Who's In? Who's Out?

With opening day right around the corner, the question still remains at Cubs' camp; who's going baseball be baseball the bullpen? Many of the spots in the pen have already been filled. Last week, Pinella announced that former Florida Marlin closer Kevin Gregg would remain in the closer role. This came as a shock to many Cub fans who believed that set up man Carlos Marmol would be our opening day closer, coming off an all-star season where he was unhittable at times. However, Marmol didn't end the season well last year and hasn't been as impressive a Gregg during the spring. Other guys who are in include Aaron Heilman, who the Cubs received in a trade with the Seattle Mariners this off season. Neal Cotts, former White Sox and Illinois State University standout, has also slated a spot in the bullpen as a left handed specialist. The last spot in the pen that has been made final was giving to Luis Vizcaino, another player who the Cubs pick up this winter in a trade with the Rockies for Jason Marquis.

All that being said there are still two spots left in the bullpen, and four guys who have a good chance to snag one of them. In the running for the job is David Patton, who the Cubs got during this years Rule 5 draft. Patton, who has never pitched above the single A level has been very impressive this spring. He has made 11 appearances, more than any other Cub, and posted a .74 ERA, giving up only 1 run in 12.1 innings, while striking out 15 and only walking 2. Next, there is Jeff Samardzija, who after ending last year with the big league club has been touched up for 14 runs in as many innings this spring. Angel Guzman and Chad Gaudin are also both vying for a spot, but their spring numbers are very similar to what Samardjiza has put up. If the season were starting tomorrow, I believe we would see David Patton and Jeff Samardjiza out in the pen.

http://www.holycowcubsworld.webs.com

Types of Baseball Gloves

Gloves come in many designs and are made of different materials depending on their function. Those worn at a wedding are obviously different from baseball worn during baseball cold season, and so on. Baseball gloves are what we are going to look at in this chapter.

Gloves perform many functions, like protecting our hands from harsh objects as we work, or harsh detergents as we clean and even keep us warm during the cold weather. The baseball ones, also known as mitt are are made of leather and the main purpose for which they are worn is to protect the hands from getting hurt as one catches or fields for the ball as it is being battered by the other team.

The first baseball glove was worn by Doug Allison in 1870 as he played for a team called Cincinnati Red Stockings. This may not have been the first instance when these garments were worn purposely to play the game. This guy had worn them because he had an injured hand.

The first documented instance in which the mitts were worn for the purpose of playing the game was in 1875 by a man called Charles Waitt who was a St. Louis outfielder. This marked the beginning of this culture and what the players would do was that they could cut out the fingertips of the mitts and leave the covering for the fingers and the palm. Mitts come in different patterns, shapes and sizes and a right handed person wears them on the left hand and vice versa for a left handed person. Some of the companies which manufacture them are Louisville Slugger, Nokona, Rawlings, Spalding, Wilson etc.

Peter Gitundu Researches and Reports on Gloves. For More Information on Baseball Gloves, Visit His Site at BASEBALL GLOVES. You Can Also Add Your Views About Baseball Gloves At BASEBALL GLOVES