Opinion

Jason Heyward stood patiently in the batter's box like a watchful hawk, his long 6-foot, 5-inch frame towering over those around him.

In the stands, eager fans sat on the edges of their seats as if balancing on the point of a needle, awaiting the first at-bat of this heralded rookie. Each sat with fists clinched wondering if they could believe the hype.

Not Heyward.

Heyward's joints were loose, his arms were relaxed and his face failed to reflect the enormity of the situation upon which he was embarking.

John Bowker's spot on the Giants' opening day roster wasn't a guarantee when spring training opened.

With a minor league option left and players ahead of him ahead of him in the pecking order, Bowker had to earn his way onto the roster. And it looked like at the beginning of the spring, if he was going be on the roster breaking camp, it wasn't going to be as a starter.

A Yankees fan has to be wondering about a certain contract today with regard to their ace, CC Sabathia, after last night's opening against the Boston Red Sox. What's nearly as bad is that he was drubbed twice, in spring training, by the otherwise lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sabathia, like almost any other player, has his "streaks." He pitched a great 2007 season for the Cleveland Indians, then "choked" in the ALCS that year, against Boston no less. 

Scott Kazmir, it seems, has been around forever.

Moneyball introduced the world to Kazmir, and he since has been at the head of the class.

Chosen 15th overall by the New York Mets and then signing for $2.15 million allowed Billy Beane to select Nick Swisher.

Kazmir went on to lead the resurgent Tampa Bay Rays into their lone playoff appearance as the “veteran” ace of the staff.

It appears that being the ace in your early 20s comes with its problems.

This past week, Toronto Blue Jays slugger Adam Lind signed a four-year, $18 million contract.

Lind's contract also has three option years that could bring the total to seven years and $38.5 million.

By locking him up now, the Blue Jays eliminate his three arbitration years and get cost control for the next seven seasons. 

So what does this mean to the Rays?

Last year, I went on Bodoglife.com and placed some baseball prop bets. Bets like over/under for a player’s average, home runs, or wins and a team’s over/under for wins.

I made 25 bets (I didn’t actually bet) and when the season ended, I finished at 64 percent on the season. Good, but not great. I am definitely looking to improve on that percentage this year.

Let’s look at 25 bets for this season:

He steps up to the plate with his hat tugged low on a line that meets his eyebrows.

He is shorter than the home plate umpire but he gives the impression he could care less.

The Washington Nationals made one of the best moves of spring training on March 20^th, they sent down Stephen Strasburg.

Having made the decision that the young phenom would start the season in Double A, the Nationals designated him for assignment, which caused the hype surrounding Strasburg to deflate like a punctured beach ball.

Here's to green grass cut ever so perfectly.

Here's to the beer vendor who picks the perfect time to walk by and knows you personally by the end of the season, along with the hot dog vendor who knows to come back after your first purchase.

Here's to the obnoxious fan who screams what everyone is thinking, and the outfielder who turns around to laugh at him. 

Here's to having a civilized conversation with a rival fan only to punch them innings later.

Six seasons ago, fans welcoming baseball back to Washington gave standing ovations to the bat boys. What the Washington Nationals did on the field didn’t matter back in 2005.

That a team roamed the vast expanse of RFK Stadium again was all that mattered.

Wins? Eh—they’d be nice but….