AL:
Catcher: Joe Mauer Should be: Joe Mauer
1B: Justin Morneau Should be: Miguel Cabrera
2B: Robinson Cano Should be: Robinson Cano
SS: Derek Jeter Should be: Derek Jeter
3B: Evan Longoria Should be: Adrian Beltre
OF: Josh Hamilton Ichiro Suzuki Carl Crawford Should be: Josh Hamilton Ichiro Suzuki David DeJesus
DH: Vlad Guerrero Should be: Vlad Guerrero

Ok, so the fans didn’t do so pooly with the AL. The exceptions here are Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Beltre and David DeJesus.

NL:
C: Yadier Molina Should be: Brian McCann
1B: Albert Pujols Should be: Joey Votto
2B: Chase Utley Should be: Martin Prado
SS: Hanley Ramirez Should be: Troy Tulowitski
3B: David Wright Should be: David Wright
OF: Ryan Braun, Andre Ethier, Jason Heyward Should be: Andre Ethier, Marlon Byrd, Carlos Gonzalez

Wow! The fans really sucked it up on the NL side of things. Looks like another win for the AL squad this year.
My prediction? AL 6 NL 3.

NL East Phillies
NL Central Cardinals
NL West Giants
NL Wild Card Rockies

AL Champ Yankees
NL Champ Phillies
World Series Winner Phillies in 6

MVP AL: Joe Mauer NL: Albert Pujols
CY Young AL: Felix Hernandez NL: Roy Halladay

1. The Phillies and Yankees will both win 110 games. No other team will win 100.
2. Red Sox pitching will lead the league in lowest ERA and lowest runs scored.
3. The Red Sox will be bottom 3 in the MLB in runs scored.
4. The Red Sox will finish third in the AL East.
5. No player in baseball will hit over 40 HR.
6. Ellsbury will steal more than 75 bases.
7. Ortiz will be traded by June 1.
8. Mike Lowell will be the full time DH for the Red Sox. He will hit over 25 HR.
9. The sellout streak at Fenway will end.
10. No MLB player will be suspended for PED’s.
11. There will be multiple players suspended for Substance Abuse.
12. Oakland will make official plans to relocate to a different city.
13. Albert Pujols will hit for the triple crown.
14. There will be zero no hitters.
15. The Twins will only play 159 games.
16. This will be the lowest rated World Series ever.
17. The Mets will fire the Manager and GM after they finish 4th in the NL East.
18. The Dodgers will be huge sellers. They will trade Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp.
19. A broadcaster will die.
20. Jon Lester will win 20 games. No other Red Sox starter will win more than 10.

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Mariners
AL Wild Card: Yankees
NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card: Dodgers
AL Champ: Mariners
NL Champ: Phillies
World Series Champion: Phillies
MVP AL: Ichiro Suzuki NL: Chase Utley
CY Young AL: Zach Grienke NL: Roy Halladay

1. The Phillies will win the NL East by 10+ games.
2. Jacoby Ellsbury will steal over 100 bases.
3. There will be 5 Red Sox with 20 HR.
4. The Phillies will have the lowest ERA in baseball.
5. The Red Sox will have the 2nd lowest ERA in baseball, Diamondbacks 3rd.
6. Ichiro will break his own hits record.
7. Nomar’s name will be on the steroids list, and he will come clean.
8. Jason Heyward will hit under .270/20/90
9. There will be 10 teams in baseball that have a higher AVG. than the Yankees.
10. 2010 will bring the most no hitters in a single season (modern era) 1990 and 1991 had 7 each.
11. The Red Sox will have the best fielding percentage in baseball.
12. The Cubs will lose in game 163.
13. The Angels will go from first last year to worst this year (in their division).
14. Manny Ramirez will hit under .280/30/100
15. Alex Rodriguez will hit over .300/50/125
16. Victor Martinez will hit over .290/30/100
17. Chase Utley will win the Triple Crown
18. Papelbon will blow more than 10 saves this season.
19. Roy Halladay will win 25 games this season.
20. The Red Sox will win the division on the last game of the season.

Well, its been four months since I’ve updated anything on this site, so I figured its time.

Natalie is doing incredibly well. Having a daughter has already been such a rewarding and enriching experience for me. Every day she lightens my world and gives me a reason to do better. Her smile warms my heart in a way that I cannot describe. Teaching her new things and watching her grow gives me so much satisfaction and desire to do even more for her.
At her checkup last week, she weighed in just shy of 18 pounds, and is in the 90th percentile for height and 80th percentile for weight. To watch her grow physically and mentally is a constant source of joy and happiness that Sarah and I both treasure.

Speaking of family, Natalie has been able to make some great memories since joining our family. Her first Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s have come and gone, all with memories that will be shared in our family for many many years. Another great memory that I’d like to share happened just the other day. Its one of those that you don’t expect to happen, but are just as significant as the others. It happened when we went to church in Spencer to start a celebration of my grandfather’s 80th birthday. He was suprised to see us there, looking down on us from his spot in the choir loft. During the moment of prayer for celebrations and concerns, he purposefully descended from the loft and pointed to Natalie, who was sitting in the pew with us. He came over, gently nestled her in his arms and brought her to the front of the church. He then shared his celebration with the congregation, introducing his great granddaughter to all in attendance. He asked Sarah (who he lovingly referred to as his granddaughter) and I to stand and be known as his grandchildren, and Natalie’s parents. Here it is, the day we came to celebrate for him, and in all his humbleness and modesty, filled with pride, he shunned the attention and turned it onto us. A selfless act that defines who my grandfather is.
I look up to my father and would consider myself to be lucky if I were half the man that he is. When I see my father with my grandfather, I can sense that same feeling in him. It is the love, respect, and admiration that is earned over 80 years of being an incredible father, grandfather and great grandfather.

Natalie 365 is still going and going strong. Now that we are over the halfway point, we are looking forward to completing the task.
I have found a way to turn this venture into a book. Its called Mixbook.com, and they are the best. Not only do they allow you to make a photo book, but they let you design it your way. I can choose the number of photos per page, the background, and the layout of each page. I can resize and rotate any photo to look however I want it to. They also make my life so much easier by connecting directly with Flickr so I don’t have to re upload each photo. I have been keeping it up and look forward to completing this venture and having a hard copy of our efforts in my hand.

Speaking of Flickr, I have a photo on my Flickr site that is going to be used in a book! A couple of months ago, I was delighted to be asked for permission to use my photo of the Betsy Ross Flag in a book titled: “Historical Tweets: The Completely Unabridged and Ridiculously Brief History of the World”. By clicking on the link, it will take you to the Barnes and Noble website to preorder the book. The website is historicaltweets.com and is absolutely hysterical. Check it out!

Speaking of Twitter, I have joined and I am having lots of fun with it! Its so easy to check out the latest updates to the sites I visit every day. I really enjoy reading all the tweets and keeping up on the latest news that my fellow tweeters share.

I have also recently revisited my passion for politics, thanks to the special Senate election that culminated a couple of weeks ago. It was historic, as the “Kennedy seat” has been renamed the “People’s Seat” and the election has been called the biggest upset in modern political history. I am again seeing how politics play such an important part of our family’s life, and its significance in the future of not only my world, but more importantly, Natalie’s world. The decisions we are making today can drastically affect the world that we leave her, and I want that world to be the best for her.

There is no segway into my final topic, baseball. I have become a huge fan of MLB Network. Here it is, late January and the Super Bowl a week and a half away, and all I can think about is Spring and baseball starting. This is because of MLB Network. In the midst of the offseason, they have kept me infatuated. Off season signings, talented young prospects, historic games of the past, interviews with current and former players…they have it all. My favorite show, Front Burner, is a weekly show devoted to the happenings of each week and the fans responses to them. They utilize Facebook and Twitter to ask us, the fans, what we think and plaster our responses on the screen and discuss them. I know how I feel about the Padres, but for the first time, I can see what a Padres fan thinks of their chances this year. Its sheer brilliance. Because of the MLB Network, I have a yearning for Spring to get here even sooner.
Also, look for my bold baseball predictions again this year. I shouldn’t, because I suck at them, but I can’t help it.

Cy Young: AL Roy Halladay NL Cole Hamels Grienke (Halladay 2nd), Broxton
MVP: AL Kevin Youkilis NL Chase Utley

1. Raul Ibanez will be better in 2009 than Pat Burrell was in 2008. Ibanex .272/34/93, Burrell .250/33/86
2. Jason Bay will hit more HR than David Ortiz. Jason Bay 36, Ortiz 28.
3. Rocco Baldelli will hit over .300 .253
4. Ichiro Suzuki will not. .352
5. Matt Holliday will be the AL Batting Champ. He doesn’t even play in the AL anymore.
6. Albert Pujols will be the NL Batting Champ. Hanley Ramirez
7. Jason Varitek will hit better than .275 .209
8. Barry Bonds will play at least one game this year. Nope.
9. Kansas City will finish 3rd in the Central. 4th not even close to 3rd.
10. CC Sabathia will finish the season with an ERA over 4.00 3.37
11. CC Sabathia will have double digit losses. 8
12. AJ Burnett will have an ERA over 4.00 4.04
13. Jake Peavy will not be a Padre after the trading deadline. White Sox
14. Detroit will be competitive until the last week of the season. They played in game 163, how’s that for competitive?
15. Grady Sizemore will hit better than .300/30/90 He only played in 106 games, so he obviously missed HR and RBI, but I have no excuse for .300 .248/18/64
16. A current MLB player will die in an off field incident. Nick Adenhart.
17. There will be a perfect game in 2009. Mark Buehrle 7/23/09
18. The NL will win the All Star Game. AL won 4-3. At least it was close.
19. Matt Weiters will give the O’s fans hope for the future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJVDiXhsDf4
20. Boston will allow the fewest runs in the majors. 11th. Ouch.
21. Boston will score the most runs in the majors. 3rd. So close.
22. Bobby Cox will be ejected at least 10 times this season. I can’t find official records, but I believe the number is 16.
23. ARod will not reach 100 games played. 124.
24. Dice K will win 20 games. 4. Wow.
25. No team in the NL West will finish over .500 3 did it this year.

Not including post season awards and winners, that makes me 9/25. I think I’ll stop with the predictions next year. I actually had football predictions lined up to post, but judging by my baseball list, which I’m probably better at, I’ll leave the football picks alone.