Baseball in 2009

The first pitch for the 2009 baseball season will be thrown on April 5th. The season has yet to start, but that doesn't stop anyone and everyone affiliated with MLB from giving you their predictions or opinions.

The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies will host the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night in MLB's season opener. ESPN's Baseball Tonight crew will be announcing the game. We will have to wait to hear who will be the starting pitcher. The current talk says that Phillies' ace, Cole Hamels, is out of the first day rotation. His injured shoulder may cause Philadelphia to get off to a slow start.

The Yankees moved into their new digs today, and the main comment coming from the veteran players was about how strange it was to be in the new Yankee Stadium. Collectively, they claim they are not going to let the strange surroundings change the positive attitude they have on reaching the playoffs. Last year, they had a few key injuries. This year is already beginning with an injury as well. Jorge Posada has not completely recovered from his shoulder injury, and his delay could start the team off behind the proverbial 8 ball.

The Cardinals will not be starting off this year with Troy Glaus at third base. This leaves St. Louis scrambling to fill the spot at third. Right now, they will try with a minor league player who has never been in the big league. If that fails, they might have to juggle some of the players they currently have on the roster. Even with this distraction, the Cards are still predicted to win the NL Central.