The country that once produced the first ever
Latino player in the US professional leagues,
Cuba, which was the first ever country to
be introduced to the game of baseball
by the United States in the 1860s and until
1961 had more players in the Major Leagues
than any other Latinamerican country,
has really downsize their baseball
program.

By Amaury Pi-González

[Read more →]

The real test for any young pitcher in the major leagues is facing a good fastball hitting team. The key to success is getting command of your off speed stuff, thus upsetting the timing of the aggressive hitters.

The Orioles, a team comprised of overly aggressive swing from your heels fastball hitters, provided a challenge for the A’s pitching staff.

Once Dan Haren got comfortable he followed the example set by Kirk Saarloos a night earlier, rarely giving the Birds a fastball over the center of the plate. Instead, the two youngsters showed some pitching chops by keeping Baltimore off balance while they were on the mound.

The real test will come when the A’s face Texas, Seattle, and Los Angeles three teams with big time smart hitters who can crush the fastball. [Read more →]

Introducing Your 2005 Washington Nationals…

“Don’t get us wrong, I understand the impossibility of running a major league baseball team in Montreal. It’s remarkable the Expos were able to last 10 years in a market where nobody really cared. But let’s set the record straight—the dissolution of the Expos wasn’t due to a lack of fan support.”

“Capitalism isn’t driven by consumers.”

Click below for more of this interesting story.

Check more from Josh at www.baseballpages.blogspot.com [Read more →]

Forget all those things you read about the players in spring training, the regular season is a totally different kettle of fish.

Javier Vazquez pitched some nice games during the exhibition season, yesterday he didn’t make it out of the second inning.

If you are an Arizona fan you have to wonder if the NY experience has scarred him for life.

Click below for more!. [Read more →]

Batter Up April 3rd, 2005

The American League West has become the premier division in the league.

Every team in the West has a chance to win the division this season. Every team in the West has a manager that makes an impact on the game. Every team in the West has a general manager that understands how to build a winning ball club.

So, who’s the frontrunner to win the division as the season opens up? [Read more →]

Play Ball
A history of Oakland A’s home openers

By A.J. Hayes

Overall Record: Since moving west in 1968 the A’s have gone 20-16 in games played on opening day in Oakland.

First Opener: On April 17, 1968 the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was over following with excitement as 50,164 fans filed into the park for the first official major league game played in Oakland. Veteran right-hander Lew Krausse started for the A’s against Baltimore’s Dave McNally. Krausse opened the game by walking Baltimore lead off man Curt Blefary, but he escaped the frame unscathed. He wasn’t so lucky in the second when Baltimore’s Boog Powell produced the first hit and run in the history of the Coliseum with one swing as he slugged a one-out, solo home run.

Baltimore spoiled the A’s west coast debut 4-1 with Krausse taking the loss.

Click below for more of a tremendous look at A’s baseball history, Marty [Read more →]