Tiger Woods at the US Open

By the way, did anyone else watch Tiger Woods in primetime last night? That was hard to watch, considering the caliber of player he has been over his career. I'll bet you he had nightmares about fescue last night! So far today, he is even after three holes, with a birdie on the Par 4 12th. He is currently tied for 152nd place. I am not a Tiger Woods fan by any means, but that was rough.

Tough Weekend

Wow! My baseball teams have a tough weekend ahead of them, particularly with how two of them have been playing lately (I'm looking at you, Nats!).

First up, the Nats play the Pirates at home. I don't think I need to tell you how the Nats have been playing lately, and the errors last night made me literally turn the game off. They are going up against a team that has won eight games in a row and are starting to hit their stride. In my opinion, the Pirates are the favorites to win the NL Central, just like I think the Nats will still win the NL East, so this is a potential playoff matchup. Hometown boy A.J. Burnett will start for the Bucs, and he has pitched very well to start the season. The Nats will need some runs and will have to minimize errors, particularly with youngster Joe Ross on the mound.

Next, the O's play the Blue Jays in Toronto. Now, the O's have been playing alright lately, so I don't have a lot of bad things to say. But they are going up against an equally effective Jays team at home, with guys like Josh Donaldson knocking balls all over and around Rogers Centre. The matchup tonight is Mike Wright vs. Marco Estrada, which probably means the balls will be flying out fairly frequently tonight. Look for a slugfest.

Finally, the Braves take on the Mets in Atlanta. Hopefully, I'll make one of the games this weekend, though it has been ridiculously hot and humid. The Braves are starting to become the Braves we all thought they'd be, though I will say the offense has been better than I thought. And, of course, I love that I can see Nick Markakis on a regular basis again (Great that he broke the outfielder errorless streak last night!). The Mets, on the other hand, are improbably in first place, and will feature some of the best young arms in baseball this weekend: Jacob DeGrom (tonight), Noah Snydergaard, and Matt Harvey. There will be plenty of fastballs for the Braves hitters! Tonight, the Braves counter with Matt Wisler, the #59 prospect in baseball, making his Major League debut. I haven't seen this kid yet, but I'm really looking forward to it! Talk to you later!

Opening Day!!!

My favorite day of the year is here! This year is extra special since it coincides with my wedding anniversary (2nd time it has done so for us). Also, I have a Nationals team that appears to be the cream of the NL East. Playoffs, here we come! Oh, and my beloved Orioles have a tough road ahead in the brutal AL East. However, I think they'll still be in the mix come September. Hope springs eternal! Good luck to everyone's teams today! We all can't win, but we can at least stay healthy. ***Make Opening Day a National Holiday***

Orioles 4, Nationals 0

So, I was just checking out the Top 50 Fantasy Prospects on ESPN.com (courtesy of Jason Collette), and the Orioles have four players ranked in the Top 50: Kevin Gausman, Henry Urrutia, Jonathan Schoop, and Dylan Bundy. Since this list only relates to the 2014 season, it doesn't include prospects such as Hunter Harvey or Eduardo Rodriguez. However, I was struck by the lack of Nationals representation. True, the young talent is already on the field, but I was hoping for one or two prospects to buzz about. However, the only prospect showing in the national media is Lucas Giolito, and 99% of opinionators think he is at least a year away. So, we'll have to hope for new talent excitement in Charm City and on-the-field success from DC's boys of summer. Talk to you soon!

Wei-Yin Chen

According to reports, the Orioles and the Nationals are interested in lefty Taiwanese pitcher Wei-Yin Chen, who is eligible for free agency in Japan and may test the Major Leagues. according to Dan Connolly's article in the Sun, Chen is 26 years old, has a fastball that sits in the low 90s with a good forkball and curveball. Obviously, the Orioles need the pitching help much more than the Nationals, but the fact that both teams are in the hunt along with the other major free agent players is saying something. Personally, I hope Chen is wearing an O's uniform next season.

Caps/Pens Stuff

Before the game tonight, check out these two articles to get you prepped. Enjoy!

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11335/1193774-61.stm

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_769822.html

Boudreau in Anaheim

So, Bruce Boudreau is the head man in Anaheim. Good for him! The talent on that team is out of sight, so he'll have a lot of tools to work....Wait a minute! He was just fired from a team that had all the talent in the world because he couldn't motivate the players. What makes the Anaheim brass think that Boudreau is the answer? While we're on the subject, how about the exit of Randy Carlyle? He says that he was completely blindsided with the move, considering they just won a game over the Canadians. However, when you've just lost 13 out of the last 15 games, how can you claim your firing was unforeseen? It'll be interesting to see what becomes of the Mighty Ducks with Boudreau at the helm. That being said, I don't see a miraculous run in their future, especially not the kind of run the Caps had when Boudreau started.