A start with some proposed questions

Anyone that follows me on Twitter (@StevenPhilNYY) knows that I love to go on rants about sports but more specifically baseball in general. I am a Yankee fan but I love the league. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable as a fan about not only my team but the whole league. This blog is to contain my thoughts and organize them into something I can go back to a little easier than my Twitter account. The writing here will not only be myself but I will let some others contribute to agree or disagree with a topic I have presented.

First off, with the last big free agent finding a home, we can all look towards opening day with hope and optimism. We are left with a lot of questions to ponder on our way to Opening Day. Here are some of the big questions that should be answered throughout the season.

*How does the acquisition of Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson affect the American League West? Are the Rangers the team to beat still after two consecutive American League pennants or do the Halos garner that respect simply based on their unbelievable off season?

*Will Fielder put the Tigers over the top to finally bring a World Series title to Detroit? How will Miguel Cabrera do at third?

*Will Yu Darvish's transition into the MLB be smooth? Will his numbers reflect anything he did overseas or will he be just another bust?

*We know that the absence of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun from the Brewers line up will hurt...but at least Braun will be coming back eventually. While serving his 50 game suspension, he will have a lot of time to mull over his future. How will he react to his now tarnished legacy ? Will he embrace his mistakes and try to be a role model (Andy Pettitte) or will he curl up and become defensive? (Barry Bonds/ Rogers Clemens)

*Will the Pirates end their long drought from the post season with the Brewers gutted, the Cardinals without Pujols, the Cubs in transition and the Astros being a bottom feeding team in full rebuild mode?

*Can the Diamondbacks do what they did last year and win the National League West? Are they here to stay?

*Which team will show signs of wariness following their late season collapses at the first sign of turmoil...Red Sox or Braves?

*New managers...who will prosper, who will struggle? We have skippers that are new all around the league. Ozzie Guillen in Miami, Mike Matheny in St. Louis, Bobby Valentine in Boston, Robin Ventura in Chicago (South Side), Dale Sveum in Chicago (North Side)

*Is this FINALLY the year that the Nationals break out? With a rotation stacked with young arms and a pretty decent offense, can they get to the top of the National League East?

If I missed any questions, post them in the comments.

In the following posts, I will start to preview and give some predictions as to where I think teams will be in a few months. Thanks for reading. Again my Twitter handle is @StevenPhilNYY. Send me some questions, suggestions, comments. I love talking baseball to anyone that will listen.