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When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed star outfielder Andre Ethier to an $85 million, five-year deal through 2017, it placed the seven-year veteran into the top 20 in annual salary among major league outfielders.

Over the next few years, the graduated increases could lift him into the top 10.

But are the guys who are ahead of him on the list like Jayson Werth, Jason Bay, Alfonso Soriano and Vernon Wells, whose salary tops the list at $24.1 million per year, worth more than Ethier?

Where does this somewhat unassuming right fielder really stand among today’s stars?  Is he, in fact, a star, or just a solid, everyday player?  Where would you rate him?

For those who have watched him play second fiddle to superstar center fielder Matt Kemp, Ethier’s monetary success is long overdue.

An overachieving college player whose coach at Arizona State University said he didn’t have what it took to be a Division I player, Ethier has shown time and again that he is worthy of his elite status in the majors, far exceeding the negative valuation placed on him in his early years.

This year in particular has been a coming-out party for the sweet-swinging lefty who bats in the middle of the Dodgers’ order. Currently batting .314, he has alternated with Rockies star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez as the National League’s RBI leader.

Before Kemp went on the DL with a hamstring injury, their one-two punch led the Dodgers to the best win-loss percentage in the majors, and the two of them were at the top of the list in RBI production.

While he will never replace Kemp’s five-tool superstar play, Ethier provides a stalwart offensive presence in the Dodger lineup, and one can see why his teammates once nicknamed him “Captain Clutch.”

Over his career, Ethier has shown flashes of brilliance, some of them even history-making. After three consecutive years of batting .284, .305 and .292, and averaging over 25 home runs per year, he broke into the 2011 season with a 23-game hitting streak, setting a major league record for the month of April.

At that point, he seemed to have also broken the barrier leading to stardom. But that was also a year of controversy when he played with an injured knee, and after playing in the All-Star game, he finished the year on a down note.

Entering this year, there were questions about his ability, his desire and his importance to the team.  There was even trade talk.

But 2012 has shown that Ethier is one of the best outfielders, if not players, in the game. Even the ever-growing achievements of Kemp have not been able to overshadow his success.

Most surprisingly is how Ethier has not wilted during Kemp’s absence. Despite a week or so of terrible hitting (he had two hits in 26 at-bats at the beginning of June), he continues to come up big in clutch situations. One of the those hits was a grand slam home run.

Ethier will never be a loud, flashy, here-I-am-look-at-me type of player despite his obvious talent, his Hollywood address and good looks. But his financial upgrade matches his ability and should the Dodgers actually continue their ride atop the NL West, he should get a lot of credit for the team’s success.

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I want to like Dee Gordan, I really do. But the 24-year-old Gordon just isn’t getting the job done for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In just his second season as a major league ballplayer, Gordon is obviously struggling at the plate as well as on defense. Gordan has put up a meager .234 average in his 57 games thus far in 2012. He has also committed 10 errors on the defensive end.

That doesn’t seem to fit in what the Dodgers are trying to do.

Having signed Matt Kemp to a lucrative contract, as well as Andre Ethier, the Dodgers are a team that is in the middle of serous transition. We’re not talking some minor-league level transition period. No, we are talking about Magic Johnson and Company spending some serious coin on the blue to turn the team into a contender for more than just the 2012 season.

Realists understand that Gordan is not a part of that future.

Under the old Frank McCourt regime, perhaps Gordon would be afforded a longer leash than what is expected right now. However, while somewhat dazzling defensively, at the plate, Gordon just falls short.

The Dopdgers could typcially afford to take the time to transition and develop Gordon, but it almost appears as though the team views him as a lost cause to some lesser degree.

Having just extended Andre Ethier, the front office needs to start addressing the rest of the organizational needs. That, in and of itself, should be evidence of the Dodgers need to unload Gordan.

Offense will boost the team far in to the playoffs; their constituted pitching will win them a World Series.

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Late Monday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers proved once again that they mean business.

Several months after signing star center fielder Matt Kemp to an eight-year, $160 million contract extension, the Dodgers came to terms with right fielder Andre Ethier on a five-year extension worth $85 million.

The deal, which was first reported by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, includes a sixth-year vesting option that could bring the deal to a total of $100 million if activated.

Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times revealed on Twitter that the Dodgers are going to hold an afternoon news conference on Tuesday to officially announce the deal.

The dollars are starting to fly in Los Angeles. Per the USA Today, the Dodgers’ payroll stands at just over $95 million this season, but the club is clearly intent on elevating that number. The team’s new ownership group, which of course is led by Magic Johnson, is serious about building a World Series contender, and it doesn’t mind signing big checks in order to do so.

They’re not afraid to make it rain, as the kids say these days.

The question is how much further they’re willing to go now that they’ve committed nearly $250 million to Kemp and Ethier. More specifically, the question is whether or not the Dodgers should still be considered in the mix for the marquee player of the 2012 free-agent class:

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Naturally, no team official has commented about the Dodgers possibly going after Hamilton this offseason, but it’s been widely speculated around the industry that Hamilton would be on the team’s radar.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, for example, considered the Dodgers to be a 5/1 favorite to land Hamilton, the 2010 AL MVP, this offseason when he wrote about the situation back in mid-May shortly after the star slugger’s four-homer game against the Baltimore Orioles.

“Magic. Money. Kemp. Hamilton. Together. Sweet,” wrote Passan.

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe also wondered aloud in mid-May if the Dodgers would go after Hamilton.

However, his speculation came with a catch. Keep an eye on the last part of this passage:

The Rangers probably wouldn’t dare lose Josh Hamilton in free agency. If he should seek to go elsewhere, however, the Dodgers – with their new-found dollars – could be the team for him. A Hamilton-Matt Kemp combo? That would allow the Dodgers to let Andre Ethier head into the market.

Yup, there’s the rub. Cafardo didn’t plan on the Dodgers signing Ethier to an extension in the middle of the season. And judging from his failure to mention Ethier in his bit, it seems Passan didn’t plan on it either. 

This doesn’t mean there’s no place for Hamilton in Los Angeles. The Dodgers have Kemp and Ethier penciled in to center and right field for the next few years, but there’s certainly an opening in left field, a position that Hamilton has played quite a bit in the last few seasons.

The issue, obviously, is the money. Last month, Bob Nightengale of the USA Today wrote that Hamilton is projected to earn “at least” $20 million annually when he signs a new deal. The bidding will start there as far as money is concerned, and at five as far as the years are concerned. 

So if the Dodgers decide to pursue Hamilton, they’ll do so knowing that they could end up with three outfielders earning roughly $60 million per year, and that their contracts would combine to be worth a total of at least $350 million, perhaps as high as $400 million. 

That would be a huge commitment to make to just three players, and it’s a commitment that would come with a boatload of risk.

There’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the Kemp deal. When healthy, he’s one of the five best players in baseball, maybe even the best. To boot, he’s still only 27 years old, and his injury problems this season don’t project as a long-term issue. When the Dodgers signed him, they made a no-brainer of a deal.

This is not the case with Ethier’s deal. He’s already 30 years old, and it would be a stretch to call him one of baseball’s elite outfielders. Committing $85 million (potentially $100 million) to him wasn’t dumb, but the Dodgers essentially paid him for past services rendered as much as they did for future services. They overpaid him, plain and simple.

So the Dodgers already have a potential albatross contract in right field. If they were to sign Hamilton, they’d have an even bigger potential albatross contract in left field.

We all know about Hamilton’s issues. He has a hard time staying healthy on the field, and he must be monitored at all times off the field due to his past struggles with addiction. Heyman wrote earlier this month that the Rangers have assigned a “life coach” to take care of Hamilton, and that’s supposedly a “very demanding job.”

Now imagine some poor life coach having to do this job in Los Angeles, as opposed to the Dallas area. It would go from being a very demanding job to being an even more demanding job. 

We know the Dodgers’ new ownership wants to build a winner, and signing Hamilton would very much help them do that. And though they’d have to be mindful of the luxury tax threshold, they could also find a way to make the money work.

But make no mistake about it, signing Hamilton to a monster deal after locking up Kemp and Ethier to monster deals would be more reckless than smart. If they were to ink Hamilton this offseason, the Dodgers would be doing their best Los Angeles Angels impression.

There are other things the organization could do with its money besides going after Hamilton. For example, the Dodgers haven’t yet signed ace lefty Clayton Kershaw to an extension, and that should be priority No. 1 now that Kemp and Ethier have been locked up. Chad Billingsley is another guy who could potentially be signed long-term, as he’s due to hit free agency in 2013.

When the 2012 offseason arrives, the Dodgers could very well look to spend their millions on an ace pitcher to join Kershaw and Billingsley in the rotation. To that end, a guy like Cole Hamels, a free agent-to-be and a Southern California native, comes to mind. So does Zack Greinke, another free agent-to-be.

If the Dodgers want to commit big bucks to one of these guys, they’ll still have the option of signing a more affordable outfielder like Melky Cabrera, B.J. Upton, Shane Victorino, Nick Swisher or even Carlos Quentin.

None of this is to say that the Dodgers should be considered completely out of the running when it comes to Hamilton. If he ultimately does hit free agency, the Dodgers will be one of the few teams in baseball with the cash to sign him. The Hamilton bidding war won’t have many combatants, but the Dodgers will be one of them.

The odds of the Dodgers signing Hamilton, however, were a lot higher before they committed $85 million to Ethier. The team now has far less incentive to spend many millions of dollars on a free-agent superstar like Hamilton.

Passan wrote back in May that the odds of the Dodgers signing Hamilton were 5/1. Now, they’re more like 20/1.

Somewhere in Arlington, Nolan Ryan is breathing a little easier.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.

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On May 18th, Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis strained his hamstring against the St. Louis Cardinals and was placed on the 15-day disabled list the following day, adding his name to a long list of Dodgers who have spent time on the disabled list this season.

As a result of Ellis’ injury, the Dodgers called up longtime minor league veteran Elian Herrera to replace him. The 27-year-old had spent seven seasons in the minor leagues before his call up roughly three weeks ago, and he has not disappointed. In addition, Herrera has been very consistent since his promotion to the big leagues, perhaps even more so than Ellis, which leads to the following question: Should Herrera remain the starting second baseman upon Mark Ellis’ eventual return?

Mark Ellis, despite his .273 average, two home runs and nine runs batted in, had begun to go downhill in his performance at the time of his injury. Herrera, meanwhile, boasts a .308/0/9 RBI stat line and, as mentioned earlier, has provided a measure of consistency at second base in his 19 MLB games this season. 

Herrera has filled his role admirably throughout his major league stint, and frankly, has better ability than Mark Ellis at this point in time. Herrera has never had much power in his career, however, he has always been an excellent average hitter dating back to his long minor league career, as he routinely hit in the .280 range throughout his seven minor league seasons. In addition, Herrera boasts good speed and baserunning skills, and is seven years younger than Ellis.

Dodgers second baseman Elian Herrera has definitely produced and made the most out of his major league opportunity, and as a result of his consistency, I believe Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly should opt to keep Herrera as the starting second baseman over Mark Ellis.

What are your thoughts on Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Elian Herrera? Should he remain the starter, sent to the bench, or perhaps demoted back to the minor leagues? Leave your thoughts on this debate in the “Comments” section below!

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It all made perfect sense for Dodgers fans.

With new ownership on its way and an underwhelming pitching staff to begin the season, the presence of Roy Oswalt in free agency seemed too appealing to pass up. Having not found a place to pitch by opening day, Oswalt announced he would wait a couple of months before deciding where he would play in 2012.

While his numbers were still very good last season (3.69 ERA), two separate stints on the disabled list left some teams questioning how much he had left in the tank.

For the Dodgers, their offseason pitching problem was solved by the signing of Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang, however neither pitcher brought much excitement to town. Capuano was a 33-year-old with two Tommy John surgeries in his past who had made just 40 starts since 2007.

Even more alarming, however, was his lack of effectiveness in those 40 starts, posting an ERA of 4.39.

Harang on the other hand, was coming off of a career year with the Padres in the friendly confines of Petco Park, where he posted a career-low 3.64 ERA. It was the first time since 2007 that his ERA dipped below 4.21.

So with the fourth and fifth spots filled by underwhelming newcomers, optimistic fans dreamt of Oswalt in Dodgers blue.

Then, the improbable happened.

With his first full season in four years behind him, Capuano has been incredible in 2012. In 10 starts, the southpaw is 7-1 with an ERA of 2.14 and a WHIP of 1.00, all numbers that rank him among the league leaders.

While Harang has been less impressive (3-3, 4.14 ERA), he has still managed to post five quality starts and given the Dodgers a chance to win ball games.

Although Oswalt would be a definite upgrade over the likes of Harang, and insurance in case the injury to Ted Lilly were more serious, the real reason I don’t think the Dodgers needed Oswalt was because of the youth throughout their system.

Take tonight’s starter, Nathan Eovaldi, for example. The 22-year-old right-hander was surprisingly effective in his first taste of the big leagues last season, finishing with an ERA of 3.09 in six starts.

The other young arm who could use some experience is Rubby De La Rosa. 

Like Eovaldi, De La Rosa got his first taste of the major leagues in 2011 and was a bright spot in an otherwise depressing season. In 10 starts, De La Rosa notched a 3.91 ERA and a K/9 ratio of 8.97.

Unfortunately, De La Rosa’s season ended prematurely when he needed to get Tommy John surgery, however there have been positive reports hinting that he might be able to return around the all-star break (see: notes at bottom).

So sure, it’s disappointing to hear that the Dodgers apparently made an offer to Oswalt and came up empty, losing out to the Texas Rangers, but there are positives everywhere in this situation. First of all, the idea that the Dodgers are pursuing someone like this indicates the new direction of this ownership group, and secondly, the Dodgers have a couple young guns that are ready to pave the way for a new future.

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What had been a dream season for the Los Angeles Dodgers thus far took a major blow on Monday, with news that MVP favorite Matt Kemp would be put on the disabled list because of a strained left hamstring. 

Going into Tuesday’s play, the Dodgers had the best record in baseball at 24-11 and the largest first-place margin among the six division leaders. Perhaps that six-game lead over an increasingly weak-looking NL West is enough of a cushion for the Dodgers to withstand two weeks without their best player.

However, even without that cushion, the Dodgers should be able to get by without Kemp in the lineup temporarily. Obviously, they’re a lesser team without him, and no club can enjoy sustained success with their best player on the DL. 

Several things have to go right for the Dodgers to continue winning games while Kemp is out. But these three factors are working in their favor and should keep Don Mattingly’s club on the right path until their MVP returns. 

Pitching’s Been the Key

The Dodgers have been winning on the strength of their starting pitching all season long. Chris Capuano, Ted Lilly and Clayton Kershaw are currently among the top 15 in ERA in the National League. And Chad Billingsley’s 3.32 ERA certainly isn’t bad either. 

In their first game without Kemp on Monday night, Kershaw pitched seven shutout innings with six strikeouts, holding the Arizona Diamondbacks to four hits.

Asking for that kind of performance every night is a bit much (though maybe not from the defending NL Cy Young Award winner). But with that kind of pitching, the Dodgers can still win some games even with a Kemp-less lineup.

Look at the other games in which Kemp hadn’t gotten a hit while trying to play with a sore hamstring.

Billingsley allowed two runs against the San Francisco Giants. In a three-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies, Capuano and Harang each gave up one run. Lilly gave up five (four earned) in his start, but the Dodgers were able to put 11 runs on the board to give him a win.

Teammates Are Picking It Up

No one is suggesting that Bobby Abreu is a suitable replacement for Kemp in the Dodgers’ lineup. But picking him up after he was released by the Los Angeles Angels is looking like a savvy move right now. 

Since joining the Dodgers, Abreu is batting .296/.345/.444 in 29 plate appearances with four doubles and four RBI. When Kemp was taken out of Sunday’s game versus the Rockies, Abreu came in and gave the Dodgers a lead with a three-run double. 

But the batters who were already regulars in the lineup have picked up their game while Kemp struggled.

In the five games during which Kemp was either hitless or out with injury, Andre Ethier hit 9-for-18 with three doubles, two homers and three RBI. Catcher A.J. Ellis went 6-for-13 with a triple, home run and four RBI. James Loney hit 7-for-16. 

Can the other batters in the Dodgers’ lineup keep up that kind of production? Their history says no, but if they can do so while Kemp is out, his absence won’t be quite so glaring. 

Schedule is Favorable

There don’t appear to be many great teams in the NL, so the Dodgers may not have run into one over the next couple of weeks anyway. But the schedule looks pretty kind to them while Kemp is out. After finishing a two-game set with the D-Backs, the Dodgers play a pair against the last-place Padres.

A weekend series versus the St. Louis Cardinals will be a test, but the defending World Series champs have lost four of their past five games and haven’t played much outside the NL Central. Going out west will be a challenged for them, as well. 

Next week, the Dodgers have three more games against the skidding D-Backs, a trio versus the Houston Astros and a four-game series with a Milwaukee Brewers team that’s still trying to find its footing. 

Looking ahead to June, the schedule gets tougher with a 10-game road trip that includes a four-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies. But Kemp should be back in the lineup by then. 

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp is in the midst of his first real slump of the season. The MVP candidate is one for his last 11 and has yet to hit a home run in the month of May (25 at-bats).

Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers is as hot as anyone has ever been in the history of the sport. Over his last eight games, he is 14 for 32 (.438) with eight home runs and 15 RBI. Overall, Hamilton is hitting .407 on the season.

It was only a couple weeks ago that Matt Kemp was on top of the baseball world. There were countless articles about him being the best baseball player on the planet, and many stated the MVP trophy should be given to him now.

That was so last week, right?

Baseball fans, and the media for that matter, have a “what have you done for me lately” kind of attitude. Not only has Kemp cooled off a bit on the field, but all the chatter about the slugger faded this past week as well.

Kemp is a phenomenal baseball player, but you knew that. Fans need to tone down their expectations of him a bit.

In Kemp’s five full seasons, his highest batting average at the end of the year was .324 and that happened last year. Chances are he is going to continue to come back down to earth, but a sensational season is still on the horizon.

If there is anything disappointing at all about Kemp so far this season, it has been his lack of aggressiveness on the basepaths. He is just two for five in stolen base attempts, but he has also been dealing with a tight hamstring for the last couple of weeks.

It is going to be interesting to see how Kemp and Hamilton compare to each other as the season progresses. Let’s not forget that at the end of April, Kemp was hitting .417 with 12 home runs and 25 RBI, compared to Hamilton’s .395 batting average with nine home runs and 25 RBI.

Fans in Los Angeles and Texas are going to see Kemp and Hamilton comparisons continue for most of the season, especially if they are each near the top of the triple crown categories.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers new ownership group has two golden opportunities to make a mark on the new era of Dodger baseball.

And…well, they’re gonna wait to make that statement until the season is over.

Free agent to be, Andre Ethier, has made it known that he would have no issue discussing a contract extension during the course of the season.

According to Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal, Stan Kasten wants to hold off and be sure that Ethier can put together a fully healthy, productive season before moving forward with any negotiations.

According to Bill Shaikin via Twitter, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti has stated that nothing will be negotiated with Clayton Kershaw on the extension front either until the winter rolls around.

Both of these notes provide an interesting prospective on the team’s mindset.

I do like that they are waiting and being cautious with Ethier, even though I do ultimately think he’ll be back. By holding off, should Ethier get injured or slump, the Dodgers will have money to throw at players like Josh Hamilton or Nick Swisher, should they decide to part ways.

The idea of waiting for Kershaw makes sense as well. Yes, the big man is underpaid for his ability. However, waiting for the winter to extend him makes the news seem much grander overall.

Imagine one day the team announces the re-signing of Ethier followed up a couple of days later with the extension of Kershaw?

More so, imagine they make those moves and then sign another big free agent, just to really accentuate their mark on the team. It could get pretty interesting.

That being said, I can’t wait to see what happens in town; besides, at least we know Matt Kemp will be around for a long, long time.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are on fire through the first five weeks of the MLB season. A big reason for this success is because of Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw. 

However, as discussed on the “T.J. McAloon and the Sports Half Hour” with Gabe Zaldivar, we take a look at which Dodger would be missed the most if they went onto the disabled list. 

As a fan you never want to think about losing one of your best players for an extended period of time. However, as discussed on the show, Gabe and I take a look at the pros and cons of each player and what it would mean to the Dodgers if one of those players happened to fall onto the 60-day DL.  

Looking at their stats through the Dodgers’ first 26 games Kemp leads the team in four offensive categories, while Kershaw only leads the pitching staff in one category.  

If the Dodgers lost Kemp, they would be without their leader in: batting average, home runs, runs and on-base plus slugging. If something would happen to Kershaw, though, the Dodgers pitching staff would only lose their leader in strikeouts.  

However, talking about injuries isn’t the only thing that is discussed on the podcast. We also talk about what is up with Dee Gordon, Magic Johnson butchering Vin Scully’s name and the joys of eating a Dodger Dog. 

So, which player do you think the Dodgers could not afford to lose for an extended period of time? Would the team struggle more if they lost their best offensive player or the reigning Cy Young winner? 

Be sure to hit subscribe on the home page for instant downloads of future podcast shows. 

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On a night that saw Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg run onto the same major league field for the first time, it was Matt Kemp that once again put his stamp on the moniker of  “best player in the game.”

Strasburg was his normal dominant self over the course of seven innings, giving up a lone run while striking out nine Dodgers and walking none.

Harper, who earlier doubled during what was his MLB debut, hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning to put the Washington Nationals up 3-2.

After adding another run to make it 4-2, the Strasburg/Harper hype machine was warming up in the visitors’ locker room until the Dodgers opened the ninth inning with three consecutive hits, eventually tying the game when a wild pitch plated Dee Gordon.

Leading off the bottom of the 10th inning, Kemp promptly deposited the game-winning home run 420 feet over the center-field wall.

As he rounded the bases to the sound of Dodger Stadium chanting “MVP…MVP…MVP,” Kemp threw his helmet towards the sky in celebration before being mobbed at home plate by his teammates.

That home run not only sealed the fate of the Nationals on Saturday night, but it was also the continuation of Kemp staking claim to what is arguably one of the best starts to a season in MLB history.

Kemp is only one of three players to have ever hit .400 with 10-plus HR and 25-plus RBI in the month of April.

• 1970 Tony Perez (CIN): .455/10 HR/26 RBI
• 1997 Larry Walker (COL): .456/11 HR/29 RBI
• 2012 Matt Kemp (LAD): .417/12 HR/25 RBI

To begin this discussion, let’s work solely with those three historic April performances.

Extending Walker’s 1997 numbers further, he also produced more extra-base hits (18) and runs (29) than either Kemp or Perez. Based on the numbers, it would appear Walker had the best start to the season of this group.

Attempting to be some kind of voice of reason, we are eliminating Walker from the discussion based on the fact he played 11 of his first 23 games in hitter friendly Coors Field, also pre-humidor.

Left with a Perez vs. Kemp debate and including the runs and extra-base hit totals to the mix, Kemp clearly gets the edge, as his 16 extra-base hits and 24 runs scored are both more than the total Perez (12 XBH, 21 runs) accumulated in 1970.

Others could argue Perez’s higher on-base plus slugging (OPS) of 1.428 compared to Kemp’s 1.383 is more impressive than Kemp’s edge in the counting numbers.

The “greatest month of April” discussion begins and ends with the 2004 version of Barry Bonds.

He amassed what amounts to historic numbers to begin a season, hitting .472 with an OPS of 1.828.

Even though Bonds’ counting numbers of 10 home runs, 15 extra-base hits, 22 RBI and 21 runs are all slightly less than Kemp’s 2012 totals, it has to be taken in consideration that Bonds put up his totals while being intentionally walked an incredible 18 times.

Unfortunately, if Walker playing his home games in Coors Field is cause for elimination from this discussion, so has to be Bonds’ admittance of having taken steroids, albeit “unintentionally.”

All that circles us back around to the Perez vs. Kemp debate.

Personally speaking, my vote goes to Kemp. Maybe that’s because I was unable to watch Perez play on a daily basis, or maybe it’s because I perceive the pre-humidor days of Coors Field and the Bonds steroid scandal to hold too much negative weight.

Regardless of which April each of us thinks is the best—including the performances of Walker and Bonds—what we as baseball fans have witnessed over the past month has to be considered among the greatest starts to a season in major league history.

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