Baseball

With the official balloting results set to be announced January 6, I decided to make my predictions at how this year's MLB Hall of Fame voting will shake out. This is not necessarily how I would vote, but instead a prediction of what I think will happen. Let's look at the ballot.

The First Timers:
Roberto Alomar, Edgar Martinez, Barry Larkin, Andres Galarraga, Fred McGriff, Mike Jackson, Ellis Burks, Pat Hentgen, Robin Ventura, Kevin Appier, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, and Todd Zeile.

It seems hard to believe, but we are already in the year 2010. And with any new decade, it seems only fair to look back at the best of the previous 10 years.

So with that, I present my Top 10 picks from each position between the years 2000-2009: Outfielders (for this list, I decided to do the top 30 given the large number of outfielders there are).

As with any ranking, there will always be snubs. I welcome any comments suggesting players that may have been left off this list.

Begin Slideshow

So far this offseason, the San Diego Padres have yet to make a change to their roster in trade or free agency.

According to Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune , that could change prior to players reporting to spring training next month.

Owner Jeff Moorad has already been quoted as saying the team has about $5 to $6 million to spend and with that money the team could go bargain hunting for a few free agents that are still on the market.

Gerald Laird and his little brother were arrested in Arizona for getting into a fight after a Phoenix Suns game.  This just doesn’t seem right, does it?  Laird seemed reasonably mild mannered during his first season with the Tigers, but I guess I don’t really know the guy.

Recently, former Boston Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay signed a new contract with the New York Mets for four years and $66 million.

Why the Mets wanted to overpay for an average hitter, I don't know.

Jason Bay was instantly beloved by the Fenway Faithful after being acquired on Trade Deadline 2008, which saw the Public Enemy No. 1 in Boston, Manny Ramirez, leave for Los Angeles.

Music and baseball go together like Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan.

The nature of the game (frequent breaks in the action) means the fans have to be kept happy somehow; playing background music is a great way to increase fans' patience.

But it goes deeper than that.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

When it was time to see Alex Cora step into the forefront last season when Jose Reyes went down, it was impressive to see how he took it all in stride. He played solid defense, provided essential leadership, and knew what it was like to lead a team.

But that is not why he was brought in here.

It's been nearly 33 years since the Seattle Mariners played there inaugural season. A lot of good times, and a lot of hard times have come since then. From the great moments like father and son hitting back to back homeruns, to the bad ones, such as Bobby Ayala's entire career.

So this is my debut article here on Bleacher Report, and I figured what better way to start off then by counting down the top ten moments in Seattle Baseball history. These are of course based on my opinion formed on years of being a fan, and the research I did leading up to writing. I look forward to your feedback.

Joseph Abstein was a Boston fan until his team moved to Milwaukee in 1953. Joe still roots for the Braves.

He fondly recalls the 1957 World Series in which the Braves beat the Yankees, but once in while, he still has nightmares about the 1958 World Series.

The Yankees Were "Just Another Team" Until the 1957 World Series

I was a Boston Braves fan who was extremely upset when the team moved to Milwaukee in 1953, but I remained a Braves' fan.

The Red Sox were our primary rival because we played in the same city.