Joe Torre

The Los Angeles Dodgers phoned the Boston Red Sox today to tell them they finally pulled a prank equal to the one done to them three years ago when they got Manny Ramirezed. The Dodgers famously fell for a classic Manny Ramirez, one of the most popular juvenile pranks, when they took Manny off waivers from Boston in 2007.

Recently, Major League Baseball has been buzzing about the future of several managers. From Tony LaRussa to Joe Girardi, these men are starting to make more headlines than this year's looming free agent class. 

There could now even be a "Joe Torre Watch" as he is one of the most prized managers in the game and could be relocating this offseason. He has a few destinations to choose from.

Striker: Surely you can't be serious.
Rumack: I am serious... and don't call me Shirley.

One couldn’t be surprised if Dodgers manager Joe Torre slipped into the role of Ted Striker from the movie “Airplane!” when talking to L.A.’s GM Ned Colletti's version of Dr. Rumack after hearing of the deals Colletti orchestrated at the trade deadline.

Meanwhile, the reaction from Dodger fans trend towards language with a much higher concentration of salt and vinegar.

*Please note this article was written before Matt Kemp was inserted into the Dodgers’ lineup last night. However, the only reason Kemp was inserted into the lineup was because Manny Ramirez had an injury, so the basis of my article hasn’t changed.

Benching a star player one game I can understand. Two games I could still somewhat comprehend. But three games? That seems a little extreme to me.

Once again, the New York Yankees utilized inter-league play by crushing the NL teams, winning 10 of 15 games.

The stressful, yet successful trip out west was exhausting. The Yankees played with so much heart making sure to win both series against the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers.

With the weekend series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to a close last night, the MLB and its fans are finally ready to move on with the post-Joe Torre Yankees.

While Torre may not be as loved and cherished by New Yorkers as he was once was, there is no denying that he brought the Yankees from a mediocre team to becoming the premiere franchise in all of professional sports.

This is what his starters would look like, if Torre selected individuals from his tenure with the Yankees and put them together on one team.

It felt like a heat wave in New York City on that October 8 night back in 2007.

Fans were funneling into Yankee Stadium extra early for Game 4 of the ALDS .

Before the season began, Major League Baseball was already stirring about the possibility of a blockbuster trade that would send the St. Louis Cardinals' star first baseman to the Philadelphia Phillies for Ryan Howard.

The deal never materialized, leaving fans to wonder if a trade for Pujols was imminent.

There are several reasons why the Cardinals would be looking to deal the slugger and perennial All-Star.

Well, there are thousands of new skeptics-turned-experts out there. The controversy surrounding Torre's decision to tab Vicente Padilla as the Dodgers' Opening Day starter over the youngster Clayton Kershaw culminated in the struggle of Padilla to hit his spots in the early innings.

The Los Angeles Dodgers certainly have weapons on their roster and thus far this Spring, those weapons have been on display. The Dodgers arsenal gives them an edge entering the regular season and a foundation to campaign for a playoff spot. Five essential strengths have to be met in order for a major league club to succeed:

Effective pitching is key. Pitching that keeps the other team from scoring provides an easy-street to wins.

A productive 3-4-5 in the line-up to drive in runs ensures plenty of offense to back up effective pitching.

DEFENSE.