Randy Johnson has been out of action for the San Francisco Giants since July 6th. Recently, Johnson said that he thinks he can return during the 2009 baseball season — as a reliever.
In his career, which dates all the way back to the 1988 season with the Montreal Expos, he has only ten relief appearances. He last appeared out of the bullpen with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 campaign.
On the season, the Big Unit has an ERA of 4.81 and a record of 8-6. The biggest moment of the season was when the 45-year-old won his 300th game. He …read more

American League East
It looks like the Tampa Bay Rays are going to shock the world and win the AL East. They have a three-game lead on the Boston Red Sox and are riding a winning streak of four games.
American League Central
The Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins are locked in a dogfight for the division crown. The White Sox currently lead by a half a game. However, the White Sox are struggling and the Twins are surging.
American League West
The Angels are up a staggering 21.5 games on the next team in the division. It’s literally been months since …read more

Manny Ramirez showed off his blue uniform on Saturday as he officially became a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ramirez said that he’ll work hard and try to help the Dodgers make the playoffs. He also told a story about how the first uniform he ever wore was a Dodgers uniform.
Later in the day, Ramirez batted cleanup for the Dodgers. However, there wasn’t a storybook ending to the day as the Dodgers lost 2-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ramirez went 2-for-4 in the loss.
In a busy baseball trade deadline, Ramirez was one of many big …read more

Perhaps the story of the year is developing in Arizona. Doug Davis, a starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks, is ready to pitch against after having cancer surgery on April 10th.
Davis was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the offseason but decided to make two regular season starts before having the surgery. On Friday, Davis will be back on the mound for the Diamondbacks.
In the two starts Davis made at the beginning of the season, he went 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA while striking out 11 batters in 9.2 innings. In 2007, Davis won a career-high 13 games …read more

Right down this name: Max Scherzer. Scherzer is a starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks who hasn’t even made his first start, yet he has the baseball world buzzing. He has an electric fastball, a deadly changeup and two different colored eyes.

The 23-year-old was drafted with the 11th overall pick by the Diamondbacks in the 2006 draft. Originally, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 43rd round of the 2003 draft, however he instead opted to go to the University of Missouri.
This season, Scherzer started at Triple-A with the Tucson Sidewinders of …read more

Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are young but amazingly talented. With great pitching, bashers at the plate and a solid manager, the Diamondbacks are for real. If Randy Johnson can return to 80% of his former self, he’d make Arizona the heavy favorite to represent the National League in the World Series.
Boston Red Sox
The reigning champs haven’t shown too many weaknesses so far this season. David Ortiz got off to a slow start but he’s playing well again. The pitching can only get better and the bats can only get hotter. You have to think the New …read more

Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Lance Berkman is off to a fantastic start to his 2008 campaign. He is batting .299 and has eight homers, 23 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Surprisingly enough, Berkman also has four stolen bases already. The 32-year-old Berkman’s career-high is nine stolen bases. He’s been an all-around threat this season for H-Town.
Derreck Lee, Chicago Cubs
Last season, Derrek Lee had a relatively poor season. This year, he’s again playing like an MVP candidate. He is batting .355 with eight homers, 22 RBIs and 23 runs scored. The Cubs would be much …read more

As I’ve watched the Arizona Diamondbacks play since the start of the season, I’ve been extremely impressed.  They are definitely for real in the National League.  While it may be early in the season, the team’s stats are superb.  Entering the day, the Diamondbacks were baseball’s leader in both runs and least earned runs allowed.  That’s a remarkable stat – even with the season in its infancy.
However, I do have a lingering questions regarding Arizona’s batting order.  The Diamondbacks top their order with Chris Young, Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson.  While that is an impressive trio of players, I don’t …read more

A couple weeks into the baseball season, let’s take a break and check out the hottest fantasy baseball players. In this top five list, there will be a few players who could remain near the top for the duration of the 2008 season.
1) Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks
A lot of people liked the Diamondbacks coming into the season. Few thought that they’d be this dominant this early. Mark Reynolds, the 24-year-old third baseman for Arizona, has been a monster in this early season.
2) Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Lance Berkman has been an enigma in recent years. He has massive potential but for …read more

We’re taking a break from the “Who Am I?” segment that normally runs on Mondays. Don’t worry, it’ll be back, but with the season fast approaching and memories of my recent trip to the Cactus League still reasonably fresh, I thought I’d share some photos this week.
You can see all my spring training photos at Flickr, but I understand that you’re busy and may not have time to go clicking all over the place. With that in mind, here’s a shot of Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton:

Upton, for those who may have been living in a cave, is one of …read more