MLB

On February 26, 1935, Babe Ruth returned to Boston. Baseball's greatest player signed with the Braves, hoping to play for, and eventually manage, Boston's other team.

The Release

It was a dark, cold, rainy day when Yankees' owner Colonel Jacob Ruppert, Braves' owner Judge Emil Fuchs, and Babe Ruth met before a contingent of reporters at the Colonel's brewery.

Date: May 31, 2009

Time: 1:35pm

Teams: Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles

Park: Camden Yards

Weather: 77 and sunny

Starting Pitchers: Edwin Jackson (4-3, 2.58)  Jason Berken (1-0, 3.60)

Records: Detroit (27-21)  Baltimore (23-27)

Last 10 Games: Detroit (5-5)  Baltimore (7-3)

My Two Cents

Most write-ups regarding the firing of Clint Hurdle can't help but focus immediately on the improbable great baseball the Rockies played in September and October of 2007, and who could blame them considering it's his only accomplishment in seven years. They also talk about how unpopular and duplicitous he was with his players.

But such emphasis is dishonest. The real story of Hurdle's tenure isn't that he was fired 18 months after a World Series, or disgruntled players, but rather how he was still managing in 2007 after five years of atrocious baseball.

This time, it's the Dodgers feeling blue as the Cubs win 7-0.

Last season, the Dodgers spoke almost boastfully of how well they scouted Ryan Dempster, using advanced reports to help beat the Cubs 7-2 in Game 1 of the NLDS. Apparently, they've lost the playbook, as Dempster and the Cubs bullpen combined on a five-hit, 7-0 shutout of the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon.

Look, there are a lot of reason why one might say that the Cubs won this game, and frankly, why they looked so completely different than we've seen them over the last month.

Historically, the Texas Rangers have been one of the best clutch hitting teams in baseball. Michael Young has taken the lead in that department, especially in the All Star Game. For those that don’t remember Young has two game winning hits in the Summer Classic.

That’s all changed this year, much to my surprise.

Young is known as one of the best clutch hitters in baseball. Any baseball fan knows that.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of Brad Penny. Come to think of it, that applies to Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield, too. Though they are radically different pitchers, they are the same in one awful, rotten sense: They throw it and pray—pray they hit the strike zone.

As a matter of fact, there is much NOT to like about this year's Red Sox team. Although Nick Green would be a decent backup, he's no Alex Cora! Neither Green nor Julio Lugo can field or throw better than most high school shortstops.

That's a problem.

The Mets had been on a roll so far this homestand, sweeping the Nats and taking the first one in extras against the Fish.

So it makes sense to send out their B squad to face Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson, who has manhandled the Mets so far this season, right? 

It seems like every player who has been on a hot streak got the day off. Sheffield was replaced in the lineup by Tatis, who hit clean-up and played third. David Wright sat because his last few games have been out of character for him.

An achy back sidelines your dominant young hurler.

A freak accident causes a hairline fracture to the thumb of your hot-hitting all-star second baseman.

A strange ailment that started as mysterious dizzy spells and has changed to a stress-related condition has put your best hitter on the DL.

Just like that, the promising season of the Cincinnati Reds has begun to unravel.

The Captain Obvious Award of the Week - Mark Teixeria
It is no secret that Mark Teixeira can rake, but his numbers in the last two weeks have been crazy.
.407 BA, 8 HR, 13 runs, 20 RBI

While Big Tex will be owned in every league, several guys on the right side of streaky should be available in most leagues.