Baseball

2010 has blessed Major League Baseball with a memorable rookie class.

Fantasy owners in Dynasty and Keeper leagues were quite familiar with this cast of characters long before they arrived in the show.

In commemoration of their foresight, let's take a gander at the top 10 pitching keepers for 2011.

Check out our Positional Rookie List too!

If there are two subjects I love, they are baseball and politics. I have had various times in my life when I have been obsessed with both, and I have had various times in my life when I've had to shield my eyes from both.

Despite my interest in the two realms, I am always surprised when the two cross over. Sure, conservative political commentator George Will wrote one of the great baseball books of all time, and sure former President George W. Bush owned the Texas Rangers.

A pennant race in the MLB can be affected by guys you have never even heard of. We've seen it happen before, and I'm sure it will happen again this season.

Starting on September 1, teams all around the league will reward minor leaguers with the opportunity to help the team out on the big league level. The list may include young phenoms, former stars, and underdogs who never were supposed to make it. Any of these players can impact an entire pennant race.

Roger Clemens plead not guilty to the perjury charges levied against him Monday, according to a report from the Associated Press. 

Clemens was accused of lying to  Congress during a hearing regarding the use of steroids and HGH in baseball.

If he's convicted, he faces jail time of up to 30 years, and a fine up to $1.5 million. But the real damage was done today, as Clemens' not guilty plea has already sealed his fate.

Here are 10 reasons why Clemens' Hall of Fame dreams were dashed today.  

The Yankees are back in the Bronx for a 10-game homestand starting with a four-game set against the Oakland Athletics today.

Here are some notes:

It’s time to continue our journey around the league, looking at each team’s closer situation.  

The AL Central is home to one of the most fluid closing situations and also one of the most stable options in the league.  Let’s take a look at their updated situation, as well as the other three teams in the division:

Chicago White Sox

What a wacky week for incredible comebacks: The Colorado Rockies were down 10-1 to the NL East leading Atlanta Braves—in the blink of an eye, it became a 12-10 Rockies win. Going on at almost the same exact time, the Cincinnati Reds blew a 10-2 lead before having to grind out a 12-11 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

I’m back after two exciting weeks in and around Dumaguete City in the Philippines.  An awful lot has happened since I was away: Lou Piniella’s decision to retire sooner rather than later, Roger Clemens getting indicted, the Giants’ vaunted starters posting the worst ERA of any starting rotation in the National League so far in August.

On Sept. 1, the roster for every baseball team in the MLB expand for the last month of the season. For some, it doesn't change much; those are the teams that are in pennant races. 

However for teams that are already looking towards 2011, like the Baltimore Orioles, the occasion allows the team to look at the prospects who could possibly be the future of the organization.

According to a number of media outlets, including ESPN, MLB Network and SI, the Los Angeles Dodgers will send Manny Ramirez to the Chicago White Sox on Monday as a straight waiver claim, receiving zero compensation for the outfielder.

The White Sox will be responsible for nearly four million dollars in salary and deferred money due Ramirez, according to SI late Sunday night.