Rankings/List

Just because a player is no longer 25 and out of his "prime" years does not mean his career is done, at least not anymore.

Thanks to years of research and new strength and conditioning programs, players have been able to extend their careers, making them last longer and be more productive.

All Major League Baseball stadiums have their own sets of appeal and charm—whether the history of Wrigley Field or the beauty of a new building like Target Field.

The debate as to what stadium is the greatest in the league is one that has raged on for many decades, and I would imagine that it will not be dying down any time soon.

What I wanted to do was to attack this argument from a different angle—taking the actual stadium itself out of the conversation.

This is the most interesting article I have written to date. I've been asked to write about one of the most arm demanding pitches there is in baseball, and that is the slider. The slider is a pitch that is a double edge sword. On one hand, the best pitchers in baseball, both starters and relievers, utilize this pitch and to some degree, dictates their fame and fortune. It is one of the four pitches that usually dictates a players ability to play at a higher level.

"It's not a sprint; it's a marathon."

With every new baseball season comes new beginnings, a clean slate and new opportunities for teams to make their mark on a young season.

Nothing can jump start a team in the right direction more than getting off to a good start. Whether it means going undefeated through the first week of the season or starting the year on a big winning streak, every victory can help a team and their journey to be the best during the season. 

We are four weeks into the 2011 baseball season, and order is finally being restored. The Red Sox are no longer baseball's worst team, the Indians are no longer the best and Albert Pujols' swing is starting to return.

As the planets begin to realign themselves, we will take a look at the top teams in baseball by ranking all 30.

Here are your MLB Power Rankings going into the fifth week of the season.

Begin Slideshow

As the San Francisco Giants attempt to repeat as World Series champions, there are a some major concerns that face them. 

In 2010, GM Brian Sabean did a remarkable job infusing the team with players who helped lead the Giants to their first ever world championship in San Francisco.  Sabean may very well need to work his magic again in 2011. 

When the great Ted Williams sat down to write the book The Science of Hitting with co-author John Underwood, he talked about what it took to be a great hitter—from theory to mechanics to application.

In his other book, My Turn At Bat, Williams also said, "A man has to have goals—for a day, for a lifetime—and that was mine, to have people say, 'There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived.'"

By many accounts, Williams reached his goal.

Recently, the Dodgers announced they would wear their Brooklyn Dodger throwback uniforms for a few home games this season. 

Other teams like the Braves, Reds and various others said they would follow suit and wear their own throwbacks during games this year too.

Some teams have great throwback uniforms, and others are terrible looking. 

Either way, they all stand out in a good or bad way from the other uniforms today.

Here is a list of the top 20 throwback jerseys in MLB history.

"The players make the manager. It's never the other way."—Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson

It's not easy being a manager in Major League Baseball these days.

Last week, I ranked the rookie pitchers of the AL East, featuring arms like Zach Britton, Kyle Drabek and Ivan Nova.

This week, I've decided to take on the NL counterpart and expand my rankings to include the rookie hitters as well.

The NL East is unique in my eyes because I think the top contenders for the Rookie of the Year are right in the NL East. The division currently sports the best rookie in the NL, but we'll get to that later.

Now take a look at the power rankings of the top five on the NL East rookie ladder.