MLB

Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta has earmarked Thursday as the day he will end all position battles and decide on a 25-man roster.

It will coincide with the April 1 exhibition game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, where Fausto Carmona will take the mound for the Tribe in his final tune-up before the season.

In 2008 the Seattle Mariners lost 101 games, second only to the lowly Washington Nationals. Last season, the Mariners finished with a record of 85-77, signaling a 24 game turnaround, best in the league. This year the Mariners have their eye on 95 wins and an AL West title, and neither is out of the questions.

The Mariners have some household names that every baseball fan is familiar with. Ichiro Suzuki, who holds the all-time record for hits in a season, is easily one of the game’s most recognizable stars.

Justin Masterson is a pitcher many have been waiting on, though it took a trip out of Boston for the potential production to finally be there.  Unfortunately, the move to Cleveland didn’t get off to the best of starts:

1 Win
57.1 Innings
4.55 ERA
1.59 WHIP
52 Strikeouts (8.2 K/9)
35 Walks (5.5 B/99)
.319 BABIP

Control was clearly his major issue, though not indicative of his abilities. 

Going into spring training, the Oakland Athletics had a highly touted battle for the fifth rotation spot between Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, and Vin Mazzaro. Truth be told, I'm not sure how many people ever considered it a three-man race.

Cahill had just completed a full year at the major league level, Gonzalez has shown he has nothing left to prove in Triple-A, and all Mazzaro has done at the big league level is hurl two great scoreless starts in 2009 and then fall back to Earth... and then some... to the tune of a 5.32 ERA in 91.1 big league innings.

In contemporary America, they are known as the Nationals, and to many, as the six year purgatory that Stephen Strasburg, and soon Bryce Harper, will begin their likely long, successful careers in.

In the 1980's, however, these Nationals we know and love (to play) were in Montreal, and were home to some very good players, most notably future Hall of Famers Gary Carter and Andre Dawson.

In Tim Raines, we may eventually see a third Hall of Famer from those 1980's Expos teams, as his support is growing by the year.

Finding unsung heroes in the Yankees' landscape is difficult business.

If you do something noteworthy in New York, chances are you'll be remembered for it. Just ask Aaron Boone, who will be signing photographs of aging knuckleballers for the rest of his life.

This isn't a bad thing, mind you. Boone deserves his fame, just like Stéphane Matteau, Jim Leyritz, and Mookie Wilson deserve theirs.

Combine a knowledgeable fanbase and a competitive media contingent and you get a hyper-aware sports town. Simply put: We don't forget.

On April 11th the Boston Red Sox will visit Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium to take on the ever-flailing Royals, and Jason Varitek will turn 38.

Whether Varitek will catch that day remains to be seen. In 2010, Varitek will mainly make spot starts while sharing the job with the more offensively capable, 31-year-old Victor Martinez.

For any baseball fan, there is no better time of year. The sun has finally broke through, spring training is in its final days, and it's time to play ball. 

This Sunday will mark the beginning of the 2010 season as the Yankees and Red Sox start off their season at Fenway Park. This matchup should be a great prelude to what will be another great season of baseball.

Drafted: First Round, supplemental, 2005 (Aurora, IL)

Height: 6′3″ Weight: 215 lbs

Born: September 9, 1986

The 23-year-old righty put together another strong season in Triple-A last year, going 4-6, 3.13, in 126 IP…but he struggled in a brief promotion with the big league club (1-1, 9.56).

Red Sox minor league pitcher Junichi Tazawa visited Birmingham, AL, to consult with orthopedist James Andrews this afternoon. As of the posting of this article, neither the player nor the team had received the results of the exam—or at least not that they have made public.