Baseball

We're down to baseball's final four as the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants are set to duke it out—beginning on Friday—to advance to the 2010 World Series.

There are multiple story lines to follow in both the ALCS and NLCS—for example, the filthy pitching matchups between the Giants and Phillies or the possibility of the Rangers making their first ever World Series—and we'll get to each of those.

I imagine the Tampa estate that Derek Jeter calls home has a room (or wing) devoted to all the awards and trophies he has amassed over his Hall of Fame career.

I'm guessing he takes the room and what it represents for granted at this point in his life. He probably won't truly be able to appreciate all he has accomplished until his ride as a professional athlete comes to an end.

"Six-and-a-half games back and not playing very well in a season we thought we ought to be in contention.  I think we were losing ground with the field," Ranger managing general partner George W. Bush said in June of 1992 upon firing his manager.

We all know, and will be reminded again throughout the NLCS, about the greatness of Roy Halladay and the precision of Roy Oswalt.

Experts and baseball analysts will pound it into your head how prominent the Phillies 1-2-3 punch is on the mound. My two-year-old nephew knows they are good.

One has 27 World Series titles under its belt. The other has one postseason series victory in its 50 years of existence, which coincidentally came on Tuesday night.

After dismissing the Cincinnati Reds in the NLDS, the Phillies will face off against the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. 

Will the Giants be a minor speed bump on the road to another National League pennant, or do they have a legitimate shot at sending the Phillies home early?

Here are some arguments for both cases:

Fear the Giants

Sometimes, heck, most of the time it's hard to believe that the same Miguel Cabrera, the eight-year veteran who has 247 home runs, nearly 900 RBI, and a career batting average of .313 is only 27 years old!

By all accounts, however, Cabrera had one of the finest seasons of his career in 2010, and definitely one more than worthy of Bleacher Report Featured Columnist's Silver Slugger Award at first base.

What an incredible LDS highlighted by Roy Halladay’s no-hitter. We saw the Rangers over the Rays in five, the Yankees sweep the Twins, the Phills sweep the Reds and the Giants top the Braves in four.

I went 3-1 in the LDS, with my blemish coming when I picked the Rays. I wish I had do-overs. This year’s LCS looks amazing. We have a classic David vs. Goliath story in the AL, and a mouth-watering pitching dual in the NL. Let’s run it down:

The sports world can be a crazy place. With all of the news stories, rumors, and general gossip floating around, it can be a terrifying place. 

But, there's no need to fear. We here at Bleacher Report are dedicated to bringing you the latest news on the most important topics in sports. From the latest on Brett Favre's sexting woes, to baseball's Championship Series', to Lana Lawless' struggles to join the LPGA, we've got it all covered. 

After a brilliant performance in Game 3 from Phil Hughes, Joe Girardi has decided to switch him and Pettitte in the playoff rotation. And not only that, A.J. Burnett is getting the nod in Game 4. 

This may come as a surprise to a lot of people after Pettitte's good outing against the Twins in Game 2, and A.J. Burnett's horrendous regular season. But you have to trust the decisions your manager makes and I'm sure Joe Girardi knows what he's doing.