AL East

The most common phrase in professional sports (also the most overused phrase) that players and coaches use to describe a recent transaction is "it's a business." As a student of business, I can confidently confirm this brilliant diagnosis.

As a business, the Tampa Bay Rays must first outline their goal for the 2011 season. A successful season would entail making the playoffs, most likely as the American League wild card, and compete in the postseason. Check that off.

To open this spring the New York Yankees had plenty of questions surrounding their rotation and a four-man race for those last two coveted spots took center stage in Yankee camp. Ivan Nova, Sergio Mitre, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia had to prove their worth, otherwise they could be sent packing. 

The Florida Suncoast Dome was completed in 1990, and even then the facility quickly become outdated; a stereotypical 1980's multi-use domed stadium whose architecture was bland at best.

21 years after its completion, Tropicana Field now serves as an ugly reminder to Rays fans that a city with notorious Napoleonic Syndrome will fight tooth and nail to make sure the team honors its 30 year stadium lease and does not move across the Bay to join the regions other professional sports franchises.

Jake Fox has been battling many others for a backup job with the Baltimore Orioles this spring.

His primary competition is incumbent backup catcher Craig Tatum, who was very solid for the Birds last year, both at the plate and behind it.

This spring, however, Fox is blowing Tatum (and the rest of the team) away, with a .356 batting average and a major league spring training-leading seven home runs in 45 at-bats. Two such swings were hit in yesterday's contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

What is the big deal with Derek Jeter batting second? Why are the media and some Yankee fans up in arms over this?

How many games has Jeter batted second in his Yankee career? Care to take a guess? Out of his 2,295 games as a Yankee, he's batted second 1,270 times.

What is the goal of a leadoff hitter? To get on base, see a lot of pitches and steal bases.

Previously, The Fantasy Fix reviewed and gave projections for the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays rotation. Now, it's time to dive in and analyze the Rays' positional players.

Don't forget to check out our 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit

When Josh Beckett joined the Red Sox in 2006, he became an instant ace, anchoring the front-end of the Boston rotation, which at the time, was beginning to look a bit long in the tooth, thanks to the soon-to-be-retired Curt Schilling.

The year is 1941. The world is at war. Battles are raging and have been for two years now since the beginning of World War II in 1939.

At this point, the United States has successfully managed to stay out of this international conflict and remain neutral. All of that was about to change.

At 6 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941, six Japanese carriers with 423 planes took position in preparations to attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

A great deal of attention has been paid this spring to the open slots in the New York Yankees' pitching rotation.

The failure to sign Cliff Lee as a free agent and the retirement of Andy Pettitte are thought by some to leave glaring holes in the Yankee ranks.

The Yankees have three established pitchers at the top of the rotation in C. C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett. 

When fans think of the Boston Red Sox, many players quickly come to mind: Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester and new comers Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez are certainly some of them.

But no player has become a bigger icon and face of the Red Sox then the man known around baseball as Big Papi, David Ortiz.