The moment I've been waiting for since the World Series ended

BASEBALL IS BACK and I couldnt be more excited. Every year I wonder how I made it through those 5 months without it. Im a huge Phillies fan and have been excited for this season since December 14 when I continously checked twitter and ESPN at midnight for stories about Cliff Lee returning to Philadelphia. The Phillies dont start their season until tomorrow and its a season that has been hyped throughout the off season. Truth be told I'm kind of nervous. We may have one of the best starting rotations in baseball, but Chase Utley is out for who knows how long, we lost our number 5 hitter Jayson Werth and no one is really consistant at the plate. Every fan is expecting them to make it to the World Series. A lot of websites are saying the Phillies are still the best in the National League, but theyre also saying the Braves may win the Division this year. I usually dont like to think that far in advance and make predictions mostly because I dont want to be more disappointed than expected at the end of the year. It seems like the Phillies always have rough patches during the season, they sent 18 players to the disabled list last year but still finished with the best record in baseball. Basically I always get nervous toward the end of the season, but some how the Phillies pull it off and get into the playoffs. So for now I think Im just going to get excited that the season is here, that we have Cliff Lee back, and I'll worry about the playoffs when its like August.

MLB announces new 7 day disabled list for concussions

As more and more players are sitting out games with concussions each year in baseball, Major League Baseball and the Players Association decided to do something about it. This winter, they set up a committee of experts to come up with a new policy regarding consussions . A set of protocols was announced Tuesday regarding the new policy which will take effect on Thursday, Opening Day. The policy establishes a seven- day disabled list for concussions, as mentioned in a key list of factors created by Major League Baseball. These factors include:

• the player getting mandatory baseline neuropsychological testing for both players and umpires during spring training


• protocols for evaluating players and umpires for a possible concussion after being involved in high rish incidents such as being hit in the head with a ball


• establishment of seven day disabled list which aims to allow concussions to clear, and prevent players from returning prematurely


• protocols for clearing and allowing a concussed player or umpire to return to activity.

I think this new DL is a very good idea. I think its good to see baseball take some action with such an important problem that all sports are dealing with. Concussions are usually more associated with sports like football or hockey, but last season players such as Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins and Jason Bay of the New York Mets had to miss huge chunks of the season due to concussions. Its good to see something being done about it in order to get players checked out more in depthly and getting to be back in action quicker.

Chad Ochocinco trying out for MLS team

With the future of the 2011 NFL season in limbo, it looks like the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver will give another type of football a try. On Wednesday, Ochocinco accepted an invitation from Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes to try out for the team over a four day trial begining next Tuesday. "We know that Chad is an expecptional athlete and that he loves the sport of soccer, and he did play a lot when he was younger. We're excited to see how his skills will translate once he arrives next week and begins training with our team."

Although he has been playing football professionally for 10 years, Ochocinco played soccer competitively from his youth to high school days at Miami Beach High School. He also remains a die-hard soccer fan and has said that he even uses a soccer ball to warm up for NFL practices and games.

Ochocinco is known for pulling publicity grabbing ideas, and in the end I dont really think him trying out for a team is that big a problem. He may not play that often and only get called up to sit on the bench or play the last 10 minutes, for publicitity purposes. So if he can give Kansas City and MLS a profit, I say why not?

Will Pitchers One Day Wear Helmets too?

Last week Peter Abraham, a Boston Globe Sports Reporter, wrote about a new safety helmet for pitchers that would fit over a baseball cap. He writes, "It looks goofy and I suspect if I asked all the Red Sox pitchers in camp, none would admit to wanting to wear it. But there was a time in baseball when catcher's didn't wear a mask. And no hitter would think to go to the plate today without a helmet. Almost every park has a fence in front of the dugout to protect players, too. It might take 10 years--or some awful injury-- but the day is coming when a pitcher wears a helmet."

The helmet does look really weird, but when you think about it batting helmets and other protective gear probably looked really weird when they were first worn too. It's not perfect, it doesnt protect a pitchers face and even though it looks stupid, it can save someone from a traumatic brain injury. I feel that adding the helmet, now seems really weird and I'm kind of split on how I feel about it, but in the end keeping players from looking weird or ridiculous isn't worth a fractured skull.

ECHL Team to have a Charlie Sheen Themed Night

Charlie Sheen has been everywhere lately, on the news, on the radio and he will now be part of a hockey game. On March 12 the Bakersfield Condors will hold "Charlie Sheen Night." A night filled with promotions such as:

• Bring results from a clean drug test and get in free


• Wear a fedora or dress like any Sheen movie character and your ticket is just $2.50


• The first 1000 males will get a Charlie Sheem face on a stick mask

Also going along with the promotions is the chance for Charlie Sheen himself to rename the team, if they break his world record of amassing one million Twitter followers in 25 hours and 17 minutes.

Minor League sports teams are known for their wacky and fun promotions but I feel like this one is by far the craziest one I've ever heard of.

Cliff Lee's Start Causes Excitment to Escalate

I've never been more excited for Phillies Spring Training to start than I have been this year. I've never really paid attention to the scores or to who is playing...but this year is different; because this year, Cliff Lee is a Phillie. Lee became a beloved member of the team when he joined them late in the 2009 season. When he left, mostly every fan was crushed. While his start on Tuesday wasnt anything spectacular, he allowed one hit, two runs, one walk and struck out three in two innings in an eventual 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers, it definitely made Phillies fans, myself included, even more pumped for the season to begin. Cliff Lee is the main reason why fans are so pumped, he's the main reason why the club has already sold more than 3.3 million tickets. Come April 2nd, his regular season start, nobody will remember yesterday's start. But for now these Spring Training games allow the fans to picture and get a preview of what the season will be like. A season that will hopefully live up to everyone expectations