1. Craig Counsell
2. Royce Clayton
3. Luis Gonzalez
4. Troy Glaus
5. Shawn Green
6. Jose Cruz Jr.
7. Chad Tracy
8. Koyie Hill
9. Russ Ortiz

After five innings of play, when some of the starters began to get taken out, the score was 9-2 in favor of Texas. This doesn't look so bad -- just another game -- until you realize Rod Barajas was Texas' cleanup hitter for the game. Russ Ortiz is only accountable for three of the runs, but he did look awful in his 3.1 innings of play. He allowed a home run to Ryan Drese, and threw 76 pitches before being removed. Expect the combination of age, leaving Leo Mazzone, and moving to Arizona to make the Russ Ortiz signing look about as good as the Bartolo Colon one did a year ago.

Quick Hits:
- Brandon Lyon came into the game for the seventh and eighth innings, and he looked fantastic. Seeing as though Jose Cruz Jr. and Shane Nance are the only things left from the Curt Schilling trade, it is likely important to management for Lyon to have a good year. In his two innings, Lyon struck out one and forced four ground outs and one infield pop fly. At print, Lyon has allowed one run in seven innings this March, allowing three hits, no walks, and striking out nine.
- Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin both came into the game in the sixth inning, both making contact on the first pitches they saw. Jackson singled to left, while Quentin lined to right. Both look like goood ballplayers from what little I saw, and Jackson was playing 1B, shedding some light on what we'll be seeing from him in 2006. Again, it is really important that Troy Glaus and Luis Gonzalez stay healthy the next few years.
- Speaking of players that have made careers out of sample sizes, Marshall McDougall's arrival into camps each year could possibly be attributed to one game. In college, McDougall hit six home runs in a game, building a career for himself. I think if he picks up another few positions he could be a good bench player, given his small bit of pop and good plate discipline.

Game Five: Cubs at Athletics- Phoenix, Arizona

If you like minor league baseball, this is the park for you. I didn't know quite what to expect when we ventured to Arizona, whether there would be promotions in between innings, or a more serious, Major League-type environment. While I found the latter to be true, such was not the case at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

There were races on foot and in go karts. There was a girl trying to throw bean bags in a bucket for gift certificates. There were t-shirt giveaways on a seemingly constant basis. Looking on the field, I expected to see Lorenzo Barcelo, not Greg Maddux.

But from what we were told, Maddux was the main draw that day. Cub fans travel, let me tell you, and they had gone south from Mesa for this game. The stadium was at a full capacity 9,361 for the game, and trying to find brokers outside the gates was impossible. Imagine that, a Cub sell-out.

Player Notes

Quick Hits:
- Keiichi Yabu followed Harden, and was very impressive in my opinion. His overhand curve is a nice weapon, and he looked intelligent on the mound. He allowed just one unearned run in three innings of work, and while I'm not sure the rotation is a good idea, he should be one good middle reliever.
- Nick Swisher made what many will call the play of the day, a diving catch in left field. The play needed a dive because of Swisher's poor break on the ball, which was awful. I think he will underwhelm A's fans in the outfield, while outdoing predictions at the plate. Oh and by the way, Keith Ginter made another error in this game. Yikes.
- Not a lot of prospect watching, though I can say that Daric Barton replaced Durazo at first late in the game. Barton has huge legs, and while small, looks very muscular. His stance is an open one, and he looks like he could generate some big-time power. No longer will Barton be playing behind the plate, which only goes to further prove his Carlos Delgado similarities.
- The highlight of the game for me was not what was on the field, but watching the row of Jim Hendry, Billy Beane, David Forst and Gary Hughes communicate throughout the game. While I'm sure my partner would have lept into the conversation critiquing each of them, I stayed back and hoped Hendry would nab Octavio Dotel.

Game Six: Cubs at White Sox- Tucson, Arizona

This was our repeat stadium, more because of the competitors than wanting to come back. My Dad is a White Sox fan, and despite trying to raise me as one, lost me at a young age. Both of us regressed to the mean a bit, rooting for both with an emphasis towards one. But when it comes to Cubs v. Sox, it's an all-out war.

While the Cubs and A's game was jam-packed, I was surprised to see a lot of empty seats when the game began at 1:05. Also surprising was the small amount of heckling that took place, far less than what the first inning of the regular season Interleague game would have.

Player Notes

Quick Hits:
- Despite my disgust for the Cubs lineup, I liked what I saw from Jerry Hairston and Aramis Ramirez. There is no reason Hairston and Dubois shouldn't be manning the corners for this team, though Hairston is definitely a work in progress in the outfield. At the plate, however, he is far better a leadoff hitter than Corey Patterson. As for Aramis, he looks ready to play, and crushed doubles in both Cub games we saw. This might be Aramis' best year yet, which would likely cost the Cubs about $15 million or so more than signing him to an extension now would.
- Jon Garland...yuk. He pitched the final four innings after Hernandez, and against some pretty bad hitters, didn't look very good. I'm convinced that he is always going to be a league average pitcher, which makes the Cubs trading him for Matt Karchner an easier pill to swallow. Brandon McCarthy, while maybe not taking Mark Buerhle's spot after all, could replace Garland by summer.
- The White Sox lineup could be dangerous. Tadahito Iguchi looks like a very smart hitter that isn't going to hurt the team at all. Aaron Rowand looks quite good, despite my previous predictions of a discouraging year for him. A.J. Pierzynski and Juan Uribe are going to be quite good at the back end of the lineup. The only "hole" in my mind is going to be Jermaine Dye. Has anyone ever looked like such a star and been so average? It's frustrating just watching him.

Also frustrating was the return to the midwest, and to weather in the mid-forties. While we can crunch numbers and punch our keyboards as much as we would like, baseball is more than the outcome that happens on the field. It is the experience. The hotdogs, the sounds, the atmosphere. And most of all, the company. I was relieved to find out nothing had changed over the winter, and that it is all still so much fun.

Wait 'Til Next Year? Bah, I can hardly wait until next week.