From the Bleachers

For those of us who love baseball, this is a wonderful time of the year. There are only a handful of Spring training games remaining, and most clubs are about to break camp and head home to play their openers. There is a marvelous sense of anticipation in the air. However, there is absolutely no doubt Major League Baseball has started to lag behind the NFL and the NBA in terms of popularity. Not just 'bums in seats' statistical popularity, it has lost a foothold in the zeitgeist too. The average Joe Punter on the street just doesn't care as much as days of old.

Some people approach change like Khloe Kardashian approaches a diet. With great trepidation. Change though, can often be good. Change, in the case of MLB, is essential.

And so the New York Yankees have announced their 2011 starting pitching rotation. For now anyway. We can only assume this is a temporary thing. Surely, surely the Yankees don't intend to go through the trade deadline with this as their starting five?

Hey, we all love a wager. Particularly Kevin in the TV show the US Office. He would, given the opportunity, bet on a snail crossing the road. Funny guy. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of having five euros or dollars or whatever on Devin Hester to score the opening touchdown of the Superbowl against the Colts, at 10/1. There’s nothing quite like having even that one hard earned euro or dollar on the Boston Red Sox to win the 2004 ALCS when 0-3 down, at 100/1. There is nothing at all quite like backing the great Zu Zu Zidane to score two or more goals in the World Cup final, and for the majestic French artist to realise your dreams for you with two crackers. Sports betting can be enjoyable and a thrill. Of course, if you are reading this in the States, your movements are restricted on this front. You can buy a semi automatic weapon, but you can't place a considered adult wager on a sporting event. Kind of a head scratcher, no?

Maybe, as a resourceful individual, you have figured out a way around this. Either you live in Nevada or you know a guy who knows a guy called 'Vegas Bob' who can get this kind of thing done. This is all well and good, however, there are just some people that should never gamble. Call them unlucky, call them whatever, they should simply never bet. On anything. Ever.

As always, we are here to help. How can you tell if you are one of these individuals? Simple. If you sound like any of these people, then put that docket down, and step out of the bookmakers.

What a weekend of sporting action. So many great games and dramatic results. As is often the case though, the highlights, for many, were low lights for some. For the latter, it all quite literally ended in tears.

Millions of Manchester United fans in the Far East and thousands in Manchester were celebrating gritty Sunderland’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal on Saturday, and then crying into their chicken fried rice on Sunday as Liverpool absolutely punched United in the face to the tune of 3-1. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat continued to be the most enjoyable, universally hated basketball team ever. They make the Pistons of yesteryear look cherished and loved.

Yesterday the feisty Bulls outlasted Miami 87-86, sending the Heat into the locker room, well, there’s no other way to put this than, crying. After the game, completely over-matched Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made the colossal mistake of telling the media that; ‘’there are a couple of guys crying in the locker room right now.’’ The baby faced Spoelstra may as well start engraving that sentence on his Heat tombstone, a laughably pathetic epitaph to a coaching job doomed from the start.

Ireland beating England at Cricket yesterday was like BYU beating the Lakers.

How's the

With the MLB season approaching faster than Jacoby Ellsbury stealing second, let’s look at some of the impact players from around the league, division by division. Players primed to have big years, or players who have enormous, Vince Wilfork sized question marks hanging over their heads. Starting with the NL East.