MLB

Akinori Iwamura isn't going to make the Pirates a winning baseball team.

He's a nice player and a viable starting second baseman, provided he is healthy. His bat plays well at the position—his .354 career on-base percentage is actually significantly better than Freddy Sanchez', although he does not have as much gap power—and he has an average glove for a second baseman.

The Houston Astros have named Jamie Quirk their new bullpen coach, according to senior director of digital media Alyson Footer.

Quirk was the bench coach for the Colorado Rockies from 2003-08 before joining the Cincinnati Reds last season as a scout.

“Jamie has a wealth of experience and comes highly recommended,” Astros general manager Ed Wade told Footer on Wednesday, Nov. 4. “He had a long playing career and spent 15 seasons as a Major League coach. He’s another solid addition to our staff.”

Ernest Lawrence Thayer's classic poem "Casey at the Bat" is perhaps the greatest baseball story of all time. Period.

The only possible criticism one could make of the story is the lack of personality exhibited by the titular titan, Casey.

The story is much improved when Casey is replaced with a more colorful character, like Milton Bradley (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/248205).

Therefore, I humbly submit a story of one of the greatest characters in Major League Baseball: Manny Ramirez.

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How ironic is it that the capital of our great nation, the brick and mortar embodiment of “Of the People, By the People and For the People,” is just just now permeating the myopic brains of Redskins fans fed up with Daniel Snyder?

The great thing about the postseason, and the World Series in particular, is that redemption is always just around the corner.

Alex Rodriguez knows all about that. He entered last month as a playoff pariah—his October failures as big a part of his identity as his three MVP awards.

It took just 14 games (and 18 RBI) to change all that.

Playoff baseball is convenient like that: It's a one-stop shop for re-shaping your legacy.

There's been much talk of who might start a possible game seven for Philadelphia should we get to that point.

But before that can ever happen, they must first focus on getting a win tonight to stay alive in the World Series.  If they can do that, then the first six games will be meaningless and it'll be mano y mano for the title of World Champions.

The goal in any series is clear: to win the next game.  It's the only thing you have to do.  It doesn't matter if you're up 3-0 or down 0-3, if you win the game in front of you, you'll take home the trophy.

Please tell me Cub fans and the media aren't going to talk about how Joe Girardi is about to win the World Series and how the Cubs passed on him for Lou Piniella...oh wait, they already did.

They are forgetting the whole team factor and how as long as you have a finger to point, you could manage this New York Yankees team. 

According to the Detroit Free Press , Detroit Tigers 3B Brandon Inge had surgery on Tuesday to correct the patellar tendinitis in both of his knees.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Stephen Lemos at the Detroit Medical Center.

Inge is expected to be ready by spring training.

Year: 1902

Record: 52-83

Win Percentage: .385

Win Percentage Change: -.163

Run Differential: -91

Pythagorean Record: 58-77

AL Finish: Seventh of eight

Manager: Frank Dwyer

Best Transaction: Picked up Wild Bill Donovan

In the grand scheme of things, baseball is a kid's game.

It makes heroes out of ordinary men. It makes celebrities out of lowlifes like Jose Canseco and John Rocker.

It turns cities against each other—sometimes, even boroughs of the same city. Its victories and defeats are celebrated and suffered with pure emotion.

It can make an 18-year-old kid lean out of his 14th-floor dormitory window at one in the morning and joyfully scream "Boston Sucks!" at the top of his lungs out into Washington Square Park. It compels the people down below to join in when they hear it.