MLB

I suspect I'm not a whole lot different than you are in many ways. 

When 'Old Time Rock And Roll' blasts from the radio, I grab my wife's hair brush and slide across the hardwood floor wearing nothing but a white Hathaway button down and a pair of Fruit of the Looms.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported today that Cubs Chairman Crane Kenny anticipates payroll room to make moves around the July trading deadline.

This is good news for Cubs fans in that it gives the team a competitive advantage if the Cubs discover they need some help around midseason.

This also means that the sale of the team will be done by then. The Sun Times quotes Kenney as saying the Tribune and the Ricketts family are "very close to the terms of their deal," which could be wrapped up in May.

Over the past couple of days, I've been involved in a lot of Yankee/Red Sox banter.

It started when I had dinner with some Red Sox fans last weekend, and has continued on into this week.

Last weekend, we got on the subject of where we all were when Aaron Boone hit the game winning home run in Game Seven of the 2003 ALCS against the Red Sox.

Professional sports fans know that they will suffer through their share of last-second heartaches, missed opportunities, and close calls that could have gone either way.

Minnesota Twins fans are no exception.

Some of the franchise's setbacks have occurred on the diamond. Some have taken place in the offseason. On at least one occasion, the worst moment of all unfolded far removed from the roar of the crowd.

10. Sept. 28, 1982

Here is a list of how the Yankees have done so far in spring training. Keep in mind that nobody even has 50 at-bats, so the sample size is a little bit too small to draw conclusions from. It’s still nice to see how people are doing.

The list is via ESPN, and I took out quite a few guys with less than 10 at-bats, although not everyone.

Stats as of March 19, 2009

The bullpen in Flushing, New York has been subject to a lot of finger pointing over the years. But with names like Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran at the top of the order, and Johan Santana at the top of the rotation, it made Aaron Heilman and Luis Ayala look all the worse.

With 29 blown saves last year (third worst in the majors), the pen left us with some bitter memories. Worse, it caved more then ever down the stretch as the Mets narrowly lost their playoff spot to the Phillies for the second straight year.

In last night’s World Baseball Classic, Japan defeated Cuba 5-0 at PETCO park in an elimination game that assured them a spot in the semi-finals.

I've been playing around in several draft lobbies lately and watching box scores. What's nice about this time of year is that it allows us to really take a look at recovering players and learn about injuries before we start drafting.  

So what have we seen this spring that would impact drafting and the season in general? More than you might think for a typical spring. Here are some notes taken over the past weeks that may help when setting up your drafts. 

Draft Late 

On March 15, Cubs skipper Lou Piniella told reporters that the Cubs second base position is Mike Fontenot's to lose. What? Fontenot a starter? Its about time that Pineilla got it right. Fontenot has shown that he can hit when called upon, and he will make Cubs forget about the loss of Mark DeRosa.

Looking at Fontenot's numbers, mainly in spot starts and pinch hitting situations, his numbers seem incredible. In 119 games last year, Fontenot batted .305 with 42 runs, nine home runs, and 40 RBI. That is incredible for not being an everyday player. He did this all in only 243 AB's!

I just finished reading the section of the book about the 1998 World Series, and I found a couple of interesting comments.

Here is George Steinbrenner's take on the 1998 Yankees team: