Baseball

It seems 2009 has been a year to forget for former-Met Livan Hernandez , from a personal standpoint.

I had reported back in August that Hernandez was being sued over damage done to a rental car.

Unfortunately, now the pitcher’s troubles have hit closer to home…literally.

Just when you thought the Phillies could not make things any more exciting, drama struck again Monday night in Game Four of the 2009 NLCS.

It has been a parade of "Can you top this?": The unlikely 5-4 NLDS Game Four victory this year against the Rockies highlighted by Ryan Howard's two-run, two-out ninth inning double or last year's dramatic Game Four NLCS 7-5 win featuring Matt Stairs' two-run eighth-inning home run in 2008.

The Montreal Expos were the best team in the National League back in 1994. Their roster was the perfect mix of up-and-coming youngsters and experienced veterans.

Cliff Floyd, Mike Lansing, Marquis Grissom, Moises Alou, Larry Walker, Rondell White, Pedro Martinez, Ken Hill, John Wetteland, and Darrin Fletcher were just some of the names dotting the Expos' major league roster.

The Expos got off to a fast start and when the player's strike began on Aug. 12th, the Expos had the best record in all of baseball at 74-40 and were on pace to win 106 games.

With swagger in his step, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins made the on-field interview rounds following his walk-off double in Game Four of the NLCS. That familiar confidence seems to never leave the 2007 NL MVP—the pivotal hit that plated two runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers explains why.

Mark Cuban is in Pittsburgh this week, and because of this, rumors are flying that he may be interested in purchasing the Pirates.

On the surface, people may ask why would he be interested in buying a team that has been so bad for so long? Simple, he is from Pittsburgh.

Last year, there were rumors that he was interested in purchasing the Steelers. The Rooney family was in the middle of having to sell part of the team, and Cuban wanted to be involved.

Things happened, and it did not work out. That does not mean he is not interested in rebuilding the Pirates.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday afternoon that they are extending the contract of general manager Ned Colletti.

The terms of the agreement were not available, except that it would be a multi-year deal.

"It's a long-term deal and I'll be here for a long time and maybe here for longer than that," said Colletti.

In his four-year tenure as general manager, Colletti has guided the Dodgers to the playoffs three out of four seasons, and helped the team capture back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1977-78.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on Tuesday afternoon that Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly took part in a phone interview for the unoccupied Cleveland Indians’ managerial job.

Mattingly was said to have a phone conversation sometime last week with Indians’ general manager Mark Shapiro and assistant general manager Chris Antonetti.

"I've wanted to manage a long time and I've been moving in that direction," said Mattingly.

When the division series played out, pairing the Angles vs. the Yankees and the Phillies vs. the Dodgers, I thought to myself, "All right. This should be some good baseball to watch."

Then the series started, and I have a completely different opinion. I now yell out loud, "God, I can't listen to these f***in' sh*thead idiots!!"

On Tuesday, The Sporting News named Gordon Beckham of the Chicago White Sox its American League Rookie of the Year.