Ohka Out, Towers In

The era of Ohka is over.... even though it was only for 2 months. Yesterday, the Toronto Blue Jays put Toma Ohka for assignment and will now hand the ball to Josh Towers in his place.

Ohka this year is 2-5 with his latest loss coming to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Towers though isn't without his fair share of troubles. After getting close to or above 10 wins in his 1st 3 years with the Blue Jays, Towers crumbled in 2006. He went 2-10 with an ERA close to 9! This year he had a chance to impress the Blue Jays staff, as he was part of the pitching rotation on opening day. But he went 2-3 with a 5.15 ERA, so the Jays replaced him with Victor Zambrano.

Ohka, Zambrano and John Thomson were all part of the off-season singings that J.P Riccardi (Blue Jays GM_"I don't feel any added pressure," Towers shrugged of the Jays' history of having little patience for even one bad outing. "I feel I pitched well out of the bullpen. That's why if they have a short leash or we don't score any runs, or whatever the (crap) was that went on in the past, it's irrelevant, because I can relieve now. I can just go out and pitch

"I don't feel any added pressure," Towers shrugged of the Jays' history of having little patience for even one bad outing. "I feel I pitched well out of the bullpen. That's why if they have a short leash or we don't score any runs, or whatever the (crap) was that went on in the past, it's irrelevant, because I can relieve now. I can just go out and pitch."

Ohka, Zambrano and John Thomson were all off-season signings for pitching that J.P Riccardi's (Blue Jays GM) signed. Those pitchers haven't worked out so well as the 3's combined record is 2-7 in 18 games (12 starts), with a 6.62 ERA.

Now, let's see if Towers can put up some wins.

A New Season

As the 1st real day of the MLB season comes to an end, the Toronto Blue Jays got the start they wanted to the season. The Jays were at Detroit's Comerica Park, were the Tigers raised the 2006 AL Pennant and had fireworks to boot. But the Jays spoiled the party in the end.

The game couldn't of started of better for the Jays as they got to Jeremy Bonderman early scoring 3 runs in the 1st inning with RBI's from Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells and Alex Rios. Then, Doc Halladay came to the mound and shut down the Tigers to give the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead through the 1st inning. 2 innings later though, the Tigers mustered up a run to get within 2 runs of a tie. Another 2 innings later Detroit achieved that mark scoring 2 runs in the 5th. The game would go scoreless the rest of regulation, so the game went to extra innings. In the 1st extra inning, the Jays wasted no time as Troy Glaus and Alex Rios both batted home runs against relief pitcher Fernando Rodney to give the Jays a chance to win it in the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of that inning B.J Ryan came in and shut down Detroit to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 5-3 win.

After the game Frank Thomas talked about his 1st game with the Jays facing the team that eliminated his Athletics last post-season. "It's weird to be sitting in this locker again after ending last season here, but it's not a big deal," said Thomas, who was 1-for-4 and was hit by Rodney in his Blue Jays debut. "I'm with a different organization now, and these guys don't know anything about what happened to me last year."

These teams will face each-other again on Wednesday and Thursday both at 1:00pm

2007 MLB Season Preview

"This is the year." That's what many teams are saying right now as the 2007 MLB season is almost underway. But as we all know, not every team that thinks they have a shot can win it. Right now I'm going to weed out the fakers, reveal the contenders and see who's the favorite to win the 2007 MLB Season and World Series. I will go through every division, every league and predict my champion.

2007 American League Preview



2007 AL West Preview:

The west has the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. The Mariners and Rangers I think will not do very good as neither team has really made a push to be better. The division will probably come down to the A's and the Angels. Last year the A's beat the Angels to win the division, and the Angels have not made any off-season acquisitions that would make them any better. Oakland however has improved signing catcher Mike Piazza and gold-glove winner Shannon Stewert. Even with Frank Thomas gone, I think the Oakland Athletics will the AL West.

Projected AL West Standings

1. Oakland Athletics
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

2007 AL Central Preview:

The central consists of the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Indians, the Detroit Tigers, the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals. I believe that the division will come down to the Tigers and Twins. The Twins didn't really lose or sign anyone important in the off-season while the Tigers got veteran Gary Sheffield from the Yankees. The Tigers also have young pitchers like Justin Verlander growing up, so I think the Detroit Tigers will come out with the division.

Projected AL Central Standings

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Royals

2007 AL East Preview:

In the AL East, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles play. Other than the Devil Rays and the Orioles, the division should be pretty tight. The reigning AL East champ New York Yankees look good yet again this year as they have added Andy Pettitte in place of Randy Johnson for this year. Trade deadline acquisition Bobby Abreu is back again as he played amazing for the Yanks in his few games last season. The other 2 teams in the east are the Red Sox and Blue Jays. Both teams have a good chance to do something in the division as both have added great players to their lineup. The Jays have acquired DH Frank Thomas and SS Royce Clayton while the Sox signed Julio Lugo and Japanese pitching sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka. It will be close, but I think the Yankees will get another division title.

Projected AL East Standings

1. New York Yankees
2. Toronto Blue Jays
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Tampa Bay Devil Rays

AL Wild-Card Preview:

To me, this one is a no-brainier. With all the 2nd place teams fighting for the wild-card, I think the Minnesota Twins would easily win the wild-card. The Blue Jays and the Angels don't have the talent of the Twins, so I think Minnesota will pull out the wild-card.

Projected Wild-Card Standings

1. Minnesota Twins
2. Toronto Blue Jays
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Boston Red Sox

American League Champion Preview:

I believe that both the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees will face each-other in the ALCS. I also believe that the Tigers will win that series as they have better talent on their team with Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, Ivan Rodriguez and Kenny Rogers. The Yankees can't match up to players like that and other aspects of the Tigers game.

2007 National League Preview

2007 NL West Preview:

The teams in this division are the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants. This really is any one's division as there is no big power that can really win 90 - 100 games. It will be close, but the division will ultimately come down to the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks have added Randy Johnson, but have lost Luis Gonzalez while the Dodgers picked up Gonzalez, but lost Eric Gagne. I think the Dodgers will come out with the division again, just because the Diamondbacks haven't added anyone that can really change a game in their favor.

Projected NL West Standings

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies

2007 NL Central Preview:

The Chicago Cubs, St.Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Houton Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates play in this division. The Cubs have the possibility to win the division as they signed Ted Lilly and Alfonso Soriano this off-season. The Astros also could be good, but have lost one of their few good pitchers in Andy Pettitte, so they will really have to play inspired baseball to win the division. I really think though that the St. Louis Cardinals will win this division as they have almost the exact same team as they did last year.

Projected NL Central Standings

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Houston Astros
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Pittsburgh Pirates

2007 NL East Preview:

The teams in this division are the Atlanta Braves, the New York Mets, the Florida Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals. This division should be locked up pretty early by the Mets as they have only gotten better in the off-season. No other team in the division has the talent of the Mets. If any team were to catch them though, I think it would be the Braves as they had 15 straight division titles before the Mets win last year.

Projected NL East Standings

1. New York Mets
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Florida Marlins
4. Philadelphia Phillies
5. Washington Nationals

National League Champion Preview:

In the 1st round of the NL playoffs, the Cubs and the Dodgers will be knocked out leaving the Cardinals and the Mets. I believe that the Mets will take revenge on the Cards for last year and win the National League. With all of the young players they have, they can't lose. This leaves the Detroit Tigers and the New York Mets to play for the title.

World Series Preview:

It will be a very tight World Series as I believe both teams are very alike in their players and style of play. In a 7th game, I think that the Detroit Tigers will win the Series. It is very tough to tell who would win that match-up.

So those are my picks for this year to win the divisions, leagues and the World Series. Hopefully it will be a great year full of surprises, suspense and thrills

Jays Beat Up On Yankees

The Toronto Blue Jays were embarrassed 2 nights ago. They got their revenge on A-Rod for May 30th, but it was bittersweet as New York won 9-2. But yesterday, they were ready to go.

What seemed like a big pitching matchup was everything but. 12-5 Roy Halladay was facing 13-5 Chien-Ming Wang. Toronto got to New York early as the Blue Jays scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st. But Robinson Cano quickly cut that lead down to 1 in the top of the 2nd when he hit a 2-run blast to right field. The Toronto really got the bats going. Without any home runs, Toronto scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 3rd with a couple of doubles. From then on the Jays just kept pounding New York. They scored 6 more runs by the end of the game and won easily 15-4.

This game was not just good for Toronto because they won big against New York, but because of the players that produced. Frank Thomas continued his hot streak with 3 RBI, and Vernon Wells had 4 RBI. Matt Stairs had 2 doubles and 3 runs scored. It was a great all-around effort. "Guys really wanted to keep on them," Jays ace Roy Halladay said. "That's probably residue from yesterday. Nobody wanted to let down. They wanted to keep going, keep hitting, keep scoring, and I think that was the biggest difference from yesterday."

With A-Rod sitting out, the Jays could just focus on baseball. "I've been around hockey too long and too many hockey fights to know that the next day it's over with," Stairs said. "It's the same in baseball. ... It's done, hopefully. We can get on with playing baseball. We made our statement and they made their statement."

The Jays will now start a 4-game set against the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

Lights Out Litsch

With the Toronto Blue Jays finally healthy, they faced the Boston Red Sox yesterday in the last of 4 games in that series. With 35km/h winds going, it was a pitching duel out of all things.

The Jays drew 1st blood in this game, as Aaron Hill and Royce Clayton both drove in a run to give the Jays a 2-0 lead. Then after 3 scoreless innings, the Sox got a unearned run off Litsch. Alex Rios made an error in the outfield that let the eventual run get on base. The inning could of gone much worse, but Rios made up for his mistake by throwing David Ortiz out at home plate.

From then on it was a pitching duel. The Jays relievers did the job against the Sox big hitters and didn't give up another run. The Sox pitchers were also lights out, so the final score was 2-1.

This is the type of game that the Jays need more of. Games they shouldn't of won, but they win anyway. Those are the type of wins that good teams have. "That's the way the game works," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "You go out there and look at the way the flag was blowing today, you never would've expected it to be 2-1. He was great."

The wind also played a big part in the game. The outfield seemed to have the biggest trouble. With the Blue Jays leading, 2-0, in the sixth, Red Sox second baseman Alex Cora drilled an offering from Litsch (2-3) into center field. Wells turned and sprinted after the ball, but his jump was delayed just enough to allow it to fall over his outstretched glove for a leadoff double.

"The weird thing was, Coco Crisp hit me a ball the inning before the same height as Cora's," said Wells, referring to an inning-ending catch he made in the fifth. "Cora's took off and Coco's stayed there. It's good to get out of here. It was totally unpredictable."

Another incident was when Alex Rios seemed to be tracking the ball, but then had to dive for it and ended up losing it. "We were both going that way and I took a look at him," Wells explained. "I saw him kind of go up with his glove. So, I was like, 'OK, he has it.' I went to back him up, and all of a sudden he's diving for it. It's one of those things. In this park, you never know what's going to happen."

The Jays will now play the Yankees today. Toronto will try to cut down Boston's lead in the division, which is the greatest on a 2nd place team in the MLB.

Lets Go Streaking

The Toronto Blue Jays have been defined by 2 things this year. Their injuries and the 9-game losing streak in May. For the entire year the Jays have been trying to make up for that 9-game losing streak. And now, the Jays are going on another streak, and this time, it's the good kind.

One of the MLB's best young pitchers in Dustin McGowan took the hill for the Jays yesterday against the Minnesota Twins trying to get the Jays 4th straight win, which would tie a season high for them this season. McGowan was also trying to get the Jays back to the .500 level.

After 2 1/2 scoreless innings, John McDonald drove home Aaron Hill with a safety squeeze to give the Jays the 1-run lead. Next inning, the Hays would score again as Vernon Wells blasted his 1st home run since July 6th into the bullpen to increase the Jays lead by 2.

While the bats were driving in runs, McGowan was silencing the Minnesota bats as he pitched scoreless inning after scoreless inning. Toronto would get some insurance runs in the 7th and 8th, and McGowan would go 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball. The Jays bullpen then did their job to seal a 7-0 blow out win for the Jays.

This was the Jays 3rd shutout win in the last 4 games. The main reason for this are the starters. The 3 starters who pitched in the shutout games each went 7 or more innings. Gregg Zaun was quick to compliment McGowan's performance, as Zaun caught for him yesterday. "I can see his confidence building with every start, good or bid," Zaun said of McGowan, who has won three of his past four starts.

"I think the biggest difference for Dustin is knowing he's going to get the ball every fifth day. He doesn't have to go home and sweat and worry and look over his shoulder and thinking `are (manager John Gibbons) and (general manager) J.P. (Ricciardi) going to give up on me today and ship me back to the bullpen or even worse, to (triple-A) Syracuse. He doesn't have to worry about that right now. We're going to run him out there every fifth day and let him develop and continue to grow as a player and he's sure starting to respond."

Toronto's Jesse Litsch will try to get a sweep for the Jays when he takes the mound for them this afternoon.

Crazy Eights

The Toronto Blue Jays continued a rather good tend at home today at the Rogers Centre.

Coming into today, the Jays lead the majors in winning percentage at home with a 27-10 record (.730). Toronto had won 7 straight games coming into todays game with Texas and looked to get a sweep.

The game started out like the previous 2 in the series, and Texas scored a run off starter Dustin McGowan in the 1st. And just like the previous 2 games, the Jays bounced back tying up the game with a Frank Thomas single with Matt Stairs on 3rd. Then, after 3 1/2 scoreless innings, Matt Stairs doubled in Ray Olmedo, a call-up that got the start today. Then the Jays really opened things up 2 innings later, as Stairs and Wells both picked up a RBI to give the Jays a 4-1 lead. McGowan would shut down the Rangers for another inning, and Jeremy Accardo got his 20th save of the year as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 4-1.

The game was dominated by 2 people - an up and coming super-star in Dustin McGowan, and an old, Canadian boy celebrating his 1,500th game in Matt Stairs. McGowan was up to his old tricks looking un-hittable at times, and Stairs hit 3 doubles that cashed in 2 runs and scored a run himself.

"He's a good professional hitter. If you give him a pitch in the zone when he's ahead in the count, you're actually not expecting to get the ball back. He got me in a couple of big situations that I'd love to go back and do over again." -- Rangers starter Brandon McCarthy on Stairs.

McGowan seemed to blow away former teammate in Frank Catalanotto, who left for the Rangers just last season. "He's finally put it all together," Catalanotto added. "We always knew he had the stuff but now he's putting it together, mentally too, and being able to execute."

Toronto will now try to extend their home winning streak of 8 games to 9 against the New York Yankees tomorrow with another young star on the mound, Jesse Litsch.

Stairs Leads Jays To Victory

Yesterday, Matt Stairs contributed greatly to the Toronto Blue Jays game against the Minnesota Twins.

After Roy Halladay gave up a run in the 2nd, the Jays scored 3 runs in the 3rd off homers from Rios and Wells. After a bunch of 2 run innings by each club, the game was tied at 5 going into the 8th. In the inning, Matt Stairs launched a homer to right field to give the Jays a 2-run lead. They added one more in the inning. Minnesota wouldn't come back from that as the Jays took this one 8-5.

The Jays offence is finally looking up, as they have the most home runs in the American League since May 18th. Vernon Wells is finally getting hot as he homered for the 3rd time in 4 games. Matt Stairs also contributed with the eventual game winning home run, and has been very consistent.

"When I signed here, I expected to maybe get 200 at-bats. You hate playing due to injuries. Trust me, I'd love to see Overbay and Reed Johnson playing out there everyday," Stairs said. "But it's nice to have a veteran who's been around, and I've been in that situation for the last three years with Kansas City and guys getting injured."

Roy Halladay struggled in his start against the Twins, but still picked up the win.

"Sometimes, during the game, it's frustrating and it's tough, but those are always the more satisfying games after the fact. It's a grind, you kept yourself in it," Halladay said. "To me that's satisfying to be able to get a win with all that stuff going on. It's a good feeling. Sometimes, those tougher ones are more gratifying."

The Jays will try to make the win streak 5 today. They will try to keep the momentum going, as they are one of the hottest teams in the MLB

Chacin Arrested For DUI

They're saying this might be the year. The year the the Toronto Blue Jays finally go past 3rd place in the division and go for a playoff spot. But the Jays suffered a big blow Friday morning as their projected #3 starter for this year was arrested.

Young pitcher Gustavo Chacin was arrested Friday in Tampa, Florida on a misdemeanor account of driving under the influence. This arrest was confirmed by the Toronto Blue Jays franchise at 3:43am ET. According to the police reports, Chacin's blood alcohol content measured at .150 at the time of his arrest while the legal limit in Florida is .08. He was booked by the Florida police, then released on a $500 bond later that morning.

"The club is aware of the situation, but for us to say anything at this time would be premature," a team official told MLB.com Friday night."

Boston - Toronto

The Toronto Blue Jays yesterday were getting their 1st look at the Boston Red Sox this year. They also got a look at Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Through the 1st 2 innings, it was a good pitching duel. But in the top of the 3rd, the Jays gave up a upper-deck homer to Wily Mo Pena. The Jays though got those runs back in the 4th. Toronto took advantage of a infield-single by Vernon Wells by moving him up a bag and getting Lyle Overbay to bring him home. Then, with the bases loaded, Dice-K walked Gregg Zaun to bring home another run. Then, Jason Smith with the bases still loaded hit a deep shot to center field, but was caught by the center fielder. Boston couldn't come back from that as the Jays took the 1st Sox-Jays game of the year. Toronto is now leading the AL East.

A Blown Opportunity

As the new MLB season begins, the Toronto Blue Jays look good. They're leading their division and are 6-4. They had a chance to go 7-4 yesterday.

The Jays were facing the Tigers yesterday at the Rogers Center. The game started out well as Vernon Wells hit a 3-run homer to grab an early lead. They then added another run the next inning. But then the Tigers came within 1 as they scored a combined 3 runs in the 4th and 5th. But in the home-half of the inning, Alex Rios homered to center-field to bring home 2 runs and a 3 run lead. By the 9th the Jays though had just a 1 run lead. B.J Ryan was on the mound and looked good getting the 1st batter. But he then walked 3 straight to load the bases. Then a broken-bat hit brought home 2 runs to give the Tigers the lead. They added 2 more to give Detroit a 3 run lead. The Jays could not come back from that as the Tigers took this one 10-7.

It was Ryan's 2nd blown save in 4 attempts and was not happy with himself.

'There's no excuse for that,'' said Ryan, refusing to place any blame for his early woes on his back. ''I was just missing a lot, throwing the ball up in the zone and I've been able to command the

Towers Takes to the Hill

A few days ago, Josh Towers received a spot in the Blue Jays pitching rotation, and now, he will pitch against the San Francisco Giants.

This is the perfect team for the Jays to be facing, as the Giants have been starving for runs lately. They have been shutout for the past 2 games, and look to get a run tonight. San Fran has also lost 3 straight and are last in their division.

But it will take more than a run for the Jays to be stopped. Their bats have been hot of late with role players such as Matt Stairs stepping it up. On Sunday Troy Glaus had three hits, including a pair of solo homers and scored three runs.

Towers, who has never faced the Giants, was 1-3 with a 4.70 ERA in four starts to begin 2007 before making six relief appearances. He is 2-3 on the season with a 5.15 ERA and earned the win in his last outing on Tuesday with a two-inning relief stint versus the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "I liked the reliever role a lot," said Towers, who is slated to start on Monday in the opener of a three-game Inter league set with the Giants. "I fell in love with it for some reason. I think it's the preparation of being ready every day. But starting is a big job, and it's a lot of fun, too."

Injury Troubles

The Toronto Blue Jays are playing good ball of late, but suffered a big blow today.

Their closer B.J Ryan, outfielder Reed Johnson and Troy Glaus where all announced injured today.

B.J will be out 4-6 weeks with a elbow strain, Johnson will be out until July as he will have surgery on his back and Troy Glaus was placed on the 15-day DL because of a sore heel.

Ryan will not be a huge issue as Jason Frasor will take his spot and Adam Lind will take Johnson's spot. Glaus' place will be the real trouble. It is unknown right now who will be the full time replacement for Glaus.

The Jays are leading their division right now, and will have to play inspired ball to keep it.

Aprils Top 5 Stroies

5. The Masters - The 2007 Masters was one of the toughest ever with the winner over par. That winner was Zach Johnson. The self-proclaimed "normal guy" was the best player on the course and even beat Tiger.

4. Jays Season Opener - The Toronto Blue Jays opened their season with high hopes. So far they are 2nd in their division, but have had lots of injuries. If they get healthy, they will be dangerous.

3. Moss Trade - The New England Patriots traded for one of the best WR in the game pf football in Randy Moss. He will be a great addition to a WR core that has been depleted because of trades.

2. NBA Playoffs - The Toronto Raptors had one of their best seasons ever and will try to best the New Jersey Nets in the 1st round of the playoffs.

1. NHL Playoffs - The NHL playoffs started and are great. Every game has been entertaining and their have been many surprises. It will be interesting to see who will take it all.

Baseball MVP and Cy Young Previews

The MLB's 2007 regular season is coming to an end soon. Just 2 more months left for teams to get into the post-season and play in the World Series. It also means that there are only 2 months left for players to beef up their stats, and show off their numbers to the sports writers who vote for the MVP and Cy Young Awards. There are many players that might win the awards, but I'm going to look at all those players and see whose most deserving of the MVP and Cy Young Awards.

American League MVP

Candidates

Alex Rodriguez - 36 Home Runs, 109 RBI, .298 Batting Average
Justin Morneau - 28 Home Runs, 89 RBI, .287 Batting Average
Magglio Ordonez - 18 Home Runs, 94 RBI, .348 Batting Average

Out of these 3 players, I believe without out a doubt, (and it pains me to say this as I am a Blue Jays fan), Alex Rodriguez is the American League MVP. After a huge April, A-Rod has been going strong ever since then. No one in the entire league can match his power numbers, and he is leading a Yankee team that could very well lock up the Wild Card be early September by the way they're playing. Morneau is having another great year, but just doesn't have the numbers of last season. Although many say that Ordonez is the MVP, putting up power numbers and a stellar batting average, I believe A-Rod is the AL MVP.

American League Cy Young Award Winner

Candidates

Josh Beckett - 14 Wins, 5 Losses, 3.31 ERA, 132 Strikeouts
C.C Sabathia - 14 wins, 6 Losses, 3,52 ERA, 154 Strikeouts
Dan Haren - 13 Wins, 3 Losses, 2.46 ERA, 127 Strikeouts

This is a tough one. It took me a while just to figure out the candidates, as there are 11 pitchers with 12 or more wins in the AL right now! All these pitches are deserving of the award. But I have to choose 1 and I'm going with Dan Haren. The all-star game starter has been dominating so far during the season and his numbers show it. I think it's the 2.46 ERA that hooked me. And all of this on a sub .500 team in Oakland, unlike the other 2 who are on World Series contenders (nothing against Beckett and Sabathia). If Haren keeps it up, I believe he will be the American League Cy Young Award winner.

National League MVP

Candidates

Ryan Howard - 32 Home Runs, 93 RBI, .271 Batting Average
Prince Fielder - 34 Home Runs, 86 RBI, .287 Batting Average
Jose Reyes - 54 Stolen Bases, .308 Batting Average, 83 Runs Scored

My favourite player out of these 3 is Prince Fielder. I like the way he plays and when he got that inside the park home run, I was cheering for him all the way. And the way the Brewers have been playing, many think he should be the MVP. But I'm going to go against my natural instinct and go for the player who really deserves it - Ryan Howard. Although he has 2 less home runs than Fielder, Howard has more RBI and a stat that many will overlook, has 71 less at-bats than Fielder. Reyes has had a good year, but speed demons rarely get the MVP. So with that being said, I believe Ryan Howard will be the National League MVP at the end of the season.

National League Cy Young Award Winner

Candidates

Carlos Zambrano - 14 Wins, 8 Losses, 3.69 ERA, 139 Strikeouts
Brad Penny - 13 Wins, 3 Losses, 2.66 ERA, 104 Strikeouts
Francisco Cordero - 34 Saves, 3.28 ERA, 61 Strikeouts, 46.2 Innings

He's been my personal favourite to win the Cy Young Award since the beginning of the season. Brad Penny has, like Haren been dominant. Penny also like Haren has an amazing ERA for the MLB level. Zambrano has fought through some tough times this year. Many can remember his fight with former teammate Michael Barrett. The way he's gotten past all of that is great, but he has to many losses for me. Cordero has also been great, as many claim he is the best closer in baseball at this moment. But only once has the Cy Young gone to a closer, and that was when Eric Gagne didn't blow a save the entire year. So I think that Brad Penny will be the National League Cy Young Award winner.

There you have it. 4 awards and 4 predictions. Be sure to look back on this post when award time comes around.

March's Top 10 Stories

10. CFL Gets New Commissioner - Mark Cohan, son of McDonald's of Canada founder George Cohan was given a 5-year deal by the CFL to commission the league. He is very young (in comparison to other commissioners) as he only 41. He has already played big parts in the NBA and MLB and loves the CFL.

9.Tootoo Suspension - The Nashville Predators Jordan Tootoo was suspended 5 games by the NHL for a sucker punch on Stephane Robidas. After a questionable hit by a Dallas player on Tootoo, Jordan swung his fist at the 1st Stars player he saw, which ended up in a concussion and a week out of the lineup for Robidas.

8. Chacin's DUI - The Blue Jays youngest pitcher and the one with the most potential was arrested for a DUI in Florida. According to police reports, Chacin's blood alcohol content measured .150 while the legal limit in Florida is .08. Chacin was later released on a $500 bond that morning.

7. Damon Allen Re-signs With Toronto - The Toronto Argos re-signed their top QB this month. Allen is the all-time football passing leader passing the previous leader last season. It is good the Argos got this deal done, because they don't have a QB like him yet to take his place.

6. Brodeur and Luongo Chasing Parent - Both Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur are chasing a record set by Bernie Parent in 1973 - 1974. Brodeur just last night though did break the record, but there is some controversy over who really has the record. Parent set the record with 78 game while Brodeur did it with 82. Maybe someone will set the record before the 78 game mark next season.

5.Kaberle Injured - The Toronto Maple Leafs were in New Jersey to take on the Devils. It was just a regular game, but when Cam Janssen hit Tomas Kaberle into the boards, the game stopped. Kaberle's head smashed into the boards and gave him a concussion. The NHL would later review the hit.

4.Janssen's Suspension - After the league looked at Janssen's hit on Kaberle, the NHL agreed to suspend him for 3 games. That resulted in $7,220.16 of money lost. Janssen never said to the media that he was sorry or that the hit was dirty.

3.Simon Suspended For Rest Of The Season - In a game between the Isles and the Rangers, the Islanders Chris Simon received a hit from Ryan Hollweg. Simon got up and slashed Hollweg in the face. All Hollweg got was a few stitches, but Simon received the longest suspension in NHL history. He was suspended for 25 games and the playoffs.

2.6 Killed In College Bus Crash - While the Bluffton College baseball team was traveling to Florida for a game against the Gators, the bus crashed. The vehicle went off a highway ramp and and plunged onto a road below. 6 died in the crash and 29 were injured.

1. Race For 8th - In the Eastern Conference, there were 6 teams near the bottom of the standings looking for a playoff spot. One problem. There were only 3 spots up for garbs. In the last month the 1st 2 spots have been decided, and tonight on Hockey Night In Canada, the final spot will be decided.

5 Straight

The Toronto Blue Jays still need to find a rhythm, a comfort zone in this 2007 season. It was evident that they still hadn't found it yesterday.

With Roy Halladay on the mound against a 0-4 pitcher, he gave up 9 runs in 5 innings to let the Rangers win 11-4.

Toronto is now under .500 and needs to get on a streak.

The Big Hurt Hits Big Number 500

Today, the Toronto Blue Jays were facing the Minnesota Twins in the last game of a 4-game set. Although it was just 1 game in a 162 game season, it was certainly very special.

Frank Thomas, who has been one of the best hitters in the MLB for the past decade and some had 499 home runs going into today. It didn't take long for him to get 500. The 1st inning started out with with 2 men getting on with 1 out. Then, Thomas stepped up to the plate and blasted a ball to left field. As he did for his last 499 homers, he went around the infield with his head down, thinking about what he had just done.

The rest of the game did not go so well as the Twins clawed their way back into the game and really opened it up with a 4-run inning in the 5th. The final score was 8-5.

After the game, not only Thomas was happy, but the fan who caught the ball. "I lost it in the roof as it was coming down," Eisenlohr said. He said he traded the souvenir ball for an autographed ball, bat and jersey.

Eisenlohr was one of many fans who gave Thomas a standing ovation in Minnesota today. Thomas now becomes only the 21st player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs. Now, he has a new goal. Yo move up the all-time home run list. He is only 13 homers away from being 16th on the all-time list.

Congrats on Number 500 Frank Thomas