Today on The Baseball Show, co-host Clint Evans from Diamond Hoggers and I welcome Jason Rosenberg from It’s About The Money, Stupid. IIATMS is the New York Yankees SweetSpot network blog on ESPN. A huge thanks for Jason to being on the show–and as he mentions about former guest Matt Sosnick–we would also say that Jason is one of the best guys in baseball writing.

Topics discussed included:

• How he got started blogging about baseball
• He talks about our friend Matt Sosnick, MLB Agent
• His induction into the SweetSpot network & relationship with Rob Neyer
• Speculation about the next head editor of SweetSpot at ESPN
• We are joined by a renegade intruder, only for a moment though!
• Jason says The Extra 2% is a must-read book.
• Hardcore New York Yankees talk
• The Tampa Bay Rays possibilities of winning in the AL Central
• What does the future hold for the catching position (Francisco Cervelli, Russell Martin, Gary Sanchez, Jesus Montero, and Austin Romine), as well as Joba Chamberlain
• Have Yankee fans and Alex Rodriguez mended their relationship?
• Curtis Granderson talk, and how will Andruw Jones fare as the fourth outfielder?
• Thoughts on Derek Jeter’s contract extension
• Much more!

A huge thanks to Jason for being part of the show. Check out IIATMS anytime you want  to read about the Yankees. Find him on Facebook or follow him on twitter. And as all baseball fans know, the Yankees are always relevant.

Mark Twain is responsible for popularizing the Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke quote, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”  As someone who bases many of his opinions on statistics, I could not agree more.  I could take any player, along with any different combination of stats, and come up with two different opinions on that player.  Anyone who has ever manipulated statistics to benefit their own argument knows exactly what I am talking about.  But what about the other times, when you come to an opinion that has no logical basis other than you just feel it?  Deep down inside your gut you have an inkling, an instinct that something will happen.  There is no real rhyme or reason behind this belief.  Most of the time when you mention these beliefs to friends they call you crazy, or some synonym of loco.  The beauty of these types of beliefs is that when they become a reality, when you have used only your gut instinct to defy the laws of statistical analysis, it is a thing of beauty.  I can honestly say that there is no better feeling in the world.

When I was 11-years-old, living in Houston, I told anyone who would listen how the Rockets were going to win it all.  They defied all odds, coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the first round to defeat the Jazz, then coming back from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Suns, and finally sweeping Shaq and the Magic in the Finals to win it all; all while becoming the first team in NBA history to defeat four 50-win teams en route to winning an NBA title.  What does this have to do with the 2011 baseball season though?  At 11-years-old, I had no idea what statistics could be used for.  I knew nothing about backing up an opinion with logical information.  I was freaking 11-years-old!  But, somewhere deep down inside I knew, I just knew, that my Rockets were not going to lose a playoff series that year.  Maybe it was because they had the heart of a champion.  Maybe not.  Either way, I made a gut call about sports and it miraculously came to fruition.

Long story short, that premise is the central idea for this article.  In the upcoming weeks you will find a myriad of articles around the web talking about people’s bold predictions.  Most of these predictions have some sort of stat to back them up.  Not me.  I am here to give you some truly outlandish predictions that have no evidence to support them other than I “feel” like it will happen.  This is not about me trying to predict the future correctly.  This is about finding that 11-year-old inside of me who just believed.  This is about having some fun and enjoying letting my imagination run wild with the endless possibilities of what could happen in a baseball season that has yet to start.  So, without further ado, here are my outlandish, completely unwarranted, and instinct-based predictions for the 2011 Major League Baseball season.

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Last night, on ESPN Radio’s Brian Kenny Show, Brian Kenny posed the following question to Jayson Stark: “Is Albert Pujols hitting the market good for baseball?”  Stark, being the baseball purist that he is, was a bit befuddled by the question until ultimately saying yes.  I tried to wrap my mind around all of the possible answers to this.  The answer I finally found was…yes.  Yes, it is a great thing for baseball if Albert Pujols lands on the open market.

If your answer to this question is no than you are probably over the age of 40 and grew up watching guys like George Brett, Brooks Robinson, and Tony Gwynn play for the same team for their entire careers.  When looking back at the game, you more than likely reminisce about “the old days”.  I have no problems with this – we progressive thinkers need folks like you to keep us grounded every once in a while.  Not because being nostalgic is of any benefit, but because you are still a fan of baseball and we all must appreciate one another as fans of the game.

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• Jesus Montero has been training with Joe Girardi and Tony Pena at the Yankees’ Spring Training complex since the end of January, and has apparently shed a few pounds in the process.  Although 28-year-old Russell Martin will likely serve as the Yankees’ primary catcher, Montero will have a shot to win the back up role during Spring Training.  Sliding Into Home dissects some comments made this week by the confident 21-year-old, who is preparing to make a strong impression in the coming weeks.

• It should come as no surprise that the Los Angeles Angels are planning to take their sweet-ass time grooming their prized-prospect, Mike Trout.  This week, Angels GM Tony Reagins announced that the 19-year-old outfielder will begin the season in Double-A, and that it’s “unlikely” we will see him in the Major Leagues until 2012.  This offseason, Trout was crowned baseball’s top prospect headed into the 2011 season, ahead of the immaculate Bryce Harper.

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The Golden Sombrero presents Rookie Card Corner: Andy Pettitte 1993 Bowman

Fun Fact: In 2004, Andy became the first pitcher since Babe Ruth to post a winning record in each of his first 10 seasons.