AL East

Well, the Super Bowl is over, and that only means only thing: the countdown to Opening Day has just begun. There are 51 days left until then (as of Monday, February 7). That gives us just about a month and a half to prepare.

The Yankees have had an interesting offseason; and by interesting, I really mean disappointing. Highlighted by the failed signing of ace Cliff Lee, the Yankees also watched its two toughest division opponents go in opposite directions.

Before we look ahead to this season, let’s recap last year.

Alex Rodriguez has been known to upstage a major sporting event in the middle to draw attention to himself, and the 2011 Super Bowl was no exception.

While the Green Bay Packers battled the Pittsburgh Steelers, Alex Rodriguez was sitting in his luxury box with his beau Cameron Diaz.  Surely, Rodriguez must have realized that he would be seen when Diaz started feeding popcorn to Rodriguez during the second quarter.

Andy Pettitte, who announced his retirement from baseball on Friday, pitched 15 seasons in the major leagues for the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. With New York, in stints spread from 1995 to 2003 and 2007 to 2010, he won five World Series championships.

Ah, the Baltimore Orioles.  Ever since Peter Angelos instilled his Jerry Jones-esque front office meddling, the Orioles haven’t exactly been, well, good. 

Kevin Millwood, who is represented by Scott Boras, is reportedly asking for at least $4-$5 million in the free agent market.

That is a ton for a pitcher who has had an ERA north of 5.00 in three out of the last four seasons.

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe who writes, "The Red Sox are looking into Aceves, who was shut down by the Yankees May 8 after hurting his back. Aceves is 14-1 in his career, including 10-1 in 2009 with the Yankees. He was 3-0 last season until his back injury flared up. He would be an injury rehab project, but is working out and could provide protection in the bullpen or as a starter."

He wasn't the next Mickey Mantle. He wasn't as talented as Bobby Bonds, the man he was once traded for. And he'd be surpassed as a ballplayer by a young kid named Mattingly, whom he once made room for on the Yankees roster by graciously retiring from the game of baseball.

We here at Baseball Professor think about our readers first and ourselves second—albeit a close second. That’s why we decided to reach out to other bloggers (who follow their respective teams more closely than we do) to give you a deeper look into the important issues every fantasy owner has to come to grips with this season. Our seventh installment is with the Boston Red Sox and comes courtesy of Mike Silver from Fire Brand of the AL.

Jim Clancy, Doyle Alexander, Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, Pat Hentgen, Roger Clemens and Roy Halladay. 

Whether by accomplishment or leadership attributes, when one thinks of the all-time Toronto Blue Jays starters, they usually top anyone’s list. 

When Andy Pettitte's name hits the ballot for the Hall of Fame in five years, the Baseball Writers of America Association (BBWAA) will have a very difficult decision on their hands.  His candidacy touches on so much of what has happened in the last 20 years in baseball.