Today's Birthday Team has a super-deep (if mostly obscure) bullpen and one of the most underrated catchers of the past quarter-century.

C: Chris Hoiles
1B: George Altman
2B/Strength Coach: Manny Alexander
3B: Pep Clark
SS: Johnny Butler
LF: Stan Spence
CF: Mike Griffin
RF: Mike Young

SP: Joe McGinnity
SP: Vern Kennedy
SP: Rick Langford
SP: Steve McCatty
SP: Joe Boehling
RP: Clyde Shoun
RP: Mellie Wolfgang
RP: Jonny Venters

Manager: Pat Corrales

So the Twins open at home this year on April 1st. That's 12 days away. Yesterday, it snowed about four inches in the metro. Today, it was 8 degrees as I drove to work in St. Paul. A) How do they plan on pulling this off, and B) why does MLB refuse to logically schedule its April games?

I wondered what had happened to Byrne. He was looking like Tommy Leach's replacement on the 1909/10 Pirates and he never panned out

#2, I can't speak to A, but I know that the Indians opened on the road for 6 straight years. When they finally got an Opening Day at home in 2007, largely because they complained to MLB, it got snowed out.

edit to add: Their last Opening Day at home before 2007 was 2001. I had been under the impression it was more than ten years.

So the Twins open at home this year on April 1st. That's 12 days away. Yesterday, it snowed about four inches in the metro. Today, it was 8 degrees as I drove to work in St. Paul. A) How do they plan on pulling this off, and B) why does MLB refuse to logically schedule its April games?

I agree that it's silly to start at home, but the odds of it being unbearably cold in Minnesota on April 1 isn't much different than it is on April 8, 9, or 12 (the home openers the last 3 years). The actual weather on any day is a crapshoot. The bigger issue to me is giving the grass a chance to establish itself. Even with all the technology, I'd think another week or so would make it a lot easier on the groundskeepers.

As of right now, the long range forecast shows negligible precipitation before opening day and a high of 53 on opening day. Let's hope they are right.

I tried to figure this out yesterday, but it looks like the A's 40-man roster has 43 people on it, only 11 of whom played for the A's in 2011.

Pitchers:
Anderson
Balfour
Blevins

Hitters:
Donaldson
Weeks
Sogard
Rosales
Taylor
Barton
Sizemore
Crisp

Is that a historic level of turnover, or am I making too much out of this?

(also note that Taylor, Sogard, and Rosales have no guarantee of being in the majors this year anyway)

Is that a historic level of turnover, or am I making too much out of this?

The 2006 Marlins used only five players who appeared in games in 2004 for the club (Miggy Cabrera, Josh Willingham, Matt Treanor, Chris Aguila and Dontrelle).

So the Twins open at home this year on April 1st. That's 12 days away. Yesterday, it snowed about four inches in the metro. Today, it was 8 degrees as I drove to work in St. Paul. A) How do they plan on pulling this off, and B) why does MLB refuse to logically schedule its April games?

Just trying to think this out logistically. Warm weather/home teams the first week:

Oakland
San Fran
San Diego
LA Dodgers
LA Angels
Houston
Dallas
Arizona
Miami
Tampa Bay
Atlanta
Milwaukee
Toronto

You'd still need three more cold weather cities.

I don't know, there was that one year a couple games snowed out the first week, and because of the way the calendar set up it was an unusually early start to the year, and people freaked out. But snow outs are pretty rare and I don't really see a big need to schedule around them since its so unpredictable. I mean, its probably going to be really cold in Minnesota for awhile.

EDIT: Two cold weather cities. I forgot San Diego.

You'd still need three more cold weather cities.

You want one of the Chicago teams and one of the New York teams opening at home, so that leaves one other.

Is that a historic level of turnover, or am I making too much out of this?

I only count ten players on the 2006 Royals that were on the 2008 Royals (John Buck, Mark Grudzielanek, Mark Teahen, David DeJesus, Joey Gathright, Esteban German, Mitch Maier, Jimmy Gobble, Zack Greinke, Joel Peralta) I imagine that is fairly commonplace for really crappy teams because a lot of the guys on the 2006 team were out of the big leagues by 2008.

You'd still need three more cold weather cities.

You pretty much have to have games in Chicago and New York, since those teams play opposing series all year long, and Cincinnati, since that's just the right thing to do.

I'd make a specific goal to avoid assigning first-week home games in Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and Minnesota, and take my chances with the rest on a rotating basis (though making full use of the facilities in your list of 13).

It should be perfectly nice in Baltimore/Washington the first week in April.

I only count 11 players from the 2011 Astros that are anywhere in the current organization.

Pirates acquire IF John McDonald from the D'Backs.

Rhrp Darren Byrd to oak for 3b Steve Parker (to mil) in a depth swap

Rhrp Darren Byrd to oak for 3b Steve Parker (to mil) in a depth swap
Pads cut rhrp Eddie kunz

New book coming out in August. Ben Alamar and Dean Oliver have done a lot for the field of sports analytics, looks like a good one.

-- MWE

Pirates acquire IF John McDonald from the D'Backs.

I genuinely had no idea he was still in MLB. Nice guy, bad ballplayer.

Bad 38-year-old ballplayer.

One of our Royals Review bloggers went to scout a game in Arizona and bumps into - Zack Greinke, who is scouting the high school game.

Pirates acquire IF John McDonald from the D'Backs.

And the March to Mediocrity continues. McDonald's making 1.5 million and has had an OPS+ above 90 with more than a handful of PAs in a season exactly once in his career. He's also 38. Yes, I know he's a backup, and yes, I know he's an outstanding defender, but he's not that much better than Mercer, and Neal Walker better not get hurt again; I don't even want to think about McDonald and Barmes up the middle for an extended period.

I wondered what had happened to Byrne.

Byrne was a player who looked like he was exceptionally well suited to Forbes Field - he had a lot of doubles and triples once he moved over from St. Louis in 1909 - but the combination of the accident and the beaning did him in. I'm wondering if his reflexes were slowed enough after the accident so that he couldn't quite get out of the way of Wood's heater.

-- MWE

why does MLB refuse to logically schedule its April games?

Wanted for questioning.