AL East

Anxious fans congregated on the third floor of the Boston-Woburn Hilton early on Saturday morning in anticipation of meeting one of the true heroes of Boston sports. At approximately 10:45 AM, a large round of applause greeted the man of the hour…

Carl Michael Yastrzemski was in the house!

This is nothing new to Red Sox fans.

With the trading rumors swirling away, a couple of big names are being thrown around that Boston Red Sox fans are very familiar with.

Ah, here we are yet again, sports fans: the offseason.

Just a week after the Yankees won their 27th World Series trophy, the baseball world is itching and ready to go for next April, when our stars will finally take the field again for another season of America's Pastime.

Of course, not all is quiet in the land of baseball from November to March, and teams are shuffling both players and coaches to try to stand where the Yankees do now in 12 short months. Everyone has a plan to get them into October 2010 and beyond.

Of all the sights that Blue Jays fans were subjected to over 162 games this year, the one above is one that I never got sick of seeing.

For their incredible efforts this season, Adam Lind and Aaron Hill were rewarded as recipients of the American League Silver Slugger awards . The two brought strength and power back to the heart of the Blue Jays lineup in 2009, combining for 71 home runs and 222 RBIs.

Pitching wasn't exactly an issue last season for the Boston Red Sox, but as shown in years past, there's no such thing as having too much of it.

The agent for relief pitcher Billy Wagner is reporting that his client may reverse his previous position and accept arbitration from the Red Sox, if offered.

This new stance represents a change of heart for the 38-year-old Wagner, who is just 15 saves from 400 career saves.

He waived his no-trade clause to accept a trade to the Red Sox prior to the trade deadline. In exchange the ball club promised they wouldn’t pick up his $8 million option for 2010—so he could pursue free agency this winter.