Tom Boswell of the Washington Post writes about the Nationals new ballpark which opens tonight... "What hit Washington this weekend is a phenomenon that has swept America and transformed baseball since 1991. That year, the White Sox opened a new ballpark. What a mess. The upper deck was so steep fans got dizzy. The next season, Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened and that changed everything. The golden age of ballparks had begun. How does baseball survive scandals, work stoppages, rising ticket prices and astronomical salaries? Why has the old game broken attendance records almost every season, including last year? The answer: It's the glorious ballparks." ...
Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe writes that despite two World Series titles, Red Sox manager Terry Francona does not get the recognition unlike his Boston counterpart Bill Belichick... "But in an area where the football coach, Bill Belichick of the Patriots, is routinely regarded as a genius, Brennaman's spoof of Francona's critics was a humorous reminder that the Sox manager does not yet elicit similar acclaim for his skills, despite a résumé as glittering as any manager the club has ever had." ...
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes how Yankee Stadium will be demolished after the season - with dignity... "The demolitions will not resemble those of Ebbets Field or the Polo Grounds in two significant ways. There will be no wrecking balls, which are generally not allowed in the city. And explosive charges will not be set off to blow the ballparks to smithereens, or more technically, to implode them. The city also prohibits implosions." ...
Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News writes about past Yankee Opening Days... "It looked like a giant cathedral," says Coleman, who was a Yankee from 1949-57. "When you're in close, it's monstrous and it looks gorgeous. I think it's the most electric ballpark ever put together by human hands. "It's an imperial park, majestic, spectacular. It's something we won't see again." ...
Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune writes about the Tampa Rays three stud starters... "Everyone understands that a successful rotation is the cornerstone of a winning team, though the Rays have become familiar with that principle mostly through its inverse. Where for the better part of a decade the Rays' No. 1 starter often could be defined as the lesser of five evils, they no longer have to be embarrassed about the arms they roll out to start each game." ...
Thomas Stinson of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes that Bobby Cox may be in the last year of his contract, but he is still the rock behind the Braves... "This may be his last. Cox turns 67 in May. He is a hands-down Hall of Famer, a four-time manager of the year — in three different decades — with nothing left to prove. His contract is in its final year and he suggested last spring — and quickly withdrew — the notion that this would be his last season." ...
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes how a winning season in Pittsburgh may disrupt the team's plans to unload veterans... "To grasp why a successful 2008 could represent a serious disruption for the Pirates, it is necessary to understand what they hope, ultimately, to achieve. Major League Baseball's economic system allows teams to control all players' rights for their first six years in the majors. After that, they can declare free agency, and their cost can rise exponentially." ...
Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Indians manager Eric Wedge understands the difference between managing and coaching... "Wedge was named AL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America after the Indians won 96 games and reached Game 7 of the ALCS last season. He appreciated the award, but doesn't think it helped him reach more players this spring than last spring." ...
Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press writes about the Tigers newest slugger and the face of the franchise... "Monday, on Opening Day, the 24-year-old Cabrera is to unleash that swing in Detroit, a swing that sent season-ticket sales soaring this past winter, a swing that sent national baseball analysts swooning, declaring the Tigers favorites to get back to the World Series for the second time in three years, a swing that just cost owner Mike Ilitch $152.3 million, a staggering deal for an athlete with staggering talent." ...
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes about the season long tribute to Joe Nuxhall who died in November... "The Ol' Left-hander won't be around for Opening Day, but it will be hard to miss the Joe Nuxhall tributes this season. Here are some of the honors and events planned for Nuxhall, the Reds broadcaster and former player who died in November at age 79." ...
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the Brewers have some attitude this season with their slugger combo of Fielder-Braun... "Yost has good reason to trust in the Fielder-Braun combination. In 2007, no two teammates hit more than their combined 84 home runs, despite the fact that Braun played with a two-month mulligan after coming from the minors at the end of May." ...
Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times writes about the White Sox newest stud... "Yes, ''The Cuban Missile'' -- Alexei Ramirez -- has landed in Guillen's lineup as the starting center fielder." ...
David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes that this may be the century the Cubs finally win the World Series... "Seriously, most of the half-dozen or so futurists asked to ponder the next 10 decades of baseball agreed that changes to the game will include the Cubs winning a World Series in that span. It could be in 2008. Or 2088. Whether it will come before the next scheduled appearance of Halley's Comet in 2061, nobody could say." ...
Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star writes that new Royals manager Trey Hillman has plans for the team... "He doesn’t stop. That’s what they notice about Trey Hillman. He doesn’t stop, never stops, ever, he’s up before the farmers and newspaper delivery folks, he’s hitting the elliptical machine and jabbering about lineups, he’s video conferencing with his family, he’s scouring the Internet for baseball news, he’s scribbling ideas in his notebook, he’s watching minor-leaguers, he’s bouncing around asking questions, crazy questions, like what base the pitcher should cover when there are runners on first and third and a foul ball is hit behind first base." ...
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch features the Cardinals new general manager, John Mozeliak... "John Mozeliak understands media. He listens to talk radio in all its informative, entertaining and puerile forms. He reads punctuation. He realizes the court of public opinion's sway." ...
Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle writes how the Astros are starting over under new manager Cecil Cooper... "The goal was to upgrade the team's speed and defense, two areas in which the Astros had struggled in recent years. McLane also wanted more firepower in the lineup. McLane feels the Astros achieved all those things in a whirlwind offseason like none other the club has seen." ...
Larry Stone of The Seattle Times writes how the Mariners' Ichiro is now entering his eighth season in Seattle and his exciting plays have become routine... "The days of joyous discovery are long past. No longer do we rub our eyes in amazement at what we just saw from Ichiro — the bat wizardry, the rocket arm, the lightning first step out of the box, seemingly while still swinging." ...
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times writes that new Dodgers manager Joe Torre is still learning about his team... "Joe Torre admits he didn't spend as much time with the nucleus of his club as he would've liked, that he's relying on the eyes and ears of his coaches more than usual to make decisions. He has no clue when his wounded players will return or how much of a problem their bodies will give them over the next six or seven months." ...
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that Diamondbacks manager Doug Melvin knows how to mix managing with psychology... "Managers are analyzed ad nauseam for their batting orders and pitching changes, but often hidden from view is one of the more important parts of the job. Not only is Melvin a strategist and evaluator, he dabbles in psychology, balancing egos and maintaining the sometimes-fragile confidence of 25 players through the ups and downs of a long season." ...
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