Darrell Moody: MLB is here, and it is about time

The Major League Baseball season gets under way this week, and all I can say it’s about time.

Exhibition games baseball games are as interesting as NFL preseason games. You’re OK with them as long as the starters are in, but when the reserves come in your interest is elsewhere.

The Giants are trying to continue their even-year World Series wins, and if the high-priced free-agent pitchers come around, they do have a chance.

Here are my predictions for the upcoming season:

AL West: Houston, Texas, Angels, Athletics, Mariners. AL Central: Kansas City, Cleveland, Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit. AL East: Toronto, Baltimore, Yankees, Tampa, Boston.

NL West: Giants, Dodgers, D-Backs, Rockies, Padres. NL Central: St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Milwaukee. NL East: Washington, Mets, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia.

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A fourth Carson High girls soccer player, Nahim Gutierrez, has signed on to play soccer at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Jeremy Evans, the Lake Tahoe head coach, was overjoyed to get Gutierrez.

“Nahim, in my opinion, is the elite left back in this area,” Evans told the Tahoe Daily Tribune. “She was my top left back recruit since the high school season. She has such an acute understanding of the position; loves to push the ball forward in attack and has the confidence to take people on and demand the ball out of the back to ignite the attack.

“Having lost several sophomores off the back line, she is going to be a leading candidate to earn that spot in preseason and provide us with one of the top back lines in our conference.”

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Congrats to Nevada for winning the College Basketball Invitational. Eric Musselman did what Trent Johnson, Mark Fox and David Carter couldn’t do, and that’s win a national postseason tournament. It wasn’t the NCAA or the NIT, but it was something. It’s also the first national postseason title for a Mountain West team.

It’s scary to think Nevada could be just as good next year, Musselman has several transfers who had to redshirt this season. I’m sure Nevada will be more than seven deep next year.

Cameron Oliver has had a sensational freshman season for the Wolf Pack. However, his lack of maturity reared its ugly head this past Monday in the second half of the playoff opener against Morehead State, and it cost the Wolf Pack the game.

Oliver had been sidelined with foul trouble throughout much of the game. He compounded matters with about 12 minutes left in the game. He had just dunked to cut Morehead’s lead to 53-52. DeJuan Marrero made it 55-52, and the two were exchanging words on the ensuing possession. Oliver chest bumped Marrero and the pair were called for a double foul. Oliver had to leave the game for several minutes which had a big effect on the Pack.

Nevada lost 86-83, and I have to believe if Oliver is on the floor for 30 minutes instead of 22, the Wolf Pack wins that game.

Oliver, quite frankly, needs to let his points, rebounds and blocked shots do the talking. Hopefully by next year he will mature.