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  Evan Gattis is Unreal as Braves win 8-3

  The Atlanta Braves return home this week could be described as little other than a rousing success.  The Braves just completed...

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  Manager Swap: Twins, Angels, and Dodgers Should Trade Gardenhire, Scioscia, and Mattingly

  Before I lay out my grand plan for an unprecedented three team triangle trade of skippers, let me first make clear...

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  On Favorite Players

  Last night the Mariners beat down Phil Hughes and knocked him out of the first inning. Raul Ibanez even hit a...

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  • AL East
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  Manny Machado for MVP?

  Manny Machado, the Baltimore Orioles 20 year old third basemen, has thrust himself into the conversation as one of the best...

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  • Seattle Mariners

  A New Take On Prospect Evaluation

  I know I know, I’ve been missing from action for the past couple weeks and before that I was not posting...

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  • American League
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  Estimating Final Batting Average From Small Samples

  I frequently read about projections and computer simulations designed to predict how the New York Yankees or some other organization will...

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  Who’s Awesome And Who’s Not Awesome

  Every so often, when I don’t have any other ideas, I revert back to the old “Who’s Awesome” template. I know...

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  Justin Upton, Dexter Fowler Impress As April’s SPP Leaders

    Atlanta Braves slugger Justin Upton won April handily, while an outfielder for the Colorado Rockies surprised everyone.  The young Upton...

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  • Colorado Rockies
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  The Colorado Rockies Must Deal For Some Pitching

  The Colorado Rockies have started out hot this year.  They’re 15-10 and are currently tied with the Diamondbacks for first place...

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  It’s Getting Late Early: Three Teams Whose Surprising Starts Portend Future Results

  Some teams start off hot, some start slow. Some teams come out slugging but fade into last place clubs, while others stumble...

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  Jason Collins And The Gay Teammate

  NBA backup center Jason Collins announced today in a Sports Illustrated story that he is gay.  The thoughtful article written by Collins...

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  • American League
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  The Active All-Throwing Arm Team

  Last year, I did the all-time defense team and I really enjoyed the idea of those guys running around, covering ground,...

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  Absolutely The Best San Francisco 49ers NFL Draft Preview Available Anywhere

  A friend of Off The Bench drops some serious football knowledge in this extensive San Francisco 49ers NFL draft preview. Overview:...

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  With Struggling Sluggers, When Do Teams Hit The Panic Button?

  For fans, April is a month to make the first of innumerable rash judgements concerning the fortitude of their favorite franchise.  It’s a...

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  • Chicago Cubs
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  Sveum Wrong On Castro, Rizzo

  The Cubbies are struggling. In addition to being 5-12 through their first 17 games (last in the NL Central by an increasingly daunting...

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  Some Fun (Or Not So Fun) Facts About The Miami Marlins

  We knew the Marlins were going to bad this year. After trading away any and all talent on the roster (except...

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  The Decline Of Ubaldo Jimenez

  The Cleveland Indian’s Ubaldo Jimenez was once one of the top 5 pitchers in all of baseball.  For the first half...

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  American League Betting Favorites

  With the new MLB (Major League Baseball) season on the brink of starting, it is time for those interested in betting...

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  An Unapologetic Plea For The Seattle SuperSonics

  As a Mariners’ fan, and as the only representative of this blog who currently lives west of the Hudson River, I...

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  Toronto Blue Jays Latest Proof That Super-Teams Struggle

  The Kobe-Dwight-Pau-Nash Lakers? Fighting for 8th place. The Vick-Vince-Dream Team Eagles? New coach, 4th overall pick. The Halladay-Lee-Hamels Phillies? 81-81 last...

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  The Atlanta Braves Are Better Than Everyone Else

    The Atlanta Braves have started the season 8-1.  They’ve won blowouts and walk-offs.  The best part?  They aren’t even firing...

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  • Los Angeles Dodgers
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  How Carlos Quentin’s Temper Changed The Entire National League

  As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Carlos Quentin of the San Diego Padres charged the mound last night, inciting a...

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  • American League
  • Oakland A's

  Jumpin’ Jed Lowrie And The Key To Succes In Oakland

  When the Oakland Athletics traded for Jed Lowrie this February, not many people looked up from their iPads.  The deal saw...

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  • Milwaukee Brewers
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  Rationally Rethinking Ron Roenicke

  I’ve been watching a couple Brewers games lately and I read a really good article by Baseball Prospectus this morning that...

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  Jackie Robinson And The McCarthy Hearings

  With “42,” the true story of Brooklyn Dodger great Jackie Robinson, due out on Friday, Off The Bench is going to...

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  Lessons From A Young Season

  Here’s a few things I’ve learned from the first workweek of the 2013 season: The Nationals will be good for a...

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  Why Is This Year Different from All Other Years?

  Passover has just ended and as some of you may know–and others may not–one of the things that happens on Passover...

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  Washington Nationals Season Preview: The Pick

  The Washington Nationals wre fantastic last year, but they will be forever remembered for their decision to shut down Stephen Strasburg just...

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  New York Yankees Season Preview: The End Of An Era?

  The Yankees enter 2013 at a bit of a crossroads. Mainstays like Jeter, A-Rod, Rivera, Pettitte, and Texeira are either aging, hurt,...

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  Texas Rangers and Houston Astros: OPENING NIGHT Live Blog

  Opening Day is finally here and we get to see the Houston Astros new uniforms in the grand ESPN HD.  I...

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  Miami Marlins Season Preview: The Broken Pieces Of Yesterday’s Life

  The 2012 season would be forever ingrained in the minds of Marlins fans–if there were any. The promise of an indulgent...

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  New York Mets Season Preview: Life Without Johan

  The news broke Thursday night that Mets’ Ace Johan Santana had retorn the capsule in his left shoulder and will be...

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  Tampa Bay Rays Season Preview: Pitching Wins Championships?

  The Tampa Bay Rays have become the model franchise for any organization looking to compete in the unfair world of Major...

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  • Los Angeles Dodgers
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  Los Angeles Dodgers Season Preview: Can Money Buy Happiness?

  On paper, the Dodgers might be the best team in baseball. They have two stud starters and a group of some...

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  Atlanta Braves Season Preview: Life Without Chipper

  The 2013 season will be a strange one for Atlanta Braves fans.  With Chipper Jones no longer manning third base and...

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  • Milwaukee Brewers
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  Milwaukee Brewers Season Preview: At Least We Can Hit

  Spring Training 2012 was full of question marks for the Milwaukee Brewers, in that it was their first in some time without...

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  Colorado Rockies Season Preview: Everybody’s Healthy… Now What?

  The Colorado Rockies have struggled to put together a complete season since their 2007 World Series bid, and 2012 was no...

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  • St. Louis Cardinals

  St. Louis Cardinals Season Preview: Too Good For What They’ll Get

  The Cards took advantage of a dubious infield fly call in last year’s inaugural Wild Card game, and advanced all the...

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  Adam Eaton, Gerardo Parra, And The All-Important Fourth Outfielder

  This offseason, it became apparent that the Arizona Diamondbacks were stockpiling outfielders as they geared up to send Justin Upton somewhere–anywhere....

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  • AL Central
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  Photographic Evidence that Prince Fielder is Really Good

  It is easy to see from his gaudy numbers that Prince Fielder is one of baseball’s best hitters. However, so much...