World Series

At the end of the game, there's no one more reliable to finish the job than the late-inning ace, the closer. The title speaks for itself.

Though many say it is the most "overrated" position in baseball, that's hard to agree with especially because these men come in when the games are at their climax and the pressures that come with it, make this position a daunting challenge.

After all, the last three outs are also the toughest. Few know this better than the men who have excelled in these situations.

The Dodgers have most of what it takes to enter, or even win, the World Series. But they need to be more "clutch."

FanGraphs had them ranked first in National League teams in raw hitting ability for 2009. But they were behind the Phillies in batting "win probability." Meaning that the Phillies had fewer hits, but hit more when it counted. Sound familiar from the NCLS?

FanGraphs also had the Dodgers ranked first in Major League baseball in raw pitching. But the Dodgers' "clutch" value was a MINUS 1.84, putting them seventh in pitching "win probability."

Each year, Hillerich & Bradsby, the manufacturer of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat, selects recipients for the Silver Slugger Award. The Silver Slugger recognizes the best offensive player by position for each league. Major League Baseball coaches and managers vote on who they feel had the best season offensively.

Although the offseason has barely begun, the Milwaukee Brewers are already making their plans for this time next year. Rebuilding, retooling, or reloading; call it whatever you like but that's what the Brewers are using the 2010 season to do.

While this may be hard for fans to swallow only a year after making the playoffs for the first time in 26 years, it's a harsh reality of being a small or mid-market team in the current baseball economy. The Brewers simply cannot hope to compete for the playoffs year in and year out.

In 1961, the American League added the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators to become a 10-team league. Finishing in eighth place no longer meant finishing last.

Ninth to First

Five years later, in 1966, the Boston Red Sox finished a dismal ninth, but they weren't as bad as they looked. The following season, they proved it by winning the pennant.

The Boston Red Sox became the first American League team to go from ninth to first.

There were very few things that Seattle Mariners centerfielder Franklin Gutierrez couldn’t catch in 2009; so few things that he earned the nickname “Death To Flying Things.”

A Rawlings Gold Glove award, baseball’s highest accolade for defensive prowess, however, was one of those things Gutierrez just couldn’t snag.

In a game where image is heavily compared to the past, the minute intricacies, and similarities are visible throughout all parts of the game.

The history of Word Series winning-shares is limited with the amount of information out there, but courtesy of the Baseball Digest archives, we can get a better understanding;

Today I came across the resolution Congress passed in the wake of the Yankees winning the World Series.

The text of the resolution includes this:

"Whereas the contributions of the Yankees' players throughout the season were all vital in securing the title; and

Whereas the Yankees were guided to victory by Manager Joe Girardi, General Manager Brian Cashman, President Randy Levine, and the leadership of Hank and Hal Steinbrenner: Now therefore be it

Three of the most hysterical, knee-slapping, laugh out loud moments of mirth witnessed recently.

1. WAC Commissioner Karl Benson’s statement about the Boise State Broncos: “They certainly have established themselves as a credible, legitimate, bona fide top 10 team.”