MLB

Dave Paderson is a die-hard New York Mets' fan. In 1966, Dave was attending New York University's graduate school.

One December night that year, on his way back to his home in Flushing, Dave received a wonderful present from New York's other team.

Charlie Morton's 2009 ERA of 4.55 shouts "league average."  But that's exactly what he is not, because he got there in a funny way.

My father (a retired civil engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University) used to say that there were two types of "B" students.  One type made "straight Bs." The other (rarer) kind made half As and half Cs.

Every year it seems the Texas Rangers compete for a playoff spot, but at the end they just run out of juice.

Year after year sportswriters everywhere predict big things from the Texas Rangers, but this season you haven't really heard too much of that.

The reason is because they have delivered so much disappointment to those that have picked them in previous seasons.  Despite that, I'm still going to go out on a big limb here and say that the Texas Rangers will go deep into the playoffs this season.

The most important trait Brewers' GM Doug Melvin was looking for this winter in trying to rebuild his pitching staff was durability.

The Brewers were devastated last season due to injury and ineffectiveness by their starters, and Melvin needed to find pitchers he could count on to make every start, while still giving the team a shot to win.

The spring games continue, as do the intriguing position battles. 

Could Wade Davis’ grasp on the fifth starter spot fade?  Could Ike Davis force his way into the Mets’ 1B mix? 

Let’s look at these stories and all the rest:

Picture this. You wake up in the morning and stroll peacefully outside. It's mid morning and the sun has already begun to heat the earth. It's not too hot, but certainly not cold. You hop in the car and begin cruising down the highway with the windows down, wearing a baseball cap and matching team jersey.

Since signing with the White Sox out of Cuba, Alexei Ramirez has been a player on the radar of fantasy owners.  His rookie campaign started off slowly, but by year’s end he was thought of as a potential stud.  How could a 20/20 threat out of a middle infield position not be?  Unfortunately, he took a small step back across the board in 2009, posting the following line:

Ivy covered walls.

Day baseball.

Ernie Banks and “Let’s play two.”

Harry Carey and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Yesterday, in their fourth Spring Training game, the New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Brett Gardner started in left field.

In his first plate appearance, Gardner hit a hard ground ball to Lyle Overbay at first base for Toronto. The ball was hit so hard and so directly at Overbay that he was able to turn it into a tricky 3-6-1 double play even with the incredibly fast Gardner running to first.

In his only other time to the plate, Gardner showed great patience and worked a walk.

Three of the greatest pitchers in New York Yankee history have a lot in common.

Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry, and Mariano Rivera each were great.

Ford is in the Hall of Fame, Rivera is a lock for it, and Guidry would have made the Hall if injuries had not shortened his career.

Number 16 is permanently attached to the wall in Monument Park in Yankee Stadium.

So is Number 49.

Number 42 will be there as soon as he retires.

All three of these guys were big game pitchers.

All three of them played their entire careers only with the Yankees.