Baseball

This year has been a cornucopia of delights. Despite the Arizona Diamondbacks having a dismal season on the field, it has been a great year to be a fan of the team. So many things have happened this year. But it is nothing compared to what 2011 will be.

Commissioner Bud Selig announced Chase Field as the location of the 2011 All-Star game meaning all eyes will be on Phoenix Arizona when the mid-summer classic takes place.

"And that's the rest of the story" was, of course, the famous phrase uttered countless times by the late, great, Paul Harvey.

For those readers too young or too sheltered to remember the immortal radio legend, Harvey gave listeners the endings to stories that were newsworthy one day and faded away from our memories the next. Harvey would present to listeners the happy or ironic outcome of a story long since forgotten.

Ah, November baseball.

Not the part of the month where frigid temperatures make players taking part in the World Series dress like they’re about to embark on a voyage to the Arctic. This is the part where the Major League Baseball hot stove gets going and gets going awfully quick.

Every fan knows them. They are cheer. Some times not.

Albert Pujols is known as “El Hombre” in St. Louis and possibly could win his third career National League MVP award.

Felix Hernandez is known as “El Rey” in Seattle and possibly could win his first career Cy Young award.

Having broken their 86-year drought for a World Series title in 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their second Fall Classic under Terry Francona in 2007.

Powered by Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and Curt Shilling, the Red Sox proved that the AL East wasn't just a formality for the New York Yankees on their way to October glory.

What about the hundreds of players who never led the Red Sox to a championship at Fenway? Men like Johnny Pesky and Babe Ruth. How should they be remembered in Boston's rich baseball history?

I read a rumor last night that inspired me.

It set my mind in motion, and I came up with an idea so easy and exciting that I had trouble falling asleep.

Everyone knows that Omar Vizquel is one of the greatest defensive shortstops in the history of Major League Baseball.

Somewhere in the world, Mark Reynolds is fuming.

The Arizona Diamondbacks slugger missed a spot on the list of Major League players with between two and three years of service time who will qualify for arbitration this off-season by one day.

Following the acquisition of JJ Hardy, there are two major needs on this Minnesota team. First, and in my opinion the most important, a No. 2 hitter is needed to bat behind Denard Span.

With his new-found power, the Twins desperately need to find a way to get runners on base for Joe Mauer; batting third this past season, Mauer was 103rd in the league in total number of runners on base when he was at the plate. His 19.15 RBI percentage—ninth in the league of those with at least 250 chances—demands that he be given more opportunities.

Wednesday was a very good day for the Washington Nationals.

Ryan Zimmerman, who former general manager Jim Bowden described as a “future Gold Glove winner” when he drafted him 4th overall in 2005, won his first Gold Glove award earlier this afternoon.

A few hours later, Jim Riggleman, who single-handedly skippered the Nationals away from the horror of becoming the latter-day ’62 Mets, was named the team’s permanent manager.