MLB

This is the fifth report card I have given out to the starting players for the Cincinnati Reds.

I started it by giving first baseman Joey Votto an A, followed by Brandon Phillips, whom I graded a solid B.

Next up was shortstop Paul Janish, who inherited the starting role when Alex Gonzalez was sent to the Boston Red Sox. Janish barely made muster as he received a disappointing D+ due to his anemic bat.

Prior to the 2009 season, Bobby Parnell knew that he was—by no means—guaranteed to make the Opening Day roster. Nevertheless, he worked hard and pitched very well in Spring Training, which him earned a spot on the 25-man roster.

His role with the team was supposed to be the seventh inning bridge to J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez , and for the first half of the year that's exactly what occurred.

I love playing GM for professional sports, especially baseball. I always have, and I probably always will.  Building my own team with my kind of personnel, and my type of players gets me excited.

I just did an article for the Rays, so I'll enter a shameless plug here .

However, I'll stop at two teams: my Rays and my Braves.

The spots in question are: an extra starting pitcher, a closer, an outfield spot, and first base.

Alright, along with being a professional baseball player, and a sportswriter for ESPN, The Mag, a general manager for an MLB team is on my short list of dream jobs.  Fantasy baseball has filled the craving to play with rosters, but playing with rosters that will actually go out and play against 29 other teams excites me tremendously.

I thought about it, and thought why not write about a fantasy of tinkering with a real team?

As the San Diego Padres approach the Winter Meetings under new owner Jeff Moorad and new general manager Jed Hoyer, there are decisions that this team will need to make to shape the 2010 squad.

One decision that the team is already working on is the future of first baseman, and the new face of the franchise, Adrian Gonzalez.

With Trevor Hoffman in Milwaukee and Jake Peavy a member of the Chicago White Sox, the Padres will do everything they can to ensure Gonzalez remains a Padre for years to come.

In discussing the Cy Young award, the debate is hindered by the question of what, exactly, the voters are judging the players on.

There was a void at Citizens Bank Park this year. Everything was the same on the baseball field, but for any fan or member of the organization it was just not the same. Harry was gone. “We lost our voice,” as David Montgomery so eloquently put it.

Each win just wasn’t as sweet without Harry Kalas, the 38-year voice of Phillies baseball.

It’s hard to comprehend how a single man could mean so much to a city.

WOYK 1350-AM, and the York Revolution of the Atlantic League have come together on a three-year partnership.  The agreement was announced by Revolution general manager Matt O’Brien and WOYK general manager Vince Grande.

“We’re excited to be broadcasting on the area’s most powerful AM signal,” O’Brien stated in a news release. “Being a sports station, WOYK 1350 broadcasts York College basketball, the NFL playoffs, the Super Bowl and now the York Revolution. It’s a great fit.”

Two weeks ago, it wasn’t a stretch to assume that the Redskins would lose the balance of their schedule, finish 2-14, and pioneer new ways to draft everything other than offensive linemen. But a funny thing happened on the way to national ridicule and complete fan revolt.

Washington scored more than 17 points for the first time all year. And they won.

ESPN.com reports that Roy Halladay will not re-sign with the Toronto Blue Jays after his contract expires at the end of the 2010 season assuming that he is still a Blue Jay for this coming season.

Toronto went public during the summer that they would listen to offers for the right-handed pitcher, and it ultimately got to a point to no return for the Blue Jays.