C.J. Wilson Named MLB's Mane Man

Lost in all the hullabaloo of last week's Super Bowl was the fact that Head & Shoulders named their MLB "Mane Man" for the upcoming season.

And that guy...none other than Los Angeles Angels pitcher, friend of The Hall, C.J. Wilson.

"Head & Shoulders is an iconic brand that I trust to take care of my hair and scalp so I can concentrate 100 percent on and off the mound," Wilson said.

"Having a guy like C.J., who shows confidence both on and off the field, is a great way to bring scalp and hair care to the forefront for guys everywhere," said Michael Sabbia, Brand Manager for Head & Shoulders, North America, Procter & Gamble.

So, really, what does this mean?

You can bet you'll be seeing the lefty smiling at you both on your TV and in your grocery store.  But, hey, it could have been worse...Head & Shoulders could've named any one of these guys their poster boy.

For Sale: Pujols Kitchen Cookware

While Albert Pujols is hitting home runs for the Los Angeles Angels...his wife Deidre is swinging for the fences in the kitchen.

Sorry.  I had to go there.

What apparently began as a "hobby" in 2008 is now a full-fledged business.  Introducing...Pujols Kichen cookware!  No, seriously, the Pujols family is in the business of selling pots and pans.

From the website:

Pujols Kitchen cookware delivers the perfect balance of gourmet performance and practicality, freeing your inner chef to achieve maximum culinary creativity.

Each piece in every set has been ergonomically engineered to be more comfortable than any cookware you’ve used before. Regardless of your skill level, your cooking won’t just taste better...it will feel better.

Admittedly, I'm only good at "cooking" a couple of things...french toast, grilled cheese sammiches and cereal.  But if this cookware can help my scrambled eggs taste better and make me feel better in the process...sign me up!

How many days until pitchers and catchers report again?

Restaurant Ditches Pujols Name...Keeps Statue

Remember a few months ago when it looked like Albert Pujols staying in St. Louis was promising because the Pujols 5 Westport Grill erected a 10-foot tall bronze statue of the slugger?

Well, the statue stayed...even though the three-time National League MVP did not.

And now, it looks as though restaurant owner Patrick Hanon is abandoning Pujols, who signed a gigantic contract with the Los Angeles Angels back in December.

Business at Pujols 5 has slowed since Pujols signed with the Angels, and Dan Lozano, Pujols' agent, said "it didn't make sense" for Hanon to continue his relationship with the slugger.

The restaurant will retain its sports theme, but all Pujols-related items have been removed from the menu. According to a radio report in St. Louis, the new name of the restaurant will be the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame grill.

So let me get this straight.  The restaurant is removing all traces of Pujols inside their digs but keeping the half ton statue outside of it?

They might want to remind their webmaster.

C.J. Wilson...Tupac Fan?

I've never been much of a "judge a book by its cover" kind of guy...but I would have never thought that pitcher C.J. Wilson was a "Thugluv" kind of guy.

But, as it turns out, the Los Angeles Angels lefty is (or at least "Christopher" Wilson was) just that.

Most high school photos of anyone are pretty embarrassing, but the only thing embarrassing about Wilson's senior pic...the fact that I have no clue what any of that stuff means.

Except for "2PAC lives!" that is.

Some other fun facts about the Wilson's alma mater Fountain Valley High School.

• The FVHS gym was used as a location in the 1997 Academy Award nominated "Wag the Dog"
• In 2005, the school's drumline appeared in Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl' music video
• Other famous alums include...actress Michelle Pfeiffer, Olympic medalists Jack and Shirley Babashoff, "Hustle and Flow" director Craig Brewer and actor David ("Roy" from "The Office") Denman.

Thanks Wikipedia!

 

Straight Edge Worlds Collide!

Newly signed Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson once told me that living drug-free was "the easiest part of (his) life".

WWE Superstar CM Punk lives every day by that same creed.

So, you've gotta wonder what the acronymed athletes talked about when they met up Monday night?  My guess...tattoos.  Or baseball.

The current WWE Champ is a rabid Chicago Cubs fan.  And as for the tattoos?  Both man have "straight edge" tattooed on their torso.

And in case you were wondering.  The dude in the middle is Toby Morse...font man for the hardcore punk band H2O.  Morse tweeted out the picture Tuesday morning.

The "Machine Burger" is a Gutbuster

So...what do you do for a superstar slugger who just inked a quarter of a billion dollar contract to head west and join the Los Angeles Angels?

If you're the OC Sports Grill, you celebrate the signing of Albert Pujols by developing the "Machine Burger".

And what's on the burger?  Funny you should ask.

The quarter pound of chimichurri seasoned burger is joined by queso frito, pulled pork and cabbage tossed in “savon” sauce, tomatoes, avocado and if that wasn't enough...crispy onion straws. 

Interestingly enough, the three-time MVP's own restaurant, also has a Pujols-themed burger.

Aptly called the "Pujols Burger"...it is a half pound of charbroiled Angus beef with lettuce, vine ripe tomato, served on a soft brioche bun and with fries.

The biggest difference between the two gutbusters...you can still get the "Pujols Burger" for the hometown discount of $7.95.  The "Machine" is going to cost you $13.99.

C.J. Wilson is a Champ

This past week saw some serious cash exchange hands at the Winter Meetings in Dallas.

First off, the Miami Marlins shelled out $191 million for shortstop Jose Reyes and pitchers Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell.

Not to be outdone, the Los Angeles Angels broke the bank when they inked lefty C.J. Wilson and three-time MVP Albert Pujols to contracts in excess of $330 million.

Naturally, fans of the players' former teams were none to pleased when they found out their beloved stars had left for seemingly greener pastures.

New York Mets fans hit Twitter to hurl racial slurs at their former batting champ, while in St. Louis, Cardinal faithful took the the streets to burn their Pujols jerseys.

But in Texas, Rangers fans reacted differently to Wilson signing with a divisional rival.

And my guess is it had something to do with this:

I just want to say thank you to all the ranger fans who have supported me, and my efforts in the community the last six years in Texas. Surely it's both hard for some to understand that I left for a different team let alone a division rival- it was bittersweet for me as well. At the end of the day the rangers didn't make a push to keep me on the team. The angels an marlins wanted me on their... teams and proved it. everything written about an asking price etc was media speculation and never had an ounce of truth. The rangers are a great organization with talented front office and players and will be a difficult team to beat and it's very sad to leave such awesome teammates and fans. The last few years in ranger stadium were special- going from a losing team to bankrupt to american league champs was a complete transformation and obviously everyone should be proud of it. The charity will continue even stronger now and we will continue to support North Texas kids as well as SoCal kids. Please keep that spirit of philanthropy alive for your local causes like cooks children's hospital, Scottish rite, dallas children's and the boys and girls club.

You see, instead of thanking the fans via a press conference while wearing the opposing teams' colors or taking out the cliched full-page ad in the local fishwrap...Wilson did what he always does.

He worked his social media channels and thanked his "friends" directly.

So, yeah, it doesn't matter that Wilson didn't get the biggest contract this past week.  Further more, it doesn't matter if dude ever wins a World Series with his new team.

C.J. Wilson is a champ, folks.

Mike Scioscia Nails Down Win 1000

With a 6-5 win over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday, Mike Scioscia became just the fifth active manager to win 1000 games trailing just Tony LaRussa, Jim Leyland, Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy.

"It's not a personal accomplishment," the Los Angeles Angels skipper said following the game. "As a manager, you're one small part of this whole thing."

Scioscia is now 1000-817, good for a ..550 winning percentage. This is 12th season as Angels' manager which makes him the longest tenured manager in the American League and second longest in the Majors behind LaRussa.

In 2007, with his 626th victory, Scioscia became the winningest manager in Angels' history, surpassing Bill Rigney.

2011 Milestone Preview: American League West

It's times like these that I am glad that Disney no longer has anything to do with the ownership of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Because if they did...we'd be subjected to them knocking the cobwebs off Shawn Bradley, dressing him up in a baseball uniform and throwing him on the silver screen Gheorghe Muresan-style to play pitcher Loek Van Mil.

Granted, Van Mil looks to be starting the season at Triple-A Salt Lake City, but if/when he gets called up by the Halos...he'll enter the Majors, not only as the game's tallest player ever, but also the first seven footer baseball has ever seen. 

With that...it's off to the AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST we go!


LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

Regardless of what they've been called (and they've had a few different names)...Opening Day marks the 50th for the Angels.

In the dugout, Mike Scioscia is gearing up for his 12th as the manager of the Halos.  And when he gets his 20th victory of the season...he'll be just the fifth active skipper with 1000 or more wins.

I sound like a broken record saying this...but Bobby Abreu has, quietly, put together one heck of a career.  Sure, sure, last year was a bust for the outfielder (his streak of 100-plus RBI seasons ended at seven)...but dude can rake. 

And run.

As it stands, Abreu is 24 home runs shy from being only the eighth member of the exclusive 300-300 club.

Only Barry (762-514) and Bobby Bonds (332-461), Willie Mays (660-338), Alex Rodriguez (613-301), Andre Dawson (438-314), Reggie Sanders (305-304) and Steve Finley (304-320) have achieved 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

Abreu is sitting at 276 and 372.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

On paper, new Athletics designated hitter Hideki Matsui appears to be miles away from any sort of milestone discussions.  Thankfully, "Godzilla" doesn't play his games on paper. 

Going into this season, Matsui has 161 career home runs over his eight year Major League career.  Combine that with the 332 he hit Yomiuri Giants...and you're looking at 493 career bombs.  Not too shabby.

SEATTLE MARINERS

Alright, the annual "Ichiro Watch" is underway here at The Hall...and this is why.

After ten years in the Majors, he has:

• Ten straight seasons with a .300 or better batting average
• Ten straight seasons with 200 or more hits (he's led the league the last five seasons)
• Ten straight seasons with 25 or more stolen bases
• Ten straight Gold Gloves
• Ten straight All-Star appearances

Have you noticed a trend?

Last season, the outfielder set the Major League record for reaching the 200 or more hits in ten consecutive seasons.  The only other guy to have put together ten season with 200 or more hits?  Hit king Pete Rose. His accomplishment, however, was spread over 24 seasons...Ichiro has done it in ten out of ten seasons.

TEXAS RANGERS

Alright, alright, alright...last season I broke out this:

And if the Mariners superstar leads the Majors in hits (again), it'll be the eighth time he's accomplished that feat. That will, in turn, set another record...breaking a three-way tie with Rose and Ty Cobb.

One last interesting sidenote about AL West. Did you know that it is home to two of the lowly three Major League Teams that have never appeared in a World Series game?  It’s true, Texas, Seattle and the Washington Nationals have never played in the Fall Classic. Will 2010 be the year the streak is ended…stay tuned!  Smart betting, however, says it won’t.

Well, I was wrong.  And I can admit that.

Hoping to cash in on lightning in a bottle is new Ranger Adrian Beltre.  The thirdbaseman comes into 2011 111 hits shy of 2000 for his career and 22 home runs away from 300.  Both are attainable should the injury bug not bite...let's all agree to re-convene later in the season to see what Beltre's status is.

Also chasing down 2000 career hits...Rangers infielder Michael Young.  Young enters the season with 1848...152 away from the afore mentioned milestone.  Provided he can find a spot in the lineup (likely to happen...but will it be with Texas?), he'll get to 2000.

The National League West is next and should wrap things up. In the meantime, feel free to check out Milestone Previews of the American League East, American League Central, National League East and National League Central.

Torii Hunter's Kid Got His Father's Ups

With the Barry Bonds perjury trial kicking into gear...we're bound to be inundated with clips of the seven-time MVP.

One highlight we won't see (because it involves Bonds being robbed of a home run instead of hitting one)...comes from the 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee.

You know the clip, right?

Bonds sends what appears to be a towering home run to right-center field. Torii Hunter (then with the Minnesota Twins) jumps up and catches the ball over the wall.  I'd show you the thing, but since MLB.com doesn't allow embedding video...I can't.

Well, you know the old adage "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? Torii Hunter Jr., the son of the nine-time Gold Glove winning outfielder from the Los Angeles Angels would like to prove that saying true.

Check out the clip of the Torii Jr. throwing one down.

Dude is just 15 and a shophomore at Prosper High School in Texas. And you just know, given how many home runs his old man has stolen from over the wall in his career...it’s a safe bet he’s dunked a few in his life too!

Vernon Wells Already Loves LA!

Let's not kid ourselves, the American League East has dominated the headlines this offseason.

Sure, sure...the Cliff Lee-to-the-Philadelphia Phillies story is a big one, but the AL East saw the Boston Red Sox make some serious upgrades, the Tampa Bay Rays enlisted some former Sox and the New York Yankees piece together last decade's best fantasy league team.

Hell...even the Baltimore Orioles look to be getting into the mix by potentially taking a chance on Vlad Guerrero.

Not to be left out, the Toronto Blue Jays have decided to, for the second straight winter, trade away their marquee name.

Last season, it was Roy Halladay.

On Friday...Vernon Wells was dealt to the Los Angeles Angels.

You've gotta give Wells credit.  Immediately he took to the Twitters and posted this:

My 1st public comments go to the people that deserve it..the Toronto fans! Thx 4 the memories. I am forever grateful!!

But within minutes...

To my new home...LA! Winning is all that matters!! Let's do this!!

So suck it, Toronto...Vernon Wells says so. 

Well...basically.

With Wells, the Angels get themselves a three-time Gold Glove winner who, last season, hit .273 with 31 home runs and 88 RBI.

Source: Manny to the Angels

Figuring out where Manny Ramirez is going to land for this upcoming season seems to be dependant on who you ask last.

As late as Friday, ESPNDeportes.com's Enrique Rojas had the Angels, Twins, Rangers, Rays and Blue Jays all still in the conversation.

Now, MLBBlogBuzz.com is coming out and saying that the Angels have all but locked up the slugger.

The reason...wigs!

Really?!?

There is a completely unsubstantiated rumor from someone close to the Angels organization that the Angels received a huge shipment of Manny Ramirez wigs last night. According to a source there were six crates worth. This could mean that the Angels are close to signing Manny.

Now, if Ramirez ends up back in Los Angeles (albeit this time with the Angels) to succeed Hideki Matsui as their DH, this wig thing looks genius. 

But if he doesn't...it's probable that the "unsubstantiated rumor" was nothing more than another in a long line of hoaxes.

Jim Edmonds Returns to Anaheim

Much was made of Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jim Edmonds’ return to Angel Stadium…a stadium he hadn’t played in since his final game as an Angel.

He was hitless in what was the Angels last game of the 1999 season (he was 2-5 against the Halos Tuesday night) and right before the start of 2000, he found himself traded to the Cardinals for Kent Bottenfield and Adam Kennedy.

Kennedy had a pretty successful career for the Anaheim (and later Los Angeles) Angels, winning a World Series in 2002, whereas Bottenfield saw himself shipped to Philadelphia at the trade deadline in 2000.

“Jimmy Ballgame” saw his career flourish in the shadow of the Gateway Arch, playing alongside Mark McGwire, Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen, but just how great of a player did the Angels give up?

For starters, there are a few avenues you can go down in order to come to some sort of conclusion.

First, you could start by comparing him to contemporary outfielders like Steve Finley and Luis Gonzalez. Both guys who, in my mind, would illustrate what my gut tells me…Jim Edmonds DOES NOT belong alongside those enshrined in Cooperstown.

Frankly, not one of the three belongs in the same sentence as the sleepy New York town.

Sure, Edmonds is good…he was a world champ in 2006, a four-time all-star and twice he’s finished in the top five in the MVP voting. But Hall worthy?

No way.

But then I remembered…you CAN go into the Hall based on your defense (a la Bill Mazeroski or Ozzie Smith) and Edmonds did bring home eight Gold Gloves in a nine year span. With this guy, his repertoire was the opposite of most…his defense was the delicious dessert at the forefront and batting was the icing.

At the plate, the 39 year-old is sitting at 385 career home runs (more than Joe DiMaggio, Ralph Kiner and Tony Perez), a .284 career batting average with five seasons above the .300 mark.

Barring injuries (and honestly, couldn’t we say that about a bunch of players) and a season away from pro ball, Edmonds could be nearing 500 bombs and 2500 hits versus where he’ll end up…closer to 400 and 2100.

Again, he is good…just not great.

Ask yourself this…do his highlight reel catches and sub-"benchmark" numbers make him more of a Hall of Famer than someone like Jim Thome, Ivan Rodriguez or Chipper Jones? Because, let's face it, that's who he is likely going to be up against when he comes up for selection.

My guess is he'll be a guy, like Steve Garvey, Dave Parker or Don Mattingly, destined to appear on the ballot for the full 15 years...but not great enough to break through the doors.

I could be wrong…but only time will tell.

2010 Milestone Preview: American League West

In an effort to drum up some traffic, this is where I would normally write about WrestleMania XXVI, the Final Four or Justin Bieber.

Instead, we’ve got one of the most milestone rich divisions in all of baseball.

Sure, over in the National League Central, the Chicago Cubs have three guys (Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez) approaching 300 home runs

But out west, Seattle alone brings us future should-be unanimous Hall of Famers…Ken Griffey, Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki.

So as we head off to the AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST…here’s hoping that the WWE, NCAA and Bieber references were sufficient enough to drive traffic because God knows mentioning the Mariners won't.


LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

The Angels most interesting storyline is in the dugout and involves, arguably, the most visible member of their franchise…manager Mike Scioscia.

18 years ago, Scioscia appeared in what many baseball fans consider the best episode of The Simpsons…“Homer at the Bat”. In that episode, the then Dodgers catcher quit baseball and got a job working at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and suffered radiation poisoning.

Going into this season, the now healthy skipper of the Angels is among the active leaders in winning percentage. At .5555, Scioscia is deadlocked with Yankees skipper Joe Girardi and just ahead of Atlanta’s Bobby Cox (.5552) and Milwaukee’s Ken Macha (.553).

An AL West title would help boost Scioscia's footing at the top.

Last year, the Halos got their money’s worth when they signed outfielder Bobby Abreu.

This year, Abreu is one to watch as he quietly is poised to enter the record books alongside such notables as Barry Bonds and Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Andre Dawson.

What does that mean?

As it stands, Abreu is 44 home runs (which would be a career high) shy from being only the seventh member of the exclusive 300-300 club.

Only Barry (762-514) and Bobby Bonds (332-461), Willie Mays (660-338), Andre Dawson (438-314), Reggie Sanders (305-304) and Steve Finley (304-320) have achieved 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

Abreu is sitting at 256 and 348.

Also within shouting distance of the 300-300 club…Abreu’s former teammate Alex Rodriguez at 583-297.

But that’s not the only thing Abreu has going for him in 2010. With 17 more doubles, he’ll become only the sixth active player with more than 500 doubles. And if he gets to 100 RBI again, it’ll mark the eighth straight time he’s hit the century mark.


OAKLAND ATHLETICS

The A’s are one of those teams that, from a milestones perspective, gets harder to watch each year. They’re a long way from “moneyball” and unless you count Coco Crisp (I don’t), they didn’t make their patented “former perennial All-Star on the decline of their career” signing this off season.

I suppose you could look at Hawaiian-born KURT Suzuki’s name in the boxscore, purposefully confuse yourself and wonder when Seattle traded the face of their franchise (Japanese-born ICHIRO Suzuki) to Oakland.

But why bother? The real deal resides in the Pacific Northwest and is still out there re-writing the record books.


SEATTLE MARINERS

I go into every baseball season (or daily life for that matter) hoping and praying that I can avoid making any references to Britney Spears, but, unfortunately, I can’t this time.

That’s right…oops, he did it again. Sorry.

Ichiro, who, coincidentally dropped in the United States only 11 months after the multi-platinum Spears album, keeps on doing what he does best.

After nine years in the Majors, he has:

• Nine straight seasons with a .300 or better batting average
• Nine straight seasons with 200 or more hits
• Nine straight seasons with 25 or more stolen bases
• Nine straight Gold Gloves
• Nine straight All-Star appearances

By comparison...nevermind. There really is no comparison to Ichiro when it comes to consistency. The guy is sick.

The only knock against Ichiro…he failed to become the only Major Leaguer to start his career with nine straight seasons of 200 hits, 100 runs and a batting average of .300 or more when he fell 12 runs shy in 2009.

Ho hum.

The only American League outfielder that has more Gold Gloves in consecutive years than Ichiro, is teammate Ken Griffey, Jr. with ten straight from 1990-1999.

And while it’s not likely that “Junior” will get to his fourteenth All-Star game or bring home his eleventh Gold Glove, he does enter 2010 as the active leader in hits (2763), home runs (630), RBI (1829) and runs created (1989).

As far as true milestones however, all Griffey has in his sites is surpassing Hall of Famers Dave Winfield (1833), Ted Williams (1839), Carl Yastrzemski (1844) and Mel Ott (1860) to move into eleventh place all-time on the RBI leaderboard.


TEXAS RANGERS

Thank God, Texas signed Vladimir Guerrero this off season or talk of the Rangers would be limited to uncomfortable “did you hear the one about the manager who did cocaine” jokes.

The bare-fisted slugger (which, in hindsight sounds worse than it is) is looking to rebound from a dismal, injury plagued 2009.

Prior to last season, Guerrero had 12 straight seasons with 25 or more home runs. If he hits the mark this season, not only will he move up on the all-time list (he’s at 407 now), but that will be 13 out of 14 seasons and, frankly…that ain’t too shabby.

One last interesting sidenote about AL West. Did you know that it is home to two of the lowly three Major League Teams that have never appeared in a World Series game?

It’s true, Texas, Seattle and the Washington Nationals have never played in the Fall Classic. Will 2010 be the year the streak is ended…stay tuned!

Smart betting, however, says it won’t.

The National League West is next and should wrap things up. In the meantime, feel free to check out Milestone Previews of the American League East, American League Central, National League East and National League Central.

Milestone Preview: American League West

The Hall of Very Good is proud to announce what could be the start of great partnership. Dr. Aaron Perlut, Chairman of the Board of the American Mustache Institute will be on board from now until the foreseeable future to lend his expertise and commentary to all things mustache.

Perlut has been championing mustaches since the age of seven and is completing a certification in the acclaimed Nuclear Mustacheology program at the Richmond, Virginia-based ITT Technical College’s Medical Wing. He's also been steadfast in building a life foundation focused on fighting for those like him...Mustached Americans who’s only care was to be treated and accepted as other non-mustached Americans.

Last July, Perlut and the American Mustache Institute gained national attention with their endorsement of the THEN wonderfully mustachioed Jason Giambi to be voted to the All-Star team.

It is no coincidence that after Giambi shaved off the ‘stache, he upset the Yankee Gods (including Don Mattingly, Thurman Munson and Goose Gossage among others), found himself unsigned for 2009 and banished to the AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST.


LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
What jumps off the page first when looking at Angels this season is not that they have the longest team name in baseball…it’s the way that they just seem to continue to win.

At the forefront of that winning is manager Mike Scioscia. Scioscia has 803 wins in his nine seasons (an average of 89 per year) and could end this season with the highest winning percentage among active managers. Braves skipper Bobby Cox is sitting at .557…Scioscia is not far behind at .551.

All-World rightfielder Vladimir Guerrero is continuing his assault on immortality this season as well. “The Impaler” is only eight home runs from 400 (he should surpass that sometime before Mother’s Day) and if he gets 25 this season…he’ll have 25 or better in each of the last 12 years.

Also worth mentioning, Guerrero has yet to hit below .300 in a season. With a .323 career batting average, he is fourth behind Albert Pujols (.334), Ichiro (.331) and Todd Helton (.328) on the active list.

In a few more seasons, we’ll be talking about Vlad as a 500 homer, 3000 hit guy.


OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Making his way back to Oakland, and therefore making the Athletics relevant to the Milestone Tracker is the afore mentioned Jason Giambi.

This season, Giambi is hoping to regain his pre-Yankees (and steroid aided) form as he continues his march to and past 400 home runs. He’ll start this season with 396 dingers and will more than likely surpass 400 by mid-April.

It remains to be seen if “Giambino” will enter the season mustached or not. As Perlut would be quick to point out…Giambi hit 100 points higher WITH the lip sweater. So growing it back is obviously something to consider.


SEATTLE MARINERS
While they are not picked by many to compete, the Mariners will be exciting to watch if only to see Ken Griffey, Jr. and Ichiro cement their place in history.

It’s not likely that “Junior” will get to his fourteenth All-Star game or bring home his eleventh Gold Glove, but Griffey enters 2009 as the active leader in hits (2680), runs (1612), home runs (611), RBI (1772) assuming Frank Thomas is done…runs created (1934).

As far as true milestones, all Griffey has in his sites is surpassing Hall of Famers Frank Robinson (1812), Dave Winfield (1833), Ted Williams (1839) and Carl Yastrzemski (1844) to move into twelfth place all-time on the RBI leaderboard.

Last season, Ichiro became the youngest player to notch 3000 hits…1278 while playing in Japan and 1805 in Seattle. If Ichiro gets 200 hits and 100 runs this season, he’ll pass Willie Keeler and Lou Gehrig with having the most (nine) seasons with more than 200 hits and 100 runs.

As it is…he’s the only Major Leaguer to start his career with eight straight seasons of 200 hits, 100 runs and a batting average of .300 or more.

And if Ichiro at the plate isn’t enough to keep an eye on, he also started his career with eight straight Gold Gloves and All-Star appearances.


TEXAS RANGERS
Josh Hamilton exploded onto the scene last year in a big way, but it is a couple of lower profile Rangers (Omar Vizquel and Andruw Jones) that are approaching milestones.

Vizquel is on top of the active list for games played (2680) and at bats (9745) and second (behind former teammate Griffey, Jr.) on the hits list. And it isn’t likely that he’ll be able to surpass him, but “Sheik Omar’s” 11 Gold Gloves puts him behind only Ozzie Smith’s 13 on the Gold Glove tally board.

Jones has gone from perennial MVP candidate to MIA in the last couple of years and it is not likely that the his latest change of scenery will help. As it is, he’s only 31 and sitting at 371 home runs and while it is not likely…getting to 400 home runs this season is not entirely out of the question.

Of course, he’ll have to improve on that abysmal three home run output from last season.

The National League West is next and should wrap things up. In the meantime, feel free to check out Milestone Previews of the American League East, American League Central, National League East and National League Central.