A.J. is a guy who, if we didn't have Dan and Andy, people would be buzzing about. He's hard-throwing with good control of three quality pitches. We had the luxury of bringing him along slowly.

Bob is a tremendous kid. He amazes me every day. With 13 seniors he didn't need to be a leader last year, but he's really taken on the role this year. This is his team.

The kids really look up to Bob. He treats every kid equally. This is the hardest working team I've ever coached and it's thanks to him. He's such a huge part of the team. If I coach another 30 years, Bob will be one of the two or three kids I remember most.

I don't know necessarily if we're calling it a rebuilding season. Our expectations are always the same. I think a lot of people may have counted us out, but we'll gladly take that role.

I think chemistry will be a key ingredient. People have kind of forgotten about us, which is good. Hopefully, California can keep the 'favorite' tag and we can fly under the radar.

Additionally, we are seeing wholesale prices for natural gas to drop and expect approximately an 11 percent decrease in February.