More games? Okay, if you insist:

Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 p.m. PT — Hiroki Kuroda looked outstanding in his North American debut. I expected the funky delivery that is characteristic of pitchers who come over from Japan, but the velocity caught me by surprise. He was pumping 93-mph fastballs against the Padres. Micah Owings gets the call for Arizona. He dominated the Rockies in his first start of ‘08 (although he only went 1-for-4 at the plate, LOL). Wasn’t there talk that the Snakes might stick Owings in the field at some point? I think that’s crazy, but it would be …read more

Ah, Opening Day. I hope you had as much fun as we did (full report at Ducksnorts). Beyond the thrill of a packed house at Petco Park watching Jake Peavy spin a shutout, here are a few items from Monday that caught my eye:

The Mets beat the Marlins, 7-2. The planet’s best pitcher against a Triple-A squad — who could’ve have anticipated such a result? Uh, everyone.
The Pittsburgh/Atlanta game was insane. The Pirates took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but the Braves tied. Then the Bucs jumped ahead in the 12th, 12-9, before allowing two runs …read more

I’m slow on this because I wanted to make sure the deal didn’t get Yorvitized. Yep, it’s a verb now. Why? Hey, why not.
Yorvitize – v. To publicly announce a contract signing as done and then go back on the announcement.
Here it is in a sentence:
Man, I’ll bet Phillies fans are bummed that their deal with J.C. Romero didn’t get Yorvitized.
Anyway.
The Brewers have inked Mike Cameron to a 1-year, $7 million deal that was finalized Monday. The 35-year-old center fielder, who spent the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres, will miss the first 25 games of 2008 while …read more

While we’re waiting for Kosuke Fukudome to decide what he wants to do with his life, we may as well catch up on some recent transactions, haiku style:
Nats and Yankees trade –
Clippard, Albaladejo,
anonymous arms
Cincy trades Buck Coats
to Blue Jays for Justin James –
who are these people?
Cards drop Taguchi –
they are So over that guy,
you wouldn’t believe
Padres sell Terrmel
to Japan’s Pacific League,
where he will fight ham
(Yes, I know, but don’t ruin the joke.)
Brewers sign Riske
to a big three-year contract –
seems kind of risky
(Ugh, they’re getting worse.)
Cincy waives Cantu –
I sure can understand why
they did that, can’t you?
(Seriously, this is terrible.)
Nationals sign …read more

Hard to find stuff that isn’t about A-Rod or Barry Bonds these days (I just realized that “indicted” and “inducted” share all but one letter — yeah, I’m real quick that way), but here’s something kind of fun: Baseball America has released its list of Top 20 prospects from the Arizona Fall League in ‘07.
Cameron Maybin and Evan Longoria at the top should come as no surprise. Several others make sense as well. One name I didn’t expect to see near the top was Matt LaPorta.
I understand that LaPorta has jaw-dropping power, but weren’t there questions about his defense? And …read more

Preseason Picks Revisited
The story so far:

AL West
AL Central
AL East
NL West

Ladies and gentlemen, the least interesting division in Major League Baseball:

Cubs – Somebody had to win the division; it might as well be the team that spent $300 million on free agents.
Astros – Why did I like this team so much? Perhaps their recent track record fooled me? I’d expected more out of Morgan Ensberg and Jason Jennings. Instead, everyone got fired.
Cardinals – Hey, I got one right. Everything about their 2006 season seemed like a fluke to me. The Cards deserve credit for winning the World Series, but this was …read more

San Diego Padres outfielder Scott Hairston, who hit a walkoff homer Wednesday night against the Pirates, takes a mighty cut.
Teams are running out of time to make their move. The AL West and Central have been decided — if not mathematically, then practically speaking. The AL East is still up for grabs, but unless you’re a fan of the Red Sox or Yankees, that’s not a particularly compelling story line seeing that the runner-up almost certainly will win the wild card.
In the National League, things are a little more interesting. The Mets continue their free fall and now are just …read more

Wednesday? Must be a full schedule. Let’s jump right in…
American League

Angels at Mariners, 1:35 p.m. PT — Division rivals, great pitching matchup (Jered Weaver vs Felix Hernandez). Most days this would be a no-brainer as the game to watch, but there are several good ones today.
Red Sox at Yankees, 4:05 p.m. PT — Josh Beckett goes up against Roger Clemens. Advice to hitters: look for the fastball. The AL East is slipping away from the Yankees, as they are now 8 games back with 31 remaining. They’re only 2 behind Seattle in the wild card.
Twins at Indians, 4:05 p.m. PT …read more

Wednesday. The middle of the week. Humpday. Halfway between there and here. Eh, you get the point. Some good games on tap today…
American League

Indians at Tigers, 4:05 p.m. PT — Just a half-game separates these AL Central rivals. Paul Byrd vs Justin Verlander looks like a mismatch, and I suppose it is. Byrd, though, is a crafty veteran with freakish control (18 walks in 143 IP). Verlander’s ERA is 4.89 in seven starts since the All-Star break. Detroit’s offense is crazy good — Magglio Ordonez is a legit MVP candidate, Gary Sheffield is having a monster year (including 20 SB …read more

Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb’s scoreless innings streak is up to 42. Jacob at Vegas Watch calculates Webb’s chances of breaking Orel Hershiser’s record of 59 set back in 1988. The odds are long, but better than you might think. Still, Webb does have to go through Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and the Brewers in Milwaukee…