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.

What A Game!

Wow, what an exciting win for the O's today! I wish I was watching instead of listening on my computer at work, but the replays definitely lived up to the live calls. Luke is finally starting to get hot, so we need to ride him for all that he's worth right now. And how about Corey Patterson? A homer and the game-saving assist in the 9th...While I didn't like being down 5-1 to the Mariners inept offensive attack, the comeback me feel good about this team and the fight they still have as a unit. Great job! More later...

Orioles Pre-Game Thoughts

While it seems like the entire Western world is getting amped up for LeBron's ouster tonight at the hands of the Celtics (and the final time we'll see him in a Cavs uniform), I'm interested in our area teams, of course. The Orioles are about to face the Mariners for the series finale, and they'll go up against King Felix (Yipes!). Matt Wieters has the day off, and Kevin Millwood will take the hill against a completely inept Mariners offense. I predict that this game will go scoreless until the fifth inning, at least. Other items of interest:

-There's no talk of replacing David Hernandez in the rotation. So, there's no Chris Tillman in the near future.
-Jim Johnson saw Dr. James Andrews today, and we should hear some news later today.
-Corey Patterson, according to Dave Trembley, is in the lineup to keep the O's from grounding into an excessive amount of double plays. However, if he's not on base...

Well, I'm about to watch the game. See ya!