Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. Last week, I mentioned the heavy rain we received and the hassle of our flooded home. The upside of the rains is the benefit to the wildflowers this month. If you have never been to the Texas hill country, April is a great time to visit. The weather is pleasantly warm (usually) and the bluebonnets are on display. As the month goes along, the vibrant blues are joined by the bright red of the paint brushes and the yellows and pinks of other flowers. But for my money…the bluebonnets are worth viewing.

A sea of blue...

Here is the mixture that begins later in April...

Much was written before the 2013 season about the anticipated ineptitude of the Houston Astros. I was more than a little surprised that the Astros won on opening day against the big bats of the Texas Rangers. Of course, until last night…that was the only game that the Stros won. Houston is on pace to set an all time record for strikeouts. But of course, Chris Davis is on pace to hit 120 HRs as well. Basically, one week does not make a season. When Bo Porter was hired to be Houston’s manager, he was an unknown to me. I did not know him as a player or have any idea of what kind of manager he would be. I think we got a pretty good glimpse of what sort of manager he will be Monday night. Each manager expects their hitters to have a plan in each at bat. For each hitter there is a different plan. The Yankees and Red Sox have made a living of plate discipline. If you don’t throw strikes, they don’t swing. This must be what Porter is trying to impart to his young team as he removed JD Martinez from the game on Monday night for swinging at the first pitch. Monday night, Porter and Martinez sat down and had a long discussion. Martinez admits that Porter is the most direct manager that he has ever played for. By removing Martinez, I think Porter got his team’s attention. While there will continue to be struggles this year, if Porter can get his team pulling on the same end of the rope…it is a huge event for this young team. Tuesday night saw the Astros explode on Seattle. The 16 to 9 thumping of Seattle was their 2^nd win and was exactly what this group needed. Of course, I suspect that the pitching rich Mariners will provide more resistance the rest of the series, the victory is significant. The high strikeouts don’t bother me as much if you mix in the long ball. The Astros had to know what they were getting when they added Chris Carter and Carlos Pena. Hopefully for Astros fans, Tuesday night was a sign of things to come and not an anomaly. And hey...they have as many wins as Toronto, with much less pay roll.

Don’t look now but Justin Upton is comfortable in Atlanta. I have listened to several ex players discuss Upton the past few years. It seemed like the DBacks were just not happy with Upton. Despite his early success, there always seemed to be trade rumors. The guys on the MLB channel felt that once Upton was removed from the situation in Arizona that he would be able to realize his full potential. I remain somewhat skeptical, but since I have the Braves as my fantasy pitching staff this year, I am very hopeful that I have finally picked a great staff. I suspect that the Braves and Nationals battle for supremacy of the NL East all season. I know the Reds and Giants will have something to say, but I really think one of these NL East teams will be in the WS this year. Maybe those predictions of Upton for MVP are not so outrageous?

Did you happen to see that Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) returned from a torn meniscus after 12 days? Wow…that really is crazy. Of course, when discussing someone named Metta, crazy is a good word. When reporters asked Artest about his quick return, his answer was…”I am just too sexy for my cat”. Wow…this is one very strange guy...but of course we knew this!.

I think any real football fan recognizes the name of Johnny Unitas. He was truly the beginning of great QB's known for clutch play. I read this week that there is an argument brewing within the Unitas family over which QB should play John Unitas in the upcoming movie, "Unitias We Stand". Joe Unitas has chosen Joe Flacco and John Jr. and others think that Peyton Manning is the logical choice to play Unitas. John Jr. went as far to say that Flacco is goofy. I have nothing against Joe Flacco and have to give him props for winning the super bowl last year...but, Peyton Manning would definitely be my choice. After watching Manning in his Colts helmet all those years, I don't see how anyone else would be better. Who would be your choice to play Johnny U?

I saw today that the Lions are putting Jason Hanson into their ring of honor. I have nothing against kickers, but wonder if any kicker is worthy of a spot in a team's ring of honor? Maybe it is just me, but special teams are called such for a reason. It helps to have a good kicker, but to put them in the ring of honor? I figure that our Gab's Lions fans will definitely weigh in on this...

I am going to "borrow" something from SI today. Do you remember the spot that they use called signs the Apocalypse is upon us...

Did you grow up riding a bike? I know that I did. It was a great form of transportation and also provided great exercise. Hyndai engineers have developed something called E4U. This "egg" goes up to 20 mph. I think someone at Hyndai needs to be slapped. Actually, I have a better idea. We should send fired basketball coach Mike Rice to Hyndai to be the research and development "coach". Maybe he can motivate them to research in a different area...

                                                                                        The music sucks too...

I am sorry that my post got up late today. I fell asleep writing m blog and had to finish this morning...

That is all I have today, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey...

It's probably not a good idea to be chewing on a toothpick if you're talking to the president, because what if he tells a funny joke and you laugh so hard you spit the toothpick out and it hits him in the face or something.

A funny thing is if you're out hiking and your friend gets bit by a poisonous snake, tell him you're going for help, then go about ten feet and pretend YOU got bit by a snake. Then start an argument about who's going to get help. A lot of guys will start crying. That's why it makes you feel good when you tell them it was just a joke.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own...

The 2013 Major League Baseball season is just weeks from first pitch. Teams are starting to make cuts in camp, pitchers are starting to ramp up their workloads, and hitters are starting to dial in. In those few weeks, teams will quickly go from the dreams of next year to the sad realities of this year, and baseball fans are looking forward to seeing which ones step up and which ones sit down.

With that in mind, there are a number of interesting questions heading into the season, questions where the answers could very well shape the outcome of the pennant race and separate the contenders from the pretenders.

1.) Will a full season of Stephen Strasburg give the Nationals the lift they need?

The Washington Nationals arguably had the best team in baseball in 2012, yet they opted to shut down their ace due to concerns over his workload just one year after Tommy John surgery. The decision likely cost them the NLDS against St. Louis by not having Strasburg to turn to when the Cardinals came storming back.  Will a full 200+ inning season from the 24-year-old phenom be enough to give them that final push?

2.) Who will be this season's Oakland Athletics or Baltimore Orioles?

Both the A's and Orioles seemingly took players from the Island of Misfit Toys and crafted playoff teams from the remains, storming past heavily-favored rivals to make the postseason in 2012. With a retooled pitching staff and a 15-2 record this spring, could the Kansas City Royals be poised to make a similar run in a vastly improved AL Central division? Could the Seattle Mariners and their new-look offense and shorter fences replace Oakland in the West? Or will there be a new black sheep to root for in 2013? That's one of the best reasons to watch the new world order in MLB.

3.) Will Service Time Clocks Impact A Stellar Rookie Class?

We know for a fact that Wil Myers will start the season in Triple-A for Tampa. The same is likely true for Jackie Bradley Jr., Oscar Taveras, Gerrit Cole, Jedd Gyorko, Nick Franklin, Dylan Bundy, and a host of other rookies looking to make the jump in 2013, all in the name of team control. Gone is the philosophy of having the best players make the team out of camp and in steps the business side of the game, trading a month or two for another full season. Thank the Tampa Bay Rays for this model. It will strip some of the excitement out of the game for the first few months of the season.

4.) Which big trades will pan out in 2013?

The Blue Jays added R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, and Emilio Bonifacio in trades. The Braves picked up Justin Upton in a blockbuster. The Royals and Rays both benefited in the Wil Myers / James Shields swap. These teams won the offseason on paper, but can they translate that to success in the regular season and beyond? It's a tall order to make big moves work as intended and eventually, someone is going to be disappointed, but someone is going to be very happy. Will it be one of these teams?

5.) Will a winter of inactivity kill the Rangers and Yankees?

Neither the Rangers or the Yankees accomplished much this offseason, with the Yankees standing pat on their aging roster and the Rangers putting all of their eggs in the Zack Greinke basket before the pitcher chose Los Angeles.  That decision cost Texas Josh Hamilton as well, to the division rival Angels nonetheless. Meanwhile, the Yankees are reeling from the loss of a quarter of their offense from 2012, and will be without Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson for the first few months of the regular season. With both teams playing in tough, improved divisions, their runs may be over.

6.) How much of a horror show will the Astros move to the AL West really be?

It was a natural fit to move the Astros to the American League West, but this is a team that lost 107 games in 2012. Judging by their offseason moves to dismantle the team as well as get it ready for American League play (i.e. The Designated Hitter), the Astros could easily be the team that challenges the 1962 New York Mets as the worst team in history. Outside of Lucas Harrell and Jose Altuve, you would be hard pressed to find a Major League level talent on this team. Put on your seat belts because this is going to be a trainwreck.

7.) Will contract years hurt or help Cano and Ellsbury?

Robinson Cano and Jacoby Ellsbury promise to be two of the biggest names on the looming 2014 free agent  horizon and both are in for big paydays. However, both will have a lot of pressure to perform. Cano will want to justify a contract greater than any Yankee before him, including Alex Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Ellsbury will be looking to make a healthy return and try to prove that he is more like the 2011 MVP Runner-Up than the injured shell he was in 2010 and 2012. Oh, and they will do it on two of baseball's biggest stages. Did I mention both are represented by Scott Boras?

What other questions do you have looming for the coming baseball season?

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. It is less than a week before Christmas and I am just not feeling the holiday spirit. Beeze wrote earlier this week about being in a dark place and I am fighting the same issue. I have tried to avoid the details of the tragedy in Connecticut last week…I just don’t care to know the specifics. This event has left me empty…and sad. I know what comes next…the blame game. Politicians will use this to trumpet gun control. I know this will happen, I have seen it again and again. I was at my son’s high school today. They spent a year adding a new wing to the school with a very large hall that connects the various sports…now they are talking about closing the entrance because of what happened. We have all seen the changes to our lives since September 11^th…and this event will bring more change to our future. There have been many great things that happened in 2012, but what will be remembered are two school tragedies: Penn State and Sandy Hook School. I have no answers. I feel like a spectator to a bad dream.

Did you watch Monday Night Football? I could only stomach about one quarter. I love football, but not bad football. The Jets had a pretty good team a few years ago, but I just don’t see much talent on this Jets team. With decisions like signing Tim Tebow, it is no wonder that the Jets are short on talent. Gruden told the story on Mark Sanchez when he said, “when the cornerback never gets out of his back peddle…you just cannot make that throw.” Sanchez is no longer a rookie and should be better than he is. The Jets and Rex Ryan gambled this season on Sanchez and lost. Now that they have decided on McElroy as their starter, what happens to Tebow? CFL? Jacksonville? I still say that Tebow would be an awesome TE somewhere. There will probably be a day that he will have to make this choice if he wants to play in the NFL. The Jets are done…if Ryan is back next year, I will be surprised.

Do you remember what the rap has always been on Tony Romo? “He can’t win in December.” Truthfully, that was a fair criticism…since he has struggled to win in December. This year…not so much. Dallas is 3 and 0 for December. The wins have not been pretty, but the have managed to put themselves in a position to win the NFC East. As much as I hope they are able to win out, I just don’t think that they will be able to close out the season. Dallas has been devastated by injuries this year. Defensively they are a shell of what they were in September. It is no coincidence that the Cowboys offense improved with the return of Murray. But, I am not sure they can score enough to grab a win in the last week against Griffin and the Skins offense. I do have to say that Dez Bryant impressed by playing last week with a broken finger. Teammates appreciate playing through injuries when others recommend another path.

                                                                             Okay, so try to find a relevant Astros picture...

The past few years have been difficult to be an Astros fan. With all of the big trades reshaping teams, what did the Astros do? They acquired Carlos Pena to be their DH. Oh that will help…beginning in 2013, Houston moves to the AL West to play with the Angels, Rangers, As and Mariners…I am looking forward to another baseball season, but not watching the Astros get whacked. Thanks Selig…

I read a very interesting article today in this month’s ESPN the Magazine. There was much discussion regarding the baseball HOF and which steroid players might be voted in. As the article says, the time is upon us to begin to decide what to do with great players that have been guilty or suspected of steroid use. Another question I found very pertinent is whether they believe that the voting process should be changed. Of the 48 asked this question, almost 40% said that they felt that a change was due…more than I expected. But my favorite item was something called, the Hall of 100. This list was to represent the greatest 100 players in baseball’s history…period. Here is the criterion that the panel used to make their list:

Grading guideline
0-20: A fine player, but he should not be in the discussion of the top 100 of all time
25-40: Great, but not great enough
45-60: I can live with him being in the top 100, but I don't agree
65-80: Definitely a case for the 100
85-100: This person is definitely in the top 100

1. Babe Ruth (I agree).
2. Willie Mays (I can’t argue this either).
3. Barry Bonds (not surprised).
4. Ted Williams (for the Sox fans).
5. Hank Aaron ( I might have him a spot higher).
6. Ty Cobb
7. Roger Clemens (this will create a discussion…but he was a stud).
8. Stan Musial ( good place for him).
9. Mickey Mantle (my favorite)
10. Honus Wagner
11. Lou Gehrig (I might have had him 10).
12. Walter Johnson
13. Greg Maddux (I loved Maddux, but higher than I would have put him).
14. Rickey Henderson (Rickey likes this spot).
15. Rogers Hornsby

     18, A Rod

     19. Pujols

      23. Randy Johnson

      27. Johnny Bench

      30. George Brett

      31. Cal Ripken

      32. Bob Gibson

      33. Roberto Clemente

      34 Jr.

      35. Nolan Ryan

      38. Derek Jeter

      47. Al Kaline (for the Tiger fans).

      56. Yogi

      68. Bags

      83. Mark McGwire

      85. Manny

      90. Craig Biggio

      94. Jim Thome

      95. Sammy Sosa

    100. Phil Niekro

Here is a sprinkling of key players that I thought were significant. What do you think of the list? I found it to be a very thought provoking list. Did you notice that Ichiro is not on this list? Does this mean that he won't make the first ballot? For those of you interested...here is the link: http://espn.go.com/mlb/feature/video/_/id/8652210/espn-hall-100-ranking-all-time-greatest-mlb-players

That’s all I have today, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey:

SOMETIMES THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD is so overwhelming; I just want to throw back my head and gargle. Just gargle and gargle and I don't care who hears me because I am beautiful.

I THINK MAN INVENTED THE CAR by instinct.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own…

Memorial Day weekend is an important time for Americans. We strive to thank those who have fought for our freedoms and protected everything that we hold dear. It is also a time for families to come together and celebrate the kick-off of the summer season. And finally, it is a great weekend for America’s pastime, with the first two months of the season coming to a close and the real meat and potatoes of the playoff push officially starting here.

So with that in mind, Happy Memorial Day to all and let’s talk some baseball!

-          When a player has the albatross of being trade bait hung around his neck, it can be a bit much. But when said player is having the best season of his career, it makes the bait all the sweeter for the big fish to bite on. Such is the case with the Houston Astros and Wandy Rodriguez. The Astros are playing tremendous baseball, especially considering where they were a season ago, but in a division with the Cardinals and Reds, they don’t have any true designs on postseason baseball. Rodriguez is tremendous asset to them, but knowing that he’s currently enjoying a 4-4 record with the fourth best ERA in the majors at 2.14, and the best strike-out to walk ratio of his career, the Astros may consider trading the 33-year-old at the deadline in order to continue their rebuilding process. Rodriguez does have a $13 million guarantee for next season and a $13 million option with $2.5 buyout in 2014, so Houston will need to find the right trade partner, but when he is performing the way he is, it makes swallowing that contract a bit easier.

-          Without checking first, can anyone name the major league leader in the hits category? Josh Hamilton? Derek Jeter? Nope, it is Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants who has stroked a cool 69 base knocks through 47 games to start the 2012 season. With 22 of those being for extra bases, which helps lead to a .531 slugging percentage of the Giants outfielder, the Giants are definitely getting more bang for their buck when they trades lefty Jonathan Sanchez to Kansas City for the Melk Man.

-          It is Memorial Day weekend and the Orioles are in first place. I just had to say it out loud because it just didn’t feel right.

-          Has there been a team in baseball that has shown more of an ill-effect from an off-season loss than the Milwaukee Brewers? At 19-27, the Brewers stand over the lonely Cubs in the National League Central race, this after winning the division by 6 games a year ago. The loss of Prince Fielder can be felt throughout the line-up, but you can tell the presence Fielder had in the clubhouse is missed more. The Brewers lack the leader to step forward and pull them out of the funk they are in and it is readily apparent that Ryan Braun is not the leader the club needs.

-          On one last note, the Red Sox and Rays got into it on Friday night when they exchanged hit batsmen, with Dustin Pedroia and Luke Scott getting plunked in the game. Scott took exception when he got hit, the second time this season by a Red Sox pitcher and started toward the mound. Perhaps this was due more to Scott’s outspoken comments during the offseason where he called out Red Sox fans for taking over opposing ballparks and their general rudeness. He also stated that he was happy to see their faces when his Orioles eliminated Boston a season ago. Either way, one of these teams is going to use this as fuel for the remainder of the season, but there is no doubt that the Red Sox and Rays will continue to be a drama fueled rivalry for the remainder of the season.

P.S. – Hey Look, Jared Saltalamacchia is a big dude and you aren’t getting around him, Wolverine sideburns or not.

*Thank you to Baseball-Reference.com for the stats!

As a staunch Red Sox fan, there is a certain amount of relief in knowing that I have another outlet in which to pour my love of the game than the lackadaisical play of the current group at Fenway Park. With a 4-9 home record and an 11-15 record overall, it is good to know that there are other teams out there worth talking about to help me take my mind of Boston's suffering.

So with that in mind, let's get started with this week's edition of...(insert low, echoed voice here)...This Week In Small Market Baseball!

- Think the Yankees want to reconsider their big offseason move; the trade of Jesus Montero to Seattle for Michael Pineda. While it has already been driven into the ground about the loss of Pineda for the season due to a torn larbum, there has been little to nothing said about what Montero has done for Seattle. All the young Catcher/Designated Hitter has done thus far is lead all rookies with 28 hits and he is second to only Yoenis Cespedes of Oakland in home runs and RBI by a rookie. I would say that Seattle definitely comes out of this deal the clear winners. My only question is what did Seattle know before hand? You may need hitting badly, but you don't trade a stud pitcher in his youth unless you know something.

- While we're talking about rookies, the Red Sox got to see a trio of rookie pitchers this week; Jarrod Parker (1-0, 1.38 ERA) and Tommy Milone (3-2, 3.69 ERA) from Oakland and Wei-Yin Chen (2-0, 2.76 ERA) from Baltimore. While Millone got shelled by the Red Sox both Parker and Chen were outstanding. Combined with Lance Lynn of St. Louis, Yu Darvish of Texas, and Wade Miley of Arizona, and Major League Baseball may have one of its strongest crops of young pitchers in quite some time.

- Someone forgot to tell the Rays that they lost Evan Longoria for the next 6-8 weeks with a torn hamstring. The AL East stalwart with an attendance problem has been winning without their leader, jumping out to a 19-9 record and have won 8 of their last 10 games. They lead the East by .5 games over the surprising Orioles, while the Yankees and Red Sox fall further behind. Just further proof that the Rays may have the best front office in all of baseball.

- If you missed my post earlier this week, I took some time to give a little bit of praise to Pedro Alvarez of the Pittsburgh Pirates for resurrecting his career. For a guy with so much hype coming into the game, he's finally starting to realize his potential.

- Ron Gardenhire has been a celebrated manager in the major leagues for the Minnesota Twins for years. Now in his eleventh season in Minnesota, it appears like his magic is wearing off, as the Twins are currently mired in last place in the AL Central and have Major League Baseball's worst record 7-19. After years of succeeding on a lower budget, the Twins are now in the top ten in payroll, yet are on the way to their second straight fifth place finish. Could a change be in order for both management and the roster? Was signing Joe Mauer to that monster contract really worth it for a team with the worst pitching in baseball?

- How about those Houston Astros? It appears that Brad Mills finally has this team clicking on all cylinders as they have won 7 of their last 10 and are just 3 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. They are currently tied for 6th in hitting and their pitching staff is settling down after a rough start. Maybe the youth movement is paying dividends after all. It is times like these that lend credence to the parity in baseball and will make the trade deadline interesting, as there may be a lot of role reversal in regards to who is buying and who is selling at the deadline.