NL Central

With ace Adam Wainwright sidelined for the year with Tommy John surgery, the St. Louis Cardinals are going to need someone to step up and pitch them deep into ball games this year, and the best candidate for that is last year's rookie sensation, Jaime Garcia.

Today he didn't disappoint, throwing a complete game shutout, leading the Cards to their first win of the year, 2-0 over the Padres. It was the first Major League shutout thrown this season. 

March 31 was the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season. The hot dog and beer vendors were all stocked up and ready to serve. The grass was freshly cut, and the freshly laid lime was a pearly white. Tens of thousands of extremely excited fans were all lined up at the turn-styles waiting to have their tickets scanned. 

But for me, my stomach was the only thing turning that day. 

By all accounts Brett Myers pitched a strong seven innings for the Astros during yesterday's disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Myers threw a quality start, pitching seven innings and allowing two earned runs on three hits, three walks and no strikeouts. However, a closer look at yesterday's box score, radar gun and pitch/FX data show that Myers' stuff may have regressed. 

When people around the Pittsburgh area heard that Andrew McCutchen was going to be batting third in the Pirates batting order, some people were skeptical. He is by far the Pirates fastest player and possibly the fastest man in Major League Baseball.

Wouldn't a guy like this be better if he were batting leadoff?

Cubs Nation, breathe easy. Mike Quade sure is.

The Milwaukee Brewers are coming off a sub-.500 season filled with inconsistency and injury.

If you forgot that the Pittsburgh Pirates were a Major League team, I don't blame you.

Being a Pirates fan is possibly the most difficult job in sports. The only thing I would consider worse would be being a fan of the Seattle Supersonics or the Montreal Expos or some other team that left right in front of your eyes.

The last time the Pirates finished with more wins than losses was 1992. I was four years old. Yes, you read that correctly. Four years old!

Opening Day is finally here.

Aside from the beautiful smell of fresh hot dogs and sausages simmering on an open fire, it is the mark of another calendar year where the Chicago Cubs have another shot at ending their 102 years of championship futility.

Every team is hopeful that this year is their year.

But for Chicago Cubs players and fans, this slogan has been said so much, that it has lost all of its meaning.

Matt Holliday smashed a home run in the bottom of the eighth to put the Cardinals up 3-2, but it wasn't enough to get the win. 

Cameron Maybern hit a two out home run in the top of the ninth to tie up the game and the San Diego Padres added two more in the top of the 11th to ruin the Cardinals season opener at home. 

One of the most storied franchises in the world, the St. Louis Cardinals have captured 10 World Series championship trophies.

Recently awarded a Medal of Freedom by president Obama, Cardinal for life—Stan Musial—is a champion in baseball and in life.  Considered one of the best hitters ever in the majors, he's ranked somewhere on my list of all-time Cardinals rippers. 

Zip along for the ride to find out where.  Rip camera one...