Baseball Storyline 2009?

So here we are about to open the 2009 season in MLB.  What is on tap to keep an eye on this season?  Not much.  The economy is threatening the game so there were only a few major contracts signed this past off-season.  Homeruns have dropped each of the last few years.  There were 5386 homeruns hit in 2006, 4957 in 2007 and 4878 in 2008.  That's nearly a 10% drop over that time period and those numbers will most likely see a continued downward trend in 2009.  And there are no 600 homer guys coming up.  Not even 500 homer guys.  Unless you count Gary Sheffield.  I'm sure he was clean the whole time.  Remember the past few runs at homer titles?  Barry Bonds went unceremoniously to the top.  I still recall the Darth Vader like congrats from Hank Aaron played from the big screen at AT&T Park.  And Mike Bacsik is now forever trivia fodder.  Or is it Mark Bacsik?

Heck, even last year we had Yankee Stadium closing and the Rays winning out the AL East.  The Cubbies fell again.  And once we figured out that most everyone used steroids, even a new name is not that surprising anymore.  Any 300 game winners on the horizon?  Randy Johnson has 295.  He had 280 at the end of 2006.  Anything else?  I guess we can wait to see if Josh Hamilton relapses.  People love a train wreck.  Can the Rays repeat?  Can the Cubs get to the World Series?  Not real exciting stuff.

What we do have is a chance to see a run by four hitters at the single season strike out crown.  Mark Reynolds is reigning king being the first player to break the 200+ barrier for whiffs in a season.  He set the record just last year.  But there are others wanting his crown- to begin with, Ryan Howard.  He k'd 199 times each of the past two seasons.  Is 200 there?  I have to think so.  And what about Adam Dunn?  He has tapered off the last couple seasons but still cracks the all time single season leaders at 5th and 6th place.  So there certainly is room for hope.  And a newcomer is on the scene- Jack Cust.  He whiffed 197 times last year in only  481 at bats.  Has there ever been a time in baseball history when the top four single season leaders in a category have all been in the prime of their careers?  Maybe not.  So we could be witnessing history in the making.  It sure beats waiting on the Cubs to fold again.