MLB

A number of major pieces from the New York Yankees' World Series championship team are gone to other franchises. I thought it would be interesting to see how they are doing with about 20 games gone in the new season.

Johnny Damon left as a free agent. He was offered a two-year deal with the Yanks at a reported $14 million and he turned it down thinking he could get a longer deal. He ended up signing with the Detroit Tigers for two years at a reported $12 million.

Curt Schilling criticized Javier Vasquez publicly on ESPN Radio for his slow start this season as a member of the Yankees.

He might have already proved himself as a pitcher, but he shouldn't be saying that as a future HOF. When's the last time you saw a loved HOF criticize someone when they can't even do it themselves anymore? Never? Not anymore, thanks to Schilling.

Unlike division-foe Mike Leake , Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton is not a pitcher.

Morton, who has allowed at least five runs per start this season, lacks the mental toughness needed to pitch in Major League Baseball.

One of the best sports movies of all time is "Field of Dreams."

The movie told the story of Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner constructing a baseball diamond on his cornfield in Iowa.

The film did a wonderful job of allowing us to revisit baseball in its infancy and enjoy what it meant to our fathers and grandfathers.

How can a player with a six-year stint in the majors, and a .200 career batting average become one of the most beloved characters in Major League Baseball?

Be Bob Uecker—that's it, fairly simply.

Milwaukee Brewers' fans are lucky enough to have the opportunity to listen to the "Ueke's" colorful and often legitimately laugh-out-loud funny commentary on a nightly basis.

Uecker, 75, will undergo major heart surgery on Friday, and most likely be out of commission for 10 to 12 weeks.

The Yankees consist of great talent, including Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Mark Teixeira. And don't forget about the man behind the plate: Jorge Posada.

But what about the future of this infield? What will happen when Jeter is too old to play everyday? And what about when A-Rod, Teixeira, and Posada are no longer productive?

Here is the future of the Yankees infield.

First Base: Jesus Montero

On Monday, the Philadelphia Phillies announced that they had signed first basemen Ryan Howard to a $125 million, five-year contract extension. The deal includes a sixth year club option, that could potentially keep him in Philadelphia until 2017. 

Ryan Howard will be paid $20 million in 2012 and 2013, $25 million from 2014 to 2016, and the club option is for $23 million with a $10 million buyout. 

That, my friends, is a lot of money.

Mark Kotsay has already started eight games for the 2010 Chicago White Sox, who have played a total of 19 games thus far. That's eight games too many.

Well, maybe that's a bit harsh.

In a perfect baseball world, the best players are available to play everyday, and bench players are reserved for use only in certain game situations.

This past Friday, Arizona's governor signed a law that would require all immigrants to carry documents that would prove their legal status in the United States of America. Police in Arizona may also stop anyone that reasonably and suspiciously looks illegal.

The law has already started to go under fire and criticized by law officials and common people of the United States. Many will agree that this sets the United States government a few steps behind in their work for immigration stability.

Now in its second season, Citi Field finally feels a little nit more like the home of the Mets. For fans who went to games there last year, it was nice and it had that new ballpark smell, but something was missing.

Mets officials have tried to sort that out for the 2010 season, and all-in-all I think they've done a pretty good job. There are some big changes, like adding a museum charting the clubs' history, and some subtle tweaks, like painting the stairwell walls orange and blue.

Seems obvious, right? Yet this eluded the club 12 months ago.