Detroit Tigers mananger Jim Leyland has made either the dumbest declaration ever or is completely full of it. According to this story, “Leyland said Verlander won’t even be available out of the ‘pen” for ALDS Game Five in New York Thursday night. This is absurd. Yes, Verlander threw 120 pitches on Monday, so he might […]

From water coolers to major newspapers, all the Royals chatter in the earliest part of the young club’s offseason focuses on the need to acquire a front-line starting pitcher. Indeed, the Royals gave a combined 27 starts to Kyle Davies, Sean O’Sullivan, and Vin Mazzaro, which is approximately 27 starts too many. Though the trio’s […]

10 years ago today came one of the most well-known home runs in baseball history, when Barry Bonds set the new single-season record by cranking out his 71st shot of the season. Then later that day he cranked No. 72, and hit one more later that season to finish the year with 73. There’s a […]

With their close wins on Monday, Texas and Detroit have taken control of their respective American League series. To stave off elimination, Tampa Bay will send Jeremy Hellickson to the hill against formidable lefty Matt Harrison. Harrison’s 2.99 ERA this season away from Arlington makes him a worthy adversary for players like Desmond Jennings, whose […]

25 years ago, something happened in baseball that hasn’t happened since. On Oct. 4, 1986, in the penultimate game of the season, Twins shortstop Greg Gagne belted two inside-the-park home runs in one game. The No. 8 hitter in the order did it in back-to-back plate appearances in the second and fourth innings. He drove […]

In the interest of full disclose, and because I finally got around to formatting the picks, below are the staff’s playoff predictions. My apologies for the tardiness, but at least they’re up before any Division Series is decided. You’ll notice certain teams received plenty of endorsements in their attempts to attain a title, while other […]

Sixty years ago today was probably the most famous game in history, likely the most renowned home run ever hit, and without question the most famous home run call any announcer ever made. Yep, on Oct. 3, 1951, Bobby Thomson of the Giants belted one over the fence against Brooklyn’s Ralph Branca, causing New York […]

Well, it depends. If you are the Tampa Bay Rays, you can get your complete 2011 roster paid for. If you are one of the two teams that they fought off in the Wild Card race—a bit less. Now, as far as the Boston Red Sox go, one can cut them some slack. J.D. Drew […]

Fifty years ago today, one of the most famous swings in baseball history occurred. Roger Maris took a Tracy Stallard offering and put it in the seats in Yankee Stadium for a home run. Specifically, it was his 61st home run, making him the all-time home run champ. Of course, many didn’t want to acknowledge […]

I guess we all have our own approach to the MVP debates, but I like how Joe Posnanski recently grouped things into two approaches: the “narrative” approach and the “best” approach. The official MLB guidelines don’t really get into this type of nuance, but sportswriters are paid to find stories on (and off) the field, […]