AL East

The 2010 season has been kind to the Baltimore Orioles minor-league system.

This is great news, because the 2010 season has been a plague for the big league club, who aside from snagging manager Buck Showalter, has failed to incite any real excitement.

As such, the race for Orioles Minor League Player of the Year honors is heating up, and for the first time in a good long while, there are actually more than a few promising nominees.

Does a bad break-up ever have a happy ending?
 
After being the poster boy for the Red Sox 2004 “Idiots,” current Detroit Tiger OF Johnny Damon could of gone back to the scene of the crime. Damon instead used it as an opportunity to give a subliminal middle finger to the Red Sox organization.
 

After losing the first game, the New York Yankees demolished the Blue Jays at home in Toronto on Tuesday night.

Marcus Thames, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira all homered in the affair.

Wednesday night’s game determines the series; both teams want to win but are on very different paths.

The Blue Jays have a chip on their shoulder. My guess is because Toronto resides in the AL East, which diminishes any hopes at a playoff berth.

Johnny Damon is a touchy subject for the Red Sox nation even though it's been almost five seasons since he wore a Red Sox uniform. Some of us are thankful for the 2004 World Series he helped win and some think he should be forever shunned for joining the Yankees. 

Damon clearly thinks that the Nation favors the latter. 

After losing the first game 3-2, the New York Yankees need to win Tuesday night against the Blue Jays at Rogers Center.

The Tampa Bay Rays have caught up to tie in the standings, and the Boston Red Sox are still very much alive.

Translation...inter-division games can kill a team’s chances for playoff berth, so the Yankees cannot lose this series for starters.

In a move only a true psychic could have seen coming, the Boston Red Sox have claimed veteran outfielder Johnny Damon off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.

Red Sox fans will not have forgotten the name Johnny Damon. The outfielder was a member of the Red Sox from 2002 to 2005, during the time of "The Idiots," of whom he was a ringleader along with former BoSock Kevin Millar.

The Yankees have just lost the first game of a three-game set to the Blue Jays, 3-2. Here are my thoughts:

Granderson’s AB

One of the turning points in the game was a questionable strikeout call on Curtis Granderson in the top of the ninth inning. The graph shows it wasn’t that close, it was way out of the strike-zone.

Who is the best hitter in Major League Baseball?

Well, that depends on several factors:

Are you asking for the most skilled hitter, or the most valuable?

Do you want a guy who can winning batting titles, or home runs titles?

Should hitting be judged by ability, or by production?

All good questions, and depending on your answers, you might conclude that the best hitter in baseball is Albert Pujols, Ichiro Suzuki, Ryan Howard, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, or Joey Votto.

Evan Longoria is no longer considered a rising star.

Many now consider Longoria to be a baseball superstar and the face of the Tampa Bay Rays. In just under three seasons as a Major League third baseman, Longoria has a career .282 avg. with 78 home runs and 282 RBI, not to mention a Gold Glove.

What a rare opportunity for rookie pitcher Ivan Nova to make his mark in New York Yankees pinstripes, by making his Major League debut tonight vs. the heavy-hitting Toronto Blue Jays.

Getting called up from Scranton-Wilkes-Barre is every rookie’s goal, but to start against another AL East ball-club, in middle of a tight pennant race is a lot of pressure. Can Ivan Nova do his job?