Memorial Day is just around the corner, and baseball season is well underway. With that in mind, let's take a look at how the first quarter of the season has gone. Let's get started…

Most Surprising AL Team: Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays (that's right not the Devil Rays)… the Rays are in first place in the AL East with a 24-17 record and have the best record in the American League! No one, not a single sports writer in the country predicted this would be the scenario after one quarter of the season. No one.

Tampa Bay has never won more then 71 games in season, and has never been in first place for three days in a row. Their history would suggest being in first at this point of the season is impossible, but this year's team is very talented.

Carl Crawford is one the most underrated and best players in the league. First baseman Carlos Pena, although he has gotten off to a slow start this year, won the silver slugger award for first base in 2007, (.282, 46HRs, 121 RBIs).

B.J Upton and Evan Longoria are rising stars, as the starting pitching has been better then expected. Scott Kazmir, their ace, has been effective. But, the surprise has been James Shields who is 4-3 with a 3.05 ERA.

Their bullpen ERA is one of the tops in the league, and, so far, the team has been clicking on cylinders. Recently winning three out of four from the LAST PLACE New York Yankees.

It will be very interesting to see if Tampa Bay can keep this up. But one quarter into the season, the Rays are the AL's biggest surprise.

Most Surprising NL Team: Florida Marlins

The Marlins are in first place in the NL East at 23-17. They have been the NL East's front runners pretty much all year. Hanley Ramirez has been a beast, (.327, 9HRs, 23 RBIs, 13 SBs) and is looking like an MVP candidate. He recently just a signed a lucrative long term deal.

Scott Olsen has continued to impress with 4 -1 record and 2.63 ERA.

However, no one would have predicted that the Marlins would last this long in first place in the NL East and be ahead of the New York Mets, Philadelphia and Atlanta..

AL MVP: Cliff Lee

Yes we know it's rare for pitchers to win MVPs, but what's more valuable than a pitcher that wins every start and doesn't give up any runs? At 6-0 with a 0.67 ERA, Lee is the winner here.

NL MVP: Lance Berkman

Berkman is second in the majors batting .391, first in homeruns with 15, and second in RBIs with 43. For one stretch he went 18 for 23! Are you kidding me? He has led Houston to a 24-18 record and second place in the NL Central. As of now, no hitter has been as hot or as productive as Berkman. He is hands down the NL MVP at this point.

AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee

Nothing has changed here from my report of the first 20 games. Lee is 6-0 with an 0.67 ERA. That means he gives up less than a run per start. To say the least that is very impressive. There's not much more you can ask a pitcher to do other than win every game they start, (Lee has one no decision) and not to give up any runs. He basically has done that.

NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb

Webb is 9-0 with a 2.51 ERA. There are some other pitchers in the NL that have gotten off to outstanding starts. Edinson Volquez of Cincinnati is 6-1 with a 1.12 ERA, while Todd Lincecum of the Giants is 5-1 with a 1.92 ERA. However, Webb is undefeated and is off to one of the best starts in the history of the game. Arizona, at 26-15, have the best record in the majors and Webb is the ace of the staff. Going back to 2007, he's won 12 of his last 13 starts. It doesn't get any more dominant than that.

Most Disappointing Team: Detroit Tigers

The Tigers are 16-25 and currently reside in last place in the AL Central. Their offense, which was supposed to rival some of the best in history, is currently leading the major leagues in an embarrassing way – they've been shut out six times. Gary Sheffield is struggling at bat with just a .196 average. Curtis Granderson is struggling to get his groove back coming off of injury, batting just .234.

The defending NL champs the Colorado Rockies have been a big disappointment thus far also, with a 16-25 record and 11 games back in the NL West. However, Detroit, with off-season acquisitions of Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, had higher expectations. So far this season has been very backwards. The Rays and Marlins in first place, and the Yankees and Tigers in last place. Go figure.

Most Disappointing Player: Barry Zito

Zito is 0-7 with a 6.58 ERA and was moved to the bullpen. The previous year he had signed one of the biggest pitcher contracts in history and was expected to be the cornerstone of San Francisco's staff for many years. Being demoted to the bullpen was not in the plans. If Zito cannot turn it around, this will be one of the worst investments ever in sports.

Most Surprising Player: Endinson Volquez

Who is this guy and where did he come from? Volquez is 6-1 and leading the NL with a 1.12 ERA. In his previous three years with Texas, he was 3-11 with a 7.29 ERA. This year he has come out of the gates sizzling. It would be pretty shocking if he was drafted in anyone's fantasy league. Forty games into the season he has been the NL's biggest surprise.

Most Outrageous Quote: Billy Wagner

"Someone tell me why the (bleep) you're talking to the closer. I didn't even play. They're over there, not being interviewed… I got it. They're gone (bleepin) shocker."

After a tough 1-0 loss to Washington, Wagner apparently was upset that the everyday players who were responsible for the loss didn't have to face media scrutiny, while he, who didn't partake in the game, had to answer questions. He's also insinuating that some of the players have a habit of leaving early to avoid the media. These comments may cause some turbulence in the Mets clubhouse. These profane comments, even though he may have a point, appear to be out of line.

Craziest Play of the Season: Manny Ramirez's running catch, high five to a Boston fan in Cleveland, and then doubling up at first base.

On May 14, 2008 in a game against the Baltimore Orioles, outfielder Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox caught a tailing fly ball hit by Kevin Millar. While running towards the left field wall, he made the catch, then ran up on the fence and gave a high five to a Red Sox fan sitting in the front row. He then turned and threw the ball to Julio Lugo, who fired the ball to first baseman Kevin Youkilis to throw out Aubrey Huff, who had not tagged up at first base, completing a double play. That's Manny being and Manny… and wow!