Baseball

According to Abbott and Costello, "Who's on first, What's on second, and I Don't Know's on third."

However, for the 2011 New York Mets, the question will be the following: who (not what) is on second?

Let's be honest. Even before his recent injury, Met fans were not getting excited about the prospects of having Luis Hernandez man second base for us next year.

If you look right now at the Mets' 2011 roster, the starting nine appear all but certain, barring any major changes (which we no doubt may see).

In one line I will say this: Anything but a World Series in the year of the loss of George M. Steinbrenner, would be a disappointment. 

It has been a banner season for the Cincinnati Reds organization, as very few people forecasted this type of success.

With the success comes raised expectations, however.

With just a few weeks left, the Reds aren't playing very good baseball at the moment, and it's a bit concerning.

Going 5-5 in their last 10 games against teams like the Pirates, Diamondbacks, and Astros just fuels the fire for the Reds' critics who claim we are tired and have already peaked.

The New York Mets are targeting Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury and may seek to acquire the speedy outfielder this winter, according to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo and multiple sources within the Mets organization.

What will it take to force Major League Baseball to finally outlaw maple bats? A player losing an eye…a brain injury…or even worse?

In Sunday’s Cubs game against the Marlins, Cubs rookie outfielder Tyler Colvin was punctured in the chest by a piece of a broken maple bat that just narrowly missed puncturing his lung.

Tonight marks the first of four games, between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the Bronx.

Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, according to MLB.com. Soto, 27, was baseball's best offensive catcher when healthy this year, and will be ready for spring training nest February. 

During the team's final two weeks, however, backup Koyie Hill will see the bulk of the playing time, according to Cubs manager Mike Quade. Here enters the controversy.

Don't tell Joe Girardi, but the Yankees haven't clinched anything yet.

The sputtering Bombers, who have lost nine of their last 13, somehow still have the best record in baseball. But their lead entering their final four-game series with the second-place Rays is just half a game, so the American League East title and homefield advantage could very well be decided this week in the Bronx.

Via Hardball Talk:

I am back from a long weekend, which explains my lack of posts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It also explains why I woke up at 11:00 this morning for the first time since college. Speaking of college, I attended three football games in a 24-hour span.