Fan News

Angels fans suffered a blow this weekend, even while their team was romping on the field at home for a change, mercilessly sweeping a visiting Padres team from down the 5 freeway in San Diego.

What was lost in all of the positives this weekend, and also in the debacle that has been the Angels bullpen thus far, was the end of the season declaration from one Mr. Scot Shields.

Ever since the New York Yankees have moved across the street from their old home that hosted them for the last 85 years, the Yankees moved into the New Yankee Stadium, which contained the same dimensions as the old stadium, and had a staggering price of 1.6 Billion Dollars to build.

However, ever since the new stadium has opened, home runs have been leaving the stadium at a record rate as it has allowed 87 home runs in its first 23 games, which is a major league record. Also, it's on pace to break Coors Field's 1999 record of 303 home runs yielded in a season.

A player with 30/30 potential is not always easy to come by for fantasy baseball owners.  They are the type of players that everyone is looking to stock their roster with, driving their cost up.  Besides that, how many players even have that type of ability to begin with? 

Last season there were two players (Grady Sizemore & Hanley Ramirez) who achieved the feat.  That says a lot.

During the Mets' brutal loss to the Yankees on Sunday, something very rare happened: David Wright got in an umpire's face about a called third strike for only the second time in his career.

Manager Jerry Manuel has often said he will defend his players 110 percent if they are right. If not, so be it, which is fine. But why did he wait for Wright to return to the dugout before coming out to argue with the umpire?

The pitch to Wright in the sixth inning was definitely over the plate, but well below his knees, and the ball was dropped by the catcher.

In 1959, Mickey Mantle batted .285 with 31 home runs and 75 RBI. Mickey admitted that it had been a lack luster season for him.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the Yankee management traded me to another club this winter. It was my worst overall year in baseball..."

Mickey Mantle's Steady Decline

General Manger George Weiss responded.

On Sunday, in a move that can be described as nothing more than blaming the easiest target, the Chicago Cubs fired hitting coach Gerald Perry.

General Manager Jim Hendry threw around the cliche sound bites, saying that a "new voice" was needed and that the team's stars aren't performing to their historical abilities.

What Hendry didn't say was: "I paid $30 million for an overrated right fielder and, with a series of questionable moves, destroyed the chemistry on the best team in the National League."

But what was important was that he stuck to the cliches.

The Phillies mostly had one goal going into todays afternoon finale, do not get swept. Well, Philadelphia did its job. The Phillies beat Josh Beckett and the Red Sox 11-6 at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies broke away from the Sox with a massive six-run seventh that snapped a 5-5 tie. Slumping shortstop Jimmy Rollins hit a tie-breaking home run in the seventh, the blast snapped his 0-for-16 hit-less streak.

Mets ace Johan Santana may be the best pitcher on the planet. He has proven himself throughout his career, first in Minnesota, and now during his first two seasons as a New York Met.

But Santana hardly looked the part of the "best pitcher in baseball" Sunday afternoon. The Yankees lambasted him for nine runs in only three innings of work during the Mets' embarrassing 15-0 dismantlement in the Bronx.

The outing was the worst of Santana's career.