Can The Kansas City Royals Get Their Ship Righted For The 2010 Baseball Season
While 2009 was A major disappointment for the Kansas City Royals, it is behind them and it is time to look forward to a new season. With only 65 wins to show for the season, they have their work cut out for them, but it would appear as though they are headed in the right direction. While it would be bold to predict a deep run into the playoffs, make no mistake that the team that starts 2010 is far better than the one that hit the field in 2009.
This team is built around the flaky 26 year old Zack Greinke. He picked up in 2009 right where he left off in 2008 and was absolutely unhittable for the bulk of the first half of the season. teams would kill to have a starter with a 2.16 ERA and 229 innings, but knowing Greinke, it was just another ho-hum season.
The talent level of this young pitcher is indescribable. He can literally put it where he wants to on just about every pitch. To have control that is coupled with power is almost unheard of. He is like a young Greg Maddux with oomph. Knowing that they have about 20 wins in the bag when Greinke takes the mound, the Royals will need to do just a bit better than play .500 ball when he is not on the mound to get into the playoffs this year.
In order to give more support at the plate, the Royals made a big pickup with Scott Podsednik during the off-season. Going into his 10th season, Pods is a seasoned veteran with a huge heart that is going to add offensive production and a ton of speed to this team. He is coming off of the second best year of his career and should provide some leadership for this team.
The rest of the offensive lineup is also shaping up pretty nicely as there are quite a few hitters coming off of .300 seasons and looking to continue their good fortune. The bullpen also looks fairly solid with Joakim Soria and his 2.21 ERA and 30 saves leading the way. In his three years with the club, he sports a 2.09 ERA and 89 saves in 99 opportunities. This is a closer that any team in the league would be happy to have.
The challenge for this team once again is going to be the starting pitching after Greinke takes his turn. Fans should expect a much better season from Meche after an awful 2009 season. His 5.09 ERA matched his worst ever and he should bounce back nicely to contribute double digit wins once again. If Bannister or Davies can step up their game, the 2010 will truly bring a lot of hope into the 2010 baseball season for the Kansas City Royals.
One thing that will surely give this team an edge will be fan support. If they can get some heads into that stadium early in the season and show them that they are behind their team, they just may feed off of it and go on a tear. The addition of Podsednik should get people excited as offensively, he will give the ticket holders their money's worth.
The Alaska Highway: A Road of Wilderness Mystique - From Dawson Creek to Fairbanks
The black bear interrupts its roadside foraging to glance reproachfully at the intruders. The bus driver has slowed down so that we can gape. His cry alerting the passengers is one we hear often on the Alaska Highway, and not just for bear sighting.
Dall sheep, standing out in brilliant white against rocky mountain slopes. Moose, elk, grizzlies in the distance. A lone wolf slouching across our path. Caribou sighting becomes old hat.
The highway is exploding with life and color and the salmon are running. Once, as our Greyhound bus skirts a river, we see a bald eagle swoop down on the water, talons outstretched. For a brief second it rises with a huge salmon in its vice-like grip. The salmon's struggle and its sheer weight drags the eagle into the river. Hunter and prey actually become submerged.
As suddenly as it had vanished, the eagle resurfaces, thoroughly doused but grimly hanging on to its catch. Barely able to flap its wings, it fights its way out of the water, never releasing its hold on the salmon.
The driver tells us he had seen similar encounters - but then anything is possible along this road of wilderness mystique. The Alaska Highway's length alone is daunting - 2,378 kilometers.
It is a picture postcard of spectacular scenery. As the road moves north and west, the landscape changes from sprawling grainfields to a more rugged mountainous land, filled with white-capped rivers, turquoise lakes and ice-blue glaciers. Classic northern forests are full of wildlife and wildflowers.
The land is also a mosaic of people who run lodges, fly bush planes, man gas rigs and drive trucks.
Travelers meet old-timers like Dean (Old Griz) Elston, who teaches "cheechakos" (greenhorns) how to pan for gold at Kluane Wilderness Village in the Yukon.
Old Griz himself is a "sourdough", the affectionate name giving to old-timers. There is only one way for a cheechako to become a sourdough: watch the river freeze in the fall and stay to see the ice brake into grinding pieces in the spring. Old Griz, one of the bulldozer operators who helped build the Alaska Highway in 1942, has some tall tales to tell.
The road was finished in an astonishing eight months, probably the greatest engineering feat since the building of the Panama Canal. The project was a wartime venture. The highway linked Alaska to the rest of the United States and could have served as a way to move troops if Japan had attacked the territory. It also served as an overland route to supply the chain of gravel airstrips across northern Canada and Alaska that provided emergency landing facilities for the 8,000 warplanes ferried to the Soviet Union.
At the peak of its construction, about 11,000 US soldiers and 7,500 civilians with 11,000 pieces of equipment built the road at a frenetic pace of 13 kilometers a day, sometimes in temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius.
It was a hard life. The men had to build 133 bridges and 8,000 culverts. Machinery snapped, ice jams rammed pilings, flash floods ripped out bridges after heavy rainfall or rapid glacial melts, bottomless muskeg swallowed trucks and bulldozers.
Slowly, a rough, rutted track took shape, forging a highway over marshes and bogs, through forests, over five mountains and through river canyons.
The road-builders were plagued by huge mosquitoes and blackflies. A popular story is that they built two airfields at Whitehorse: one for aircraft, the other for mosquitoes. One old-timer swears that on one occasion someone mistook a mosquito for a float plane and tried to refuel it.
The Alaska Highway is still a wilderness road today, but many of the curves have been straightened and the two-lane highway is paved. There is occasional evidence of human habitation - hamlets tucked away among the trees, a cluster of log cabins, a roadside cafe or motel - but for the most part it's a pretty lonely road.
Every year about 200,000 travel its length. We chose the easy way - we "rode the dog", and let the Greyhound Bus drivers do the work.
The journey started at Dawson Creek in northern British Columbia, Canada, where the famous Mile Zero sign post is a magnet for tourists. The bus pointed its nose down the long, narrow ribbon of highway and over the first 900 kilometers threaded its way through serene, undulating prairies.
After Fort Nelson came the Rockies. The Highway passes through two provincial parks and through rustic communities like Summit Lake and Toad River. Then it winds through the valley of the Liard River and along an old Indian and fur-trading trail.
When the Greyhound approached Watson Lake, we were in the Yukon, where the sun shines for at least 20 hours a day for much of the summer.
The bus stopped within yards of the Sign Post Forest. Here, in 1942, a homesick soldier, working on the highway erected a sign pointing to his home town in Danville, Illinois. Over the years, others followed his lead and today there are 20,000 signs, of every shape and size, most of them "stolen" from their towns and cities.
After leaving Watson Lake, the Greyhound climbed beside the scenic Rancherie River, passing through the wide valleys of the Yukon mountain ranges to Whitehorse, Capital of the Yukon.
Whitehorse's buildings are a happy mix of pioneer spirit and urban sophistication. Log cabins share streets with modern office buildings.
It's also littered with the history of the great Klondike gold rush. Whitehorse was one of the staging points for the 30,000 fortune-hunters who poured into the Dawson City area at the end of the 19th century.
The sternwheeler SS Klondike now rests on the bank of the Yukon River. It and its sister ships were once the main lifeline linking Whitehorse and Dawson City.
The Yukon takes its name from an Indian word, "Yuchoo", which means "the greatest river". It's an appropriate name for a river that flows through what is still a vast and unspoiled frontier, a latticework of wilderness rivers, lofty mountains and glaciers.
Much of the Yukon is still unserved by road. The only way in is to paddle, walk or fly in a float plane. There are just 30,000 people scattered over its 483,000 square kilometers, but it is home also to more than 200,000 caribou, 50,000 moose, 25,000 thinhorn and stone sheep, 10,000 black bears, 500 wolves and 254 species of birds.
Beyond Whitehorse, the highway skirts the 22,000 square-kilometer Kluane National Park. Kluane is an Indian name for "a place of fishing", and its lakes and rivers teem with salmon and trout. At its heart lies a sea of ice - the largest non-polar icefields in the world - from which the massive glaciers flow through the valleys. From here the Alaska Highway makes a relatively flat run to Fairbanks.
Our bus made a stop at North Pole, a small town about 20 kilometers before Fairbanks. This is where the US Post Office delivers all the mail it gets for Santa Claus. It's here that Santa's elves scramble to meet every Christmas wish - a place that makes dreams come true.
Dreams like ours - to drive the Alaska Highway.
About the Author
Extensive news freelancers for many years, joint Editor-in-Chiefs of the destination trade magazine, Canadian Traveller, Ursula and Eldrid Retief are Editors-in-Chief of several travel web sites, including Travel Tidings Alaska at http://www.traveltidingsalaska.com
Rosario Dawson - Signing Autographs at "Live with Regis & Kelly" in NYC
Andre Dawson, 1987 NL MVP and 1977 NL Rookie of the Year, has personally Hand Signed this 8x10 Photo. This is not a pre-print or copy, but actually autographed by the athlete listed. This item comes with a The REAL DEAL Memorabilia authenticity sticker on the photo and a Certificate of Authenticity...
Andre Dawson signed Boston Red Sox 8x10 color Photo (Pose 2). This item was signed at the Chantilly, VA show at the Dulles Expo Center October 14, 2001. Andre was 8x All Star outfielder for the Montreal Expos 1976-86 and Chicago Cubs 1987-92...
THIS IS AN OFFICIAL FULL SIZE Rawlings Big STICK BASEBALL BAT AUTOGRAPHED BY ANDRE DAWSON. THIS BAT WAS HAND SIGNED AND THE SIGNATURE IS NOT A PRINT. THE CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY COMES WITH A PHOTO OF ANDRE DAWSON SIGNING THIS BAT...
MLB Memorabilia & Autographed Mlb Photos. ANDRE DAWSON Montreal Expos SIGNED 16x20 Photo
Len Dawson Kansas City Chiefs NFL Hand Signed Mini Football Helmet with HOF 87 Inscription
Sale Price: $126.00
Description
NFL Memorabilia & Autographed NFL Mini Helmets. Kansas City Chiefs great Len Dawson is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. He threw for 239 touchdowns and almost 29,000 total yards in his career, numbers impressive enough to make him one of just 23 quarterbacks currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
This park opened in 1992 and pays homage to the early days of baseball. With its graceful wrought iron embellishments and brick façade, Oriole Park set the new standard for modern ballparks and is still considered the best park in the country by purists. Architects incorporated the B&O Railroad warehouse into the design of the park, creating a pedestrian area called Eutaw Street where fans can stroll before and after the game. Players who actually hit the warehouse with a Home Run receive a commemorative plaque on the spot. For a relatively new park, Oriole Park has its share of baseball history. On September 6, 1995 Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 consecutive games, one of baseball's most treasured records.
Fenway Park, Boston
Fenway is one of only a few remaining original ballparks built in the early 1900s. With its distinctive "Green Monster" left field wall, Fenway presents a challenge to even the best hitters in the game. Ballpark aficionados will appreciate the manual scoreboard that has been used since the park was built in 1912 and the only ladder in play in the major leagues. History buffs will revel in visiting a park that has been home to such baseball greats as Cy Young, Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk and Carl Yastrzemski. At one time, Fenway was also host to the longest drought in World Series history however, the Red Sox finally won the Series in 2004.
Wrigley Field, Chicago
Another historic ballpark, Wrigley Field hosts the Chicago Cubs, the "lovable losers" of baseball. Wrigley is more famous for the historic moments that have happened there than for its comfort or amenities. In fact, the ballpark did not have outdoor lighting until 1988. But it was the site of Babe Ruth's famous "called home run" in 1932 and Kerry Wood's 20 strikeout game in 1998. Wrigley is the home of many quirky traditions including flying a flag bearing a "W" or an "L" atop the scoreboard at the conclusion of every game.
Widely considered the best ballpark in the country by fans and players alike, AT&T Park (formerly Pac Bell Park) was built in 2000. Privately funded by baseball fan and Giant's team owner Peter Magowan, AT&T Park offers fans spectacular views of San Francisco, an innovative children's play area and the best public transportation access in the major leagues. Home runs splash into San Francisco Bay where boaters and kayakers float, listening to the game.
About the Author
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Baseball, Games, and Recreation
Cal Ripken, Jr. is an Oriole fan and a Baltimore fan.
Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles 8x10 Photo (Record Breaking 2131 Game). Unsigned photo is perfect for obtaining your own signature and is mailed via USPS in photo mailer.
This is a 16x20 Photo Signed by the 1983 World Champion Baltimore Orioles. This photo is of the 1983 World Series Trophy. It is the last time the Orioles won a World Series Championship. Signatures on this photo include: Joe Altobelli, Bobby Bonner, Al Bumbry, Rich Dauer, Storm Davis, Rick Dempsey, Jim Dwyer, Mike Flanagan, Dan Ford, Dennis Martinez, Tippy Martinez, Scott McGregor, Dan Morogiello, Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Allan Ramirez, Cal Ripken Jr...
All-Star Mike Bordick presents everything you need to be a successful infielder: Footwork, positioning, double plays, routes to the ball, improving range, glove work and skill enhancing drills.
Fathead is a life-size, hi-def, precision-cut wall graphic made of hyper-durable vinyl that's easy to put up, safe for walls and complements the decor of any man cave, office, den, living room, bedroom - well, just about any room...
The Slim Fast Diet is A very popular and effective weight loss program that has been around for over thirty years. Many individuals prefer this diet to other diets because it is easy to follow and convenient.
So what exactly is the Slim Fast Diet and why is it so recommended? The Thompson Medical Group created Slim Fast in 1977. The plan consists of having a shake for breakfast, another one for lunch and a reasonable dinner. Dieters can also enjoy two Slim Fast snacks during the day. Slim Fast has a get started plan to help you lose up to six pounds in just two weeks. The plan recommends no more than 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day along with daily exercise of at least thirty minutes. According to the Slim Fast website, most people lose at a rate of one to two pounds a week.
The shakes include the original shake, the Optima, low carb, high protein, and Easy-to-Digest which are lactose and gluten-free. Slim Fast's products include great tasting meal replacement shakes that come in a variety of flavors such as creamy milk chocolate, French vanilla and strawberry. The shakes can be bought in ready to drink cans and in easy to use powder. Then they have the Meal-On-The-Go bars and craving control snack bars. The shakes and bars have the perfect blend of fat, protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins and minerals, so you can stay strong and still lose weight. They come in an assortment of delicious flavors such as creamy milk chocolate, French vanilla and strawberry. Slim Fast has even designed soups and pastas to satisfy even the hungriest dieter.
Slim Fast's website has free online support from registered dieticians along with a ton of helpful diet tools. Users get customized diet and fitness plans that help them figure out how many calories a day they need and includes menu plans based on their Slim Fast choices, a BMI calculator, weight loss tools, healthy recipes and eating out guide, and a community support forum where other users can chat online and find weight loss buddies. The focus of the plan is on healthy eating, portion control and exercise. Success stories are posted on the website for other dieters to view.
Almost every major retail store across the United States carries the Slim Fast products. Many celebrities have endorsed Slim Fast through the years including super model Rachel Hunter, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathie Lee Gifford and Tommy Lasorda. Rachel Hunter is part of Slim Fast's new "Find Your Slim" campaign that includes a weight loss contest for dieters.
Overall, the Slim Fast diet appears to be a reasonable diet program that is easy to follow. It stresses the importance of portion control, eating healthy food and exercise along with incorporating Slim Fast products into a balanced low calorie diet. Slim Fast is one of the few diet plans that has the doctor-tested research to back up its claims of weight loss. Slim Fast could certainly be used successfully for weight management and a healthy lifestyle. The diet works better when combined with Hoodia supplements. Hoodia is a plant that grows in the African desert and is well know for its health properties and its ability to curb the appetite. The ability of Hoodia to suppress the appetite improves the success rate of the Slim Fast diet. You can try Hoodia supplements from the Hoodia Diet Plan website and use it along with the Slim Fast Diet.
The Tommy Lasorda unsigned 8x10 photo comes double matted and framed in a wood frame and measures 12x14x1. It comes ready to hang in any home or office.
Show support for your favorite team or player with a high quality full Color Photo! This 16x20 features Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda, and will look great displayed in any fan's home or office. Check out related items below to add a wood plaque with acrylic cover to display this great picture, or have it professionally framed and matted by Collectibles of the Game.
This movie follows the unwritten law of sequels: bring back the same characters and put them in similar jeopardy with slightly tweaked circumstances. Instead of a cross-country journey, this time the pet trio must get from the San Francisco airport across the Golden Gate Bridge to their suburban home...
Same style jersey "Tommy Lasorda" wore during his great career managing the "Los Angeles Dodgers" JERSEY FEATURES: - Manufactured by "Majestic Athletic" - Cooperstown Collection Throwback Series - 100% polyester heavyweight "Double Knit" fabric - re-inforced stitching on shoulder and sleeve seams - Full button front style - Majestic "Cooperstown" neck label - Majestic "Cooperstown" jock tag on lower front - Majestic "flock" tag logo on right sleeve Team Logo(s) Features: - "Dodgers" is sewn on the front of the jersey Players Name and Numbers "Customization" features: - "Lasorda" and # 2 are professionally sewn on the front and back of the jersey in Pro Twill fabric - The name and numbers are customized (sewn) in the "Dodgers" official style font and colors VERY IMPORTANT: Please do not confuse or compare the above jersey we are selling to other similar Majestic Cooperstown jerseys being sold by other sellers online...
Same style jersey "Tommy Lasorda" and the "Brooklyn Dodgers" wore in 1955, the season in which the "Dodgers" captured their lone "World Series" Championship in Brooklyn by defeating the "New York Yankees" in 7 games JERSEY FEATURES: - Manufactured by "Majestic Athletic" - Cooperstown Collection Throwback Series - re-inforced stitching on shoulder and sleeve seams - Full button front style - Majestic "Cooperstown" neck label - Majestic "Cooperstown" jock tag on lower front - Majestic "flock" tag logo on right sleeve Team Logo(s) Features: - "Dodgers" is sewn on the front of the jersey Players Number(s) "Customization" features: - # 27 is professionally sewn on the back of the jersey in Pro Twill fabric - The numbers are customized (sewn) in the "Dodgers" official style font and colors as worn during this period VERY IMPORTANT: Please do not confuse or compare the above jersey we are selling to other similar Majestic Cooperstown jerseys being sold by other sellers on Amazon or other online sites...
Covering two DVDs and over three hours, Vintage World Series Films: Los Angeles Dodgers covers five championship years of the Dodgers following their move from Brooklyn to the West Coast. Beginning with 1959 (a 34-minute film narrated by future legend Vin Scully), it's a time capsule of Dodger history, from the dominance of pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale to the speed of Maury Wills to their 1981 breakthrough against the New York Yankees...
1) Posada (currently, Varitek was better in his prime)
2) Youkilis (Texeira is good, but he showed that he can't hit without Arod)
3) Pedroia (This isn't even close)
4) Jeter (Yeah, this isn't close either)
5) Arod (Nope, no contest here. Not that Lowell is bad, but it's Arod)
6) Jason Bay (If Damon's arm could throw the ball into the infield, this might be closer)
7) Ellsbury (Gardner is who again? Oh, right the guy that doesn't actually do anything) toss-up (Drew is better, but aging and always battling injury. Swisher is young, healthy and exciting, but not as complete A player yet)
bullpen: Red Sox. No contest. Yankees only have Rivera, and he's not even been at his best.
You didn't ask, but starting rotation: Red Sox. By far. Yankees have CC and half a Burnett. And that's it. Sox not only have 3 aces, but Wakefield seems to be getting 'better' with age. And they haven't even touched their youngsters yet.
New York Yankees Robinson Cano postgame interview 5/30/07
Here is an AWESOME item for New York Yankees Baseball fans and collectors! It's a COLOR 8'' x 10'' photo of BILL ROBINSON AND IT'S AUTOGRAPHED! It's signed in blue sharpie. This item comes with a certificate of authenticity from Main Line Autographs.
Elaine Paige headlines the international cast of Masterpiece: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a September 2001 concert in Beijing. Paige sings songs from her roles in Lloyd Webber's musicals Evita, Cats, and Sunset Boulevard, while Kris Phillips, Sandy Lam, Tony Vincent, and others provide solid but rarely thrilling renditions of tunes from such shows as Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera...
The Bassoon Brothers first album "Wanted — The Bassoon Brothers" was called "Just plain hilarious" by the Seattle Times., and "a sort of all-bassoon version of the Canadian Brass" by Audiophile Auditions...
A stupendous historical saga, Braveheart won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for star Mel Gibson. He plays William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish commoner who unites the various clans against a cruel English King, Edward the Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan)...
1956 World Series: New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers (includes Don Larsen's Perfect Game) [VHS] List Price:$19.99 Sale Price: $16.29
You'll be proud to introduce your kids to this film about virtue, courage, and an indomitable spirit. Like Treasure Island and Tom Sawyer, Pride should be required viewing for every family. Gary Cooper plays Lou Gehrig, the "Iron Horse" New York Yankee first baseman who became a record-setting legend in baseball...
US $2.00
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toss-up (Drew is better, but aging and always battling injury. Swisher is young, healthy and exciting, but not as complete 
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