Its bound to be a Brave New World for Major League Baseball in 2012. An off-season that could not have been scripted any better in terms of intrigue, mystery and change has left the landscape for the coming year looking vastly different than it was when the St. Louis Cardinals walked out of Busch Stadium as World Series Champs last October. And the biggest change starts right then and there. The Cardinals - not only a surprise champion, but a shocking playoff team - enter the season with a title to defend without one of the greatest players in franchise history. For the past decade, the Cardinals have been Albert Pujols and vice-versa. The 32-year-old slugger won just about every conceivable honour while playing in the Gateway City, but after his first season below the 100 RBI and .300 average plateaus, the Cards simply could not offer the slugger the kind of coin he would find in California. But Pujols was not the only big bat to leave the NL Central. It was assumed Prince Fielder would fall to whichever team missed the boat on Pujols via free agency, but an injury to Victor Martinez opened the door for Prince to bolster an already-potent Tigers line-up. His arrival in the Motor City takes the pressure off ace Justin Verlander to repeat his mind-blowing 2011 season. With two high calibre offensive threats headed to the American League, one might assume that the National League has become a lot less scary, but thats where the newly christened and garbed Miami Marlins come in. The Fish went on a spending spree unseen in many a year in the Majors, reeling in three big free agent catches in shortstop Jose Reyes, closer Heath Bell and starter Mark Buehrle. The Marlins have thrown themselves in with the Senior Circuits top competitors, looking to compete with stud rotations in Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco and Atlanta. On the other side of the ledger, of course, lie the big bats of the American League. The back-to-back pennant-winning Rangers remain as fierce as ever, keeping their line-up intact and adding a high-priced, high-profile arm to their stable in Japanese import Yu Darvish. While the Mariners and Athletics remain a clear level below Texas, the AL West has become a much scarier place with Pujols anchoring the Angels batting order. Meanwhile, the AL East is the same as it ever was. The Yankees and Red Sox remain perennial pennant threats (despite the latters epic 2011 collapse and subsequent front-office demolition) and the Rays have yet another stud starter entering the fray to keep them challenging the big spenders. The Blue Jays continue to look to the future, hoping this is the year all the teams young talent puts it all together. The team has All-Star talents in Jose Bautista and Ricky Romero, but how long will the team have to wait before players like Brett Lawrie and Kyle Drabek turn from high-potential to franchise cornerstones? The ex-factor, as far as the American League in concerned, may be Major League Baseballs decision last week to add an additional Wild Card playoff spot to each leagues playoffs. Many believe that an extra team benefits the East directly. Had the system been in place last season, both the Red Sox and Rays would have qualified. But between the Angels and the Rangers, the AL West bats could have something to say about the matter. Its also a crucial year for some of the games biggest names. Reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun may face tepid reactions from visiting fans after successfully appealing his 50-game suspension. Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw will try to keep the Dodgers ship afloat amidst ownership woes. The Twins will look to rebound from their worst season in a decade and get a clean bill of health for Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer while the Phillies stable of aces looks to rebound from 2011s early playoff exit. Oakland begins yet another year of upheaval without its two aces from last year but with the additions of Manny Ramirez and Yoenis Cespedes while the Washington Nationals look to compete on the strength of past Number Ones Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. With all this intrigue heading into the year, baseball may be primed to build on the unbelievable final night of the 2011 regular season for one of its most memorable seasons in years. This week, TSN.ca looks at what to expect from the games biggest stars, which teams are primed for a breakout and which players might take the league by storm. Come back every day for more exclusive content, including projected rosters, our American and National League "Future Watch" features, in-depth analysis and predictions for the Toronto Blue Jays. nike free run sale .m. Santa Clara, CA (Sports Network) - The San Jose Earthquakes will try to build on a surprising run to the Eastern Conference finals last season when the club opens its 2011 Major League Soccer campaign against Real Salt Lake at Buck Shaw Stadium. adidas zx flux sale . Must have made the other teams in South Floridas bracket shudder just a bit, too. The Bulls introduced the Big Easts nastiest defence to the NCAA tournament on Wednesday night, allowing only 13 points in the first half of a 65-54 victory over a California team that went long stretches without a single point. http://www.cheapsaleuk.me.uk/ . An official of the security department for the province of Buenos Aires, who asked not to be identified, said the traffic accident occurred in the Buenos Aires suburb of Ezeiza where Maradona lives. nike air max 1 sale . -- The Phoenix Coyotes have signed restricted free agent forward Kyle Chipchura to a one-year contract. nike air max 95 cheap .A. Dickeys dancing knuckleball that he didnt even expect to play Tuesday night.HOUSTON -- Mike Leake was having trouble with his fastball, so he went to Plan B. He wouldnt say exactly what that meant, but whatever it was, it sure worked well on Friday night. Jay Bruce homered and drove in two runs to back a solid performance by Leake, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-1 victory over the sliding Houston Astros. "When something is not working, youve got to find something that is working and thats what I did," he said. "Its nothing in particular on a particular day, but today the fastball wasnt working so I had to go to a pitch that was." When asked what that pitch was, the 24-year-old right-hander was coy. "I cant divulge that information," he said with a smile. Leake (2-5) had a season-high seven strikeouts in seven innings, yielding just one run and four hits. "He was just throwing strikes when he needed them," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. "He would get in trouble, and he would slow down a little bit and find his tempo and his rhythm. Then after that he would go back at them again. That was big to get him his second one and hopefully he can get on a roll." Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth for his fourth save. The Cuban left-hander has 47 strikeouts in 27 innings this season and hasnt allowed an earned run. Houston has dropped seven straight in its longest skid since it lost seven in a row last August. Joey Votto hit a two-out single in the first and scored on Brandon Phillips double off the wall in centre, putting Cincinnati up 1-0. Bruce then singled in Phillips. Votto added another run-scoring single in the third. Houston starter J.A. Happ (4-5) allowed three runs and five hits in a season-high seven innings. He struck out seven and walked two. "I thought I made some good pitches, but then I didnt make a few," Happ said. "I guess sometimes there are games where there is no room for error, and those are tough ones. That kind of was one tonight." Bruce connected against Wesley Wright with two out in the ninth, hitting a drive to rigght for his 12th homer.dddddddddddd Leake retired 11 of 12 batters before Jose Altuve and Jed Lowrie hit consecutive singles to start Houstons sixth inning. Carlos Lee grounded into a double play that allowed Altuve to score. Jordan Schafer singled in the eighth, but was out at second when Altuve bounced into a force play. Lowrie walked before Lee grounded into a double play to end the inning. Lee pulled up while running to first base with a strained left hamstring. He hobbled off the field and Chris Johnson moved from third base to first to replace him for the ninth. Houston manager Brad Mills said Lee wont play on Saturday, but wasnt sure if hed be out longer than that. Happ settled down after Vottos run-scoring single in the third, and Phillips grounded into a double play to end that inning. He allowed a single by Ryan Ludwick with one out in the fourth, but got Todd Frazier to ground into a double play. He retired the next seven after that, with Cincinnatis next baserunner coming on a walk by Ludwick with one out in the seventh. Lee singled in the second and Leake walked Brian Bogusevic with one out. A single by J.D. Martinez loaded the bases, but Leake escaped the jam when Chris Snyder grounded into a forceout and Happ struck out to end the inning. "Offensively, the second inning would have been nice. The bases loaded, and we werent able to get anything with one out," Mills said. "Then, the sixth inning when we did get a run, but we had first and third with nobody out, and I would have liked to keep that inning going." NOTES: The Astros wore the rainbow jerseys the team wore from 1975-86. Former Houston pitcher J.R. Richard, who went 107-71 in a 10-year career with the team, threw out the ceremonial first pitch and was inducted into the Astros Walk of Fame. ... Houston OF Travis Buck has a sore heel and was not available. Mills said hed probably need a couple of days. ... These teams continue the series on Saturday when Cincinnatis Mat Latos opposes left-hander Wandy Rodriguez. cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '