Settling the score.

So, we're two days into the MLB season and the league showed off a brand new Los Angeles Dodgers team by leading off their season with their west coast rivals, the San Francisco Giants. The young Clayton Kershaw, often touted as the next Sandy Koufax, was the grand opening. The 2011 Cy Young award winner has been considered a golden goose for the boys in blue as they have struggled over the last couple of years amidst ownership and team turnover.

The golden goose didn't disappoint, giving the Dodgers their first win of the season. A first win that meant more than just a 1-0 standing. A win that proves this team has really had this all along, but just hasn't been nurtured properly. Hopefully that is all changing this year with the new wind beneath their wings, and a payroll that rivals that of the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers went on to be defeated in their second game, but not without a fight. So, we're 1-1. We have 160 games to go in the regular season, and the third game in the season, the third game of this series, is really the one that I'm watching.

The always-dreaded Giants starter, Tim Linsecum, returns to the Dodgers mound tonight, and fans from Northern and Southern California will be paying close attention. Although Linsecum had a shoddy 2012 season with just 10 wins and a 5.18 ERA, the kid still shut out super star slugger, Matt Kemp. Kemp went 0-8 against Linsecum with four strikeouts. He was pretty much the only pitcher he couldn't get a hit off of.

With a shoulder injury in the not so distant past, and a slow start in the first two games, Kemp may show Linsecum what he's been saving his energy for. A true blue Dodgers fan can only hope that he comes out of the clubhouse swinging for the fences, but this time actually makes a connection with the ball.

We've got about an hour before we find out...

(image courtesy of baseballanimals.com)

Linsecum has a huge reason to party hard this weekend.

Just minutes before two time Cy Young award winner Tim Linsecum's arbitration hearing, the San Francisco Giants camp changed their tune a bit and the parties came clean with a $23 million, two year deal. Timmy gets $8 million this year, $13 million in the 2011 season, and $2 million in bonuses paid out in between.

Known to make records, Linsecum's deal is the largest ever signed by a player eligible for arbitration for the first time.

With that settled, Linsecum is said to be back at camp, focusing on his A-game. Hopefully he's not smoking any of that money up just yet. If you know what I mean.

Bye bye to the Big Unit

San Francisco Giant's (no pun intended) pitcher Randy Johnson announced his retirement yesterday, ending a 22 year long career in the MLB.

Again, aside from being on a bunch of teams I never liked and having a mullet that would leave you to believe he was lying when he said he was born in California, Johnson was a kick ass pitcher. Not only was he a five time Cy Young award winner, but he also closely trails the late and great Nolan Ryan with the second most strikeouts in the game. Pretty fancy, if I must say so myself.

From us to Randy - thanks for giving us a good laugh when you pelted that bird with a 95 mph fastball, and for that one time you were on The Simpsons.

I guess Randy leaves the mound to my personal fave of my biggest rival team, Tim Linsecum. Hot.