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Craig Stammen pitched pretty well as a rookie in 2009, though he had not looked nearly as crisp over the last month of the season. It seemed as though opposing hitters had begun to make their adjustments once they had seen him a few times.

Certainly, that happens to many rookie pitchers who, after looking very good the first time around the league is never heard from again.

Cito Gaston, who was subject to controversy at the end of the 2009 season, will manage one more season and then begin a 4-year consulting agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“He had even talked about it a little bit last year —that 2010 might be his last year with us,” Anthopoulos said during a conference call. “He didn’t know that he wanted to continue. Really, at this time, reviewing everything, this was the right move for the organization going forward. This was carefully thought out. Everyone had a chance to state their opinions.”

Boof Bonser is out of options, both literally and figuratively.

Just two years removed from serving as the number two starter in Minnesota’s rotation, Bonser, 28, is in the uncomfortable position of not knowing what his future with the organization may hold or if he even has a future with the organization.

When I signed on the Internet the morning after Game One of the World Series, I saw this picture and realized that Cliff Lee finished what he started.  Pitchers finishing what they started has become an increasingly rare occurrence.

Although it's making headlines, Freddy Sanchez' new two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants doesn't really qualify as news. Most close observers of the team expected the second baseman to ink a deal in the wake of his disappointing stretch with the club.

The 2009 New York Yankees are a scary team to face. Just ask any team that was included in their 103 wins. Now imagine the New York Yankees as horror movie villains. It is a scary thought but this presentation will give you a better idea who best resembles who.

Plus there is a surprise at the end!

Trick or Treat?

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Hideki Matsui has absolutely crushed the ball all season long for the Yankees, and he has continued to do that in the postseason.

So far, he has produced a line of .278/.422/.472 with two home runs and six runs batted in. He also put together a regular season that exceeded all expectations.

• Year: 1975
• Record: 57-102
• Win %: .358
• Win % Change: -86 from the previous season
• Run Differential: -216
• Pythagorean Record: 57-102
• AL Finish: 12th of 12
• Manager: Ralph Houk
• Best Transaction: This is a tough call.  This transaction took place in 1975, but after the season had finished and it marked the departure of a well-know and accomplished Tiger, Mickey Lolich.  Lolich lost 18 games in 1975 and it was becoming clear that his best years were behind him.  The Tigers traded a no-name player and Lolich to the New Y
  

Game Three of the 2009 World series shifts today to the new launching pad in the National League, Citizens Bank Park. It's a bit ironic that the Philadelphia "Mashers" at one point in time had a far better record on the road than they did at home. They righted that situation in the second half of the season to finish nine games over .500 at home.

The post-season is a completely different story as the Phillies have lost a grand total of three games over the past three post seasons. They've won 12 games and the only team to beat them at home was the Colorado Rockies.

Perhaps it's fitting that Game Three of the World Series will be played on the night of Halloween.

Some strange, downright scary, developments played out in the first two games of the series, developments that make this matchup nearly impossible to predict going forward.

I wouldn't be surprised if the ghost of Rod Serling introduced the starting lineups at this point.