Has the season started yet?

I got my Home Opener tickets today -- hooray! This off-season has just crept by, hasn't it? We've got less than a week to go!

Here are a couple of interesting articles spotlighting Teix and Pete Moylan...

A new Mark

As pitcher Tim Hudson’s conversation shifts from serious to scandalous, Teixeira’s head snaps up.

“Hey-Oh!” he yells out.

Moments later he interrupts Chipper Jones discussing what he believes to be a hook in his swing.

“Chipper, are you a mental midget?” he jokes. “You rip one line drive off the top of the wall and you think you are hooking?”

Teixeira may only be in his first spring training with the Atlanta Braves, but he cuts and cracks on teammates with all the savvy of a clubhouse veteran.

MLB players proud to play in Classic

As this melting pot of comments suggests, each of the 16 teams in the WBC field has Major League representation, one reason the concept is so credible and has so quickly gained acceptance.

"It's the reason that I'm here right now," said Peter Moylan, the reliever who catapulted from Team Australia into the Braves' bullpen. "If I hadn't been found in that scene, I'd probably still be in Australia with my salesman job."

...

The Braves' Mark Teixeira recalls the 2006 event so fondly, he altruistically wants others to experience what he had as a 25-year-old.

"I loved it," Teixeira recalled. "Just getting to play with all of those guys was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I've had my chance and I'd like to do it again, [but] I'd actually like them to give a chance to the younger [first basemen] like Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard."

...

Australia's Moylan thinks the initial exposure to international competition will have his country better prepared the second time around.

"This time, the whole Australian team will know what to expect," Moylan said. "We came out in the first game the last time, [a 10-0 loss to Italy], and were a bit shell-shocked. I think about the whole thing. Next year, we'll know exactly what to expect."

Definitely looking forward to '09. :)