Baseball

In a move that restores all hope to Chicago Cubs fans, GM Jim Hendry found someone dumber than himself and made a trade.

The Cubs dealt Aaron "The Gas Can" Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday for minor leaguers Ryne White and Scott...who cares. Heilman's gone, people! Party!

In a related story, the bag of balls that had been rumored to be dealt to Chicago for Heilman is relieved to be staying in Arizona for the winter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Yankees earned an A+ for their overall efforts on and off the field during the 2009 season, as they captured the 27th World Series championship in franchise history.

But who deserves most of the credit for the rings they will receive in April?  In the first part of my grading series, I evaluate the position players.

I've pieced together a post elsewhere about Tim Lincecum's success as a high school pitcher at Liberty High, located south of Seattle, in 2002 and 2003 from Seattle Times reports. To celebrate Lincecum's repeat Cy Young award today, here's an excerpt from the Times of May 30, 2003. It describes the story of Lincecum proving himself to Liberty coach Glen Walker in spring 2002:

• Year: 1963
• Record: 79-83
• Win %: .488
• Win % Change: -40
• Run Differential: -3
• Pythagorean Record: 81-81
• AL Finish: 5th of 10
• Manager: Bob Scheffing and Chuck Dressen
• Best Transaction: Picked up Denny McLain off of waivers.  McLain’s story is well know in Tigers lore.  He reached a very high peak in the late 1960s and then fell apart on and off of the field.  No matter what kind of trouble he got into later in his career, you can’t beat the price the Tigers paid to get him.  McLain had five productive seasons in Detr
  

Coming into the 2009 season, many people wondered what exactly Tim Lincecum could do following a first full year in the bigs where he won the National League Cy Young Award.

It's not that we expect a drop off or anything like that, but you have to wonder what a guy can do after winning a Cy Young as a 24-year-old who is just two years out of college.

Well, we found out.

Tim Lincecum: 2009 NL Cy Young Award winner—in back-to-back fashion.

That's what you call getting it done.

We learned yesterday that the baseball writers of America voted for Royals stud Zack Greinke the American League Cy Young award winner over Mariners young phenom Felix Hernandez.

Today it's been announced and confirmed that the product of the University of Washington baseball program and bona fied San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum has won his second consecutive Cy Young award in the National League beating out the two birds Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright for the award.

For the second consecutive year, San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum has been named the National League Cy Young Award winner following one of the closest races ever.

Phew...

When I was asked in advance to write an affirmative reaction piece to the announcement, I knew it was going to be a tall order if someone other than the Freak took home the hardware.

The Mets top priority this season isn't left field or starting pitching. It is to bring change to the team.  The Mets need to bring in a number of new faces to bring the team a new attitude. 

I am totally against the team getting rid of the core, but I am in favor of them getting rid of some of their older aging players.  One of those is Luis Castillo, I am a big fan of Castillo and the way he plays the game of baseball, but I think it is time for him to go. 

The O’Hare Hilton in Chicago is once a bustling Mecca of baseball decision-making this week as owners of the 30 baseball franchises meet with the Commissioner and members of the MLB front office. These meetings come just a week after the General Managers met here.

While not formally on the agenda, owners are planning to speak about the length of the post season and what baseball may be able to do to shorten the play-offs. There will also be informal discussions on the use of instant replay and whether to expand the types of calls that can be reviewed.