As much as everyone wanted Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers to be the feel good story of the year, but my vote goes to Fernando Tatis of the New York Mets. Until Tatis got hurt near the end of the season, I thought he had a great chance at Comeback Player of the Year in the National League. However, Tatis finished fifth in the voting as Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge took the honors.
But it was a nice comeback for Tatis, no matter where he finished in the voting. To be honest, it was shocking to …read more

Detroit Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski has finally admitted it was a mistake trading away young right-hander Jair Jurrjens in exchange for shortstop Edgar Renteria. I was really hoping he would actually admit it was a mistake and he finally did just that.
Jurrjens was a budding starting pitcher in the Tigers organization and when the team (and fans) smelled a hint of another winning season on the horizon, Dombrowski decided to clear out the farm system to acquire some veteran players. Jurrjens was shipped to the Atlanta Braves so that Renteria could become the everyday shortstop for the …read more

Everyone stand up and thank Torii Hunter for stating the obvious. After learning that home runs were down around Major League Baseball in the biggest drop in 15 years, the Los Angeles Angels center fielder said the following:
“I think the steroid testing has something to do with it,” he said. “If there were any guys who were taking it, they’re not taking it anymore. I’d say it’s a small percentage, but of course it’s going to have an impact.”
We appreciate Hunter bringing this to our attention, but everyone, even non-baseball fans, knew that home run production would drop drastically …read more

Ladies and gentlemen: your American League East champions – the Tampa Bay Rays. This could be the biggest underdog story in recent history. The Rays will soon be making their first ever postseason appearance. Now, Joe Maddon’s biggest worry is figuring out which pitcher to start in game one of the divisional playoffs.
The Rays had not finished better than fourth in the AL East until this season. In fact, Tampa Bay had finished dead last in the AL East in nine of their last 10 seasons.
The Rays will be an interesting story to watch in the …read more

When you think about Yankee Stadium, some of the words that might come to mind are: historic, tradition and legacy. So when the final game at the “House that Babe Ruth built” happened Sunday night I was ready to see some magic. Instead, I saw a normal baseball game take place. But one of the things I was watching for and wondering was who was going to hit the last home run at Yankee Stadium. Well, in the fourth inning, Jose Molina answered that question.
Molina, of Baseball Tonight fame (where the guys on set play “Name …read more

If there were any three outs that were as gut wrenching as the ninth-inning outs Todd Jones pitched in recent years for the Detroit Tigers, I challenge anyone to point them out. Jones was known as the human roller coaster in Detroit, where it seemed every out was such a challenge for the 16-year MLB veteran. However, now, Jones is retiring from professional baseball.
In a recent Sporting News column, Jones said, “If you’re a Tigers fan, I’ll never stress you out again. If you’re not a Tigers fan, you’ll never have me as your ace in the hole, …read more

It’s good to see that the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians still have some fight left this late in the season. After being hit on the elbow (which was covered by a plastic elbow guard), Gary Sheffield took a walk down to first base, staring at Fausto Carmona the ENTIRE way. Sheffield also hung on to his bat all the way to the bag. It looked like everything was down when Carmona toed the rubber for the next pitch, but instead he threw over to first base. After getting back to the bag, Sheffield immediately yelled …read more

As a baseball fan, it’s a must watch situation this weekend, as the last series ever to be played at Yankee Stadium begins Friday night in New York. The Yankees will host the Baltimore Orioles in a three-game set that will end on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
It’s been a long year for the Yankees, but you can bet the Bronx Bombers will put on a show in this final series for their fans.
Series rundown:
Friday: 7:05 p.m. ET, televised on MY9 in New York.
Saturday: 1:05 p.m. ET, televised on the YES network.
Sunday: 8:05 p.m. ET, televised on ESPN.
- All games …read more

It’s all about those glasses. These aren’t rose-colored glasses or Drew Carey glasses. They are just plain old Joe Maddon glasses. But these glasses have a story. They (and Maddon, I guess) have led Tampa Bay to the top spot in the American League East – ahead of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
Before we get into this story of the Rays and their amazing run this season, I have to say that Maddon’s glasses are very similar to Lisa Loeb’s.
Now back to baseball. Tampa Bay has a magic number! Sure, this …read more

The Detroit Tigers took a chance on Freddy Garcia by signing him to a Minor League Baseball contract a couple of months ago. Now, Garcia has paid the Tigers back by finally making his Major League Baseball debut for the 2008 season on Wednesday night. Garcia pitched five innings and allowed just two hits and one run en route to picking up his first win in almost 17 months.
Garcia’s last win in the big leagues came on April 22, 2007. Yet, he was able to put the last year or so behind him and finally get back …read more