Opinion

Sandy Koufax, hands folded in his lap, sat in the center of Nokia Theatre's bright stage between the Skipper and the Local Sports Columnist , who sat waiting for him to say something.

If there is one member of the 2010 rookie class that seems destined for stardom, it's Atlanta Braves rookie right fielder, Jason Heyward. In fact, stardom may be setting the bar too low for the ultra-talented 20-year-old Georgian.

Heyward will be given every opportunity to become the every day starter for the Braves this spring. The team made their intentions known when they traded former hometown hero, Jeff Francoeur in July, and let Garret Anderson depart in free agency this winter.

Speaking with a co-worker yesterday, we both agree that the Mets lineup is deep and that they will be one of the better hitting teams this year.

We also agree that the difference between winning 83 or 90 games will be determined by who steps up to take the second spot in the rotation.

Getting that second pitcher would make Mike Pelfrey and John Maine a solid three and four, respectively. It would also move Oliver Perez to the fifth spot and easier to replace, if his bad habits appear.

Brian Sabean and the San Francisco Giants' front office deserve a hearty round of applause heading into 2010 Spring Training.

Their winter of discontent following a disappointing finish to the 2009 Major League Baseball season could've been Ugly with a capital "U."

Considering how the anemic offense submarined an otherwise exceptional campaign from the starting staff and bullpen, the easy thing would've been to start the ol' printing presses and shell out max dinero for one of the best bats on the market.

But "easy" is all too infrequently synonymous with "smart."

Enough already with whining that the Giants are opening the 2010 season with kid position players.

Well, at least, separate the actual kid prospects from the the fan favorites we suspect have had time to and failed to prove they belong in the big leagues.

First, let's frame the discussion. The average age of big leaguers in 2009 ranged from 26.2 to 28.9 years.  The Giants' roster averaged 26.3 years of age and, well, fans recall what the youthful club did with the bat, right?

It was just a couple of days after the Phillies' 2008 World Series win when it was announced that Ruben Amaro, Jr. would be the team's new general manager.

Pat Gillick left on top of the world, a ring on his finger and a wonderful story to ride off into the sunset with.

Amaro, now 45 years of age, had been the team's assistant GM since 1998 and had been a part of both the Gillick and Ed Wade eras.

Hired after Gillick's retirement, not many people knew what to expect from Amaro.

With the meteoric rise of Jersey Shore and the "gorilla juiceheads" that the MTV hit so lovingly glorified, I was starting to believe that America had turned a corner in its collective stance on steroids.

If you're a baseball fan, that was your hope anyway. Coming off a year in which Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and Mark McGwire were either tied or outright admitted to PED use, we were juiced out on the juice.

Last week's relatively quiet announcement that the New York Yankees had signed Chan Ho Park to a $1.2 million, one-year contract raised some eyebrows.

If Park was willing to sign for such a meager sum and accept a bullpen role, why didn't the Phillies lock him up?

Throughout the offseason, indications had been that the pitcher was seeking an opportunity to be a starter and bigger dollars than the Phillies were willing to offer.

Perhaps that was true early on, but obviously neither of those desires was fulfilled with the Bronx Bombers.

The Minnesota Twins had a great offseason .

Mike Lowell did not.

The Minnesota Twins revamped a previously punchless middle infield, added a big bat to an otherwise lackluster bench, retained an innings-eater for the rotation, and brought in a solid groundball specialist for the bullpen.

Baseball dorks finally have made it to the Hall of Fame. Yes, they had to create their own: the Baseball Historian Hall of Fame, with an award named after Henry Chadwick.

The Hall was created by the good folks over at the Society of Baseball Research or SABR.  For those not in the know, SABR stats are the basis of sabermetrics. Without sabermetrics Billy Beane would only be recognized by a handful of people.

Without Billy Beane, Michael Lewis would, in 2003, have never written the best seller Moneyball .