Yes, they're going to finish fourth again.

So... getting excited yet?

Well, why not. I'm beginning to feel it. There will be much to watch out for.

According to the good folks over at Baseball-Reference.com, no less than 93 men bearing the first or middle name "Ralph" have played in the major leagues.

Quick, name an active player named "Ralph." Can't do it? That's because there are none! In fact, less than a dozen men with that name have appeared in the big leagues since Barry Bonds was a wisp of a rookie in Pittsburgh back in 1986, while none at all have been in The Show this millenium -- not since 2B Ralph Milliard had several cups of coffee with the Marlins and Mets from 1996-98.

Still ...

And now, at last, we have arrived at the AL East. We shall begin by looking at the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The D'Rays have never had a good season, and don't expect that to change in 2006.

Now that I think of it, the Devil Rays have rarely had a good month.

Compared to recent off-seasons, the 2005-2006 winter was a quiet one for the Athletics. They added a mid-range free agent, Esteban Loaiza; they acquired Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez from the Dodgers; they signed Frank Thomas to an incentive-laden deal. Will the new acquisitions help the A's return to the playoffs?

The Jays lost their spring training game today 16-3, but that's not the news that worries me. What's much more upsetting is the fact that the Boston Red Sox claimed Hee Seop Choi off waivers from the L.A. Dodgers. I'm very surprised that all 20 or so teams before Boston passed on him. Choi is consistently underrated by the media and it seems that impression may be shared by major league front offices. Sure he can't hit lefties, but he has a career .808 OPS versus right-handers. This is the definition of a low-risk, high-reward pickup.

Batter's Box is pleased to introduce a new feature- You be the Manager. From time to time this season, we will post a difficult managerial hypothetical situation, and you, our loyal readers, will give us your answers. You may not always be the Manager of the Blue Jays in our hypotheticals, but you will always be in charge!

That means doing any research you think is necessary, and explaining your decision. On to our first situation: the Nervous Ninth.

Jordan said it best last year:

Go to aarongleeman.com. That’s it. That’s my preview.
No, seriously. We’re all done here. Go home.

He's right. Since Aaron is all over the Twins like a duck on a june bug, there really isn't much to say here that he won't say, and say much better...

On Wednesday, New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada broke his nose when an errant baseball hit him in the face. Declared Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, "This is another case of the World Baseball Classic's negative impact on my baseball team."

Be the house. That is the central theme of Moneyball and the mantra of those engaged in empirically-based approaches to baseball management. Take as many small advantages as possible so that, over time, you win and the poor suckers who risked their hard earned dollars on the roulette wheel, the blackjack table, and Carl Pavano have no idea how it happened.

After Bill James stopped publishing his annual abstracts in 1988, sabermetric analysis of baseball was rarely found in book form for a decade or more. Sure, there were annual publications from Stats Inc., but in the main, the genre did not take off. The last few years have seen a renaissance of sabermetric book publishing with the Hardball Times and Baseball Prospectus annuals, the new Fielding Bible from John Dewan, and now "The Book- Playing the Percentages in Baseball" by Tango, Lichtman and Dolphin.

After an off-day yesterday the Jays play the Pirates this evening and now it's time for the players to get ready for the season to start. The Jays have nine games left against major league teams and two against the Syracuse Skychiefs before the regular season starts.

True or False? 2006 Brewers:2005 Brewers::1990 Brewers:1989 Brewers.

To investigate this question it’s time for a lengthy trip down memory lane with the Brewers of yesteryear.

It's a simple game - will a team win more than or less than a certain number of games. Rosterites took a look at the lines and chimed in with predictions and comments.

"The Thing With Feathers" by Craig Burley

In about 2009, the tone of all Pirates previews will have changed. By that time, the tone will either have become noticeably more respectful or will have blown over the fine line between failure and utter despair. The Pirates have not made the playoffs or finished with a .500 record since Barry Bonds played for them.