Opinion

Earlier this week the Arizona Diamondbacks announced who would be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day.

They have given this honor to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who recently retired.

Warner has been a fan favorite during his time in Arizona and led them to a Super Bowl in 2009. His departure from football will be greatly felt, and the Diamondbacks should be applauded for recognizing him.

While I believe that Warner deserves the honor of throwing out a first pitch, I find myself a little disappointed in the timing of this.

Kris Medlen is listed at 5'10'' and even that may be a stretch.

His small stature and the fact that he played mostly shortstop at Santa Ana Junior College prior to being drafted had many questioning whether or not he could ever be a productive professional pitcher, which resulted in a 10th round draft selection in 2006.

Despite the slights against him, Medlen dominated the minors, posting an FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) higher than 4.00 just once, and he saw even more success once he transitioned to starting pitcher in the summer of 2008. 

A soft opening, a sneak peak, a glimpse of the future—whatever you call it, Target Field is now officially a baseball facility.

The brand new home of the Minnesota Twins was finally used for its main purpose Saturday, hosting its first ever baseball game—a contest between the University of Minnesota and Louisiana Tech.

The Twins opened the doors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a total of 37,757 fans paying $2 a head to get their first look at the Twins’ new digs.

If you listen close enough, you can almost hear it:

If you realign it, they will come.

Baseball is on the verge of doing something smart for the first time since the arrival of the Wild Card. The question is, will they realize the reality that is at their fingertips? Or will it slip through their grasp?

Once again the dreaded “R” word is being passed around. This time it seems different than the regular ‘what if’ but quickly dismissed talk. This time, it actually appears to be gaining steam. Many baseball owners want it. Fans want it.

Many people may consider Joe Mauer's recent contract signing the most significant news in relation to the upcoming 2010 Minnesota Twins season. Some may consider it the loss of their star closer, Joe Nathan. Personally, I think what is going to turn out to be the biggest news of the Twins season is the loss of their home-field advantage at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

In 2009, the Mets had an injury ridden season. Day by day guys were getting hurt, and the Mets would have to dig deeper and deeper into their farm system for replacements.

This season shouldn't be like that.

The Mets pitching staff hasn't been stellar the last few years. Oliver Perez hasn't been what the Mets thought he'd be, and there hasn't been massive talent to come up from the farm system. This year should be different.

If nothing, this was a sign of trust in Dontrelle Willis and Jeremy Bonderman.

Because what the Tigers did on Tuesday—dealing left-hander Nate Robertson to the Florida Marlins for left-hander Jay Voss—was nothing short of a release.

Did anyone really think otherwise?

The Tigers are paying $9.6 million of his $10-million salary this year and are virtually giving the payroll-sensitive Marlins the left-handed starter that they desperately needed.  

What I’m Reading

• Get ready for some comic mischief and summer-hijinks – and all of it outdoors! What I’m trying to say here is that the Twins are planning on using a closer-by-committee strategy in Joe Nathan’s absence.

The San Francisco Giants competition for pitching roster positions is heading down to the wire as the 2010 season opener approaches. 

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.