MLB History

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.

There can be no doubt about it: the cream of the Philadelphia Phillies minor league crop is none other than Domonic Brown. A potential five-tool star at the major league level, Brown was recently promoted from Double-A to Triple-A and will probably get a September call-up with an eye towards making the Big Club in 2011.

But Brown isn't the only reason to get excited about the Phillies' minor league system.

Let's have a look.

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The Boston Red Sox All-Time Starting Rotation

Imagine you are responsible for selecting a fantasy starting rotation and pitching staff to represent the Boston Red Sox. Your staff would have to face the fantasy staffs of all the other major league teams. Who would make your rotation? Who would you select for back up and relief roles?

In a recent column, I set out to provide an Adjusted 400 Home Run Club , with alterations made based on era, missed time, and favorable vs. non-favorable home ballparks.

Humorously, this simply raised more questions about the 500 Home Run Club than it did answer questions about the 400 Home Run Club.

So, maybe we should adjust that club as well.

(Eek, eek. Twitch, twitch.)

The A's have had plenty of talent leave Oakland over the years.

Regardless of the fact that the team has had a three-peat of World Series wins in the 1970s, and remains competitive in a small-market, it seems that the Athletics get lost in a league that is dominated by big-market teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The departure of talent from the East Bay can be attributed to three things:

1) The city of Oakland. The A's need to separate themselves from the Raiders and Mt. Davis.

Growing up listening to Houston Astros games in South Texas, I remember right-handed pitcher Danny Darwin very well. He came to the Astros in 1986 and was popular in many ways.

Darwin was a Texas native from Bonham and was nicknamed "The Bonham Bullet" for his great fastball.

The only Astros radio station I could pick up in Beeville, Texas (about 60 miles northwest of Corpus Christi) was KSIX out of Corpus. The transmission wasn't very clear and for the longest time, I thought Darwin was nicknamed "The Bottom Bullet".

Many baseball fans might not realize it, but left-handed relief pitchers have always been a hot commodity. Whether its to secure a lefty specialist role or bring the heat from another angle, southpaw relievers have played a vital role on many successful teams, and some have put up intriguing career numbers.

Back in June 1994, New York Mets closer John Franco recorded his 253rd career save to lead all left-handed relievers in career saves.

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 .

With the  anticipated return of Edinson Volquez. longtime Reds' fans wonder whether he will be able to come back after Tommy John's surgery, or whether he will be just another half-year wonder. Most of Volquez's success in 2008 was before the All Star break.

He gave up a two-run homer that cost the game and home field advantage in the world series. It did not matter since the Phillies finished off the Rays in five games.

Two other Reds pitchers were half year wonders.  Both were first-round draft choices,

While a no-hitter is always impressive, they are starting to become "routine" this year. With the All-Star break just around the corner there have already been four no-hitters (two perfect games) so far this season. If it weren't for the infamous call that cost Armando Galarraga his perfect game, 2010 would have five no-hitters and would be on its way towards the all-time record of seven in one season, which happened in 1990 and 1991.

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