth like a back-alley Rottweiler and made their push into the playoffs.  Now as 2013 is upon us, the Cardinals are poised to improve on their 88-74 record from last season.

Major League Baseball's 2012 postseason led to some incredibly exciting October baseball and this year's spring training will give us a chance to see some rematches from those series.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals one-upped each other in the comeback department en route to a memorable National League Division Series.

The San Francisco Giants started their improbable World Series-winning run by staging a comeback of their own against the Cincinnati Reds to make history in the other National League Division Series.

Spring training is still very young, but the Cincinnati Reds have had already had some surprises.

Cincinnati currently owns the worst record in the National League. The record is irrelevant for so many reasons, but they need to see some improvement in certain areas.

The surprises have been both good and bad, but the bad ones have been more obvious. Spring results have no impact on the regular season, so let's not go overboard. 

A number of players in the big leagues can wow fans with their performances on the field, but some of them also have incredibly interesting backstories about their road to the major leagues.

Many players have had to deal with personal issues or injuries and have persevered to reach the MLB. Movies have been made about players like this in the past, such as The Rookie, which was based on Jim Morris' career.

In Major League Baseball, veterans are always a key component to the success of a team, but there are some elder statesman who will have a major role for their respective clubs in 2013.

Guys like Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees and R.A. Dickey of the Toronto Blue Jays will each be of vital importance to their respective team's pitching staffs. Meanwhile, A.J. Pierzynski will have to make an impact on both sides of the ball for the Texas Rangers.

Some people prefer to play exhibition games and others like to build franchises and control the operational side of things, but any way you slice it, player ratings in sports video games are a fun topic for debate.