MLB History

Take yourself back to that fateful Thursday October night in 2006 when Flushing was the center of the baseball world, Shea Stadium was filled to capacity and the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals battled in the seventh and final game of the National League Championship Series.

Do you guys remember what baseball was like 40 years ago?

Before the average baseball fan knew what a pitch count was.

Before six innings was considered an outstanding start.

Before stadiums were named after buisnesses' rather than individuals who achieved outstanding success in our game.

Before steroids came about and numbers actually mattered.

Before players played for the love of the game and not the love of $100 million contracts.

Those were the days.

Established in 1977, the Seattle Mariners have competed in three complete decades: the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

The Mariners have featured few true "franchise players," who could be instantly noticed as the face of the franchise. Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., and Ichiro Suzuki have all had a turn, but other prominent players, such as Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, and Tino Martinez, have come and gone.

In the three tumultuous decades of Mariners history, there have been studs (Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, etc.) and duds (Richie Sexson, Jeff Cirillo, etc.).

Imagine you are responsible to select an all-time starting rotation for the San Francisco Giants in a fantasy league.  Your team would then have to compete against all other selected teams.  Who would make your team?  Who would you select for back up?

The rules for eligibility are simple.  Pitchers selected must have pitched 1000 innings for the Giants.  Relief pitchers considered must have logged 250 games for the team.

You may draw from any era the team was in existence.

If you find yourself in the Clearwater, Florida area on March 14, 2010, there will be a great event to take the family to at Bright House Field.

A group of former Major League Baseball players will be gathering for an Alumni Legends Game again this spring.

Last Spring a couple dozen former stars of the game came together at Bright House Field with the Military All-Stars Team, which was led by former Red Sox first baseman Brian Daubach.

Established in 1977, the Seattle Mariners have competed in three complete decades: the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

The Mariners have featured few true "franchise players," who could be instantly noticed as the face of the franchise. Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., and Ichiro Suzuki have all had a turn, but other prominent players, such as Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, and Tino Martinez, have come and gone.

Saying you watch the New York Yankees for their defensive prowess is like saying you watch Jersey Shore for the thoughtful and intelligent dialogue.

In other words, you're not kidding anybody.

Defense is baseball's subtle art form, and the Yankees have made their mark on the sport by being the opposite. They are the Bronx Bombers, after all, and they didn't get that moniker for their soft hands and adroit use of the crow hop.

That said, you don't win 27 World Series titles with a team full of Giambinos bumbling around the field.

With steroid testing now implemented all around Major League Baseball and an era known best as "The Steroid Era" coming to a close it's just about time we got to ranking the players who juiced during the in the era.

The Atlanta Braves have a great tradition of drafting and developing players. No other team has had the international pressence or pre-draft scouting success that the Braves have had since the late 1980's

Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine, Andruw Jones, Javy Lopez, David Justice, Steve Avery, and Rafael Furcal are some names that the Braves have developed from the past.

Harry Leroy Halladay III (or simply Roy) will always have a special place in the hearts of Toronto Blue Jays fans. Despite being born and raised in Denver and bearing a nickname derived from a gunfighter of the western United States (Doc Holliday), Roy Halladay has become synonymous with baseball in Canada's largest city.