MLB

Chances are that if you were around, you remember the 1986 baseball season.

A season capped by an exciting World Series that was best known for being the launching pad for several successful major league careers, including those of Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Barry Larkin, David Cone, Bo Jackson, Jamie Moyer, Steve Finley, Will Clark, and Rafael Palmeiro.

Mmm, I don't like it.

Next!

Here's the basis; Tom Verducci at SI.com writes an article suggesting a way to improve Major League Baseball's playoff format and add some revenue. He has an excellent point that recent "win or go home" games have drawn outstanding viewership and the lack of these nail biters have hurt baseball.

Jason Werth, reportedly, may have dropped his agent, Jeff Boris, and is on the hunt for a new one. In Craig Calcaterra's article he expressed some suspicions that Werth may sign with, Scott Boras.

With clients and former clients with names like Alex Rodrigez and Manny Ramirez, you probably wouldn't get an argument from most if you were to say Boras is MLB's version of Drew Rosenhaus.

Aaron Harang has not been the "ace" of the Reds starting rotation for a long time. He has still been considered a key part of the pitching staff and a valuable veteran presence in the clubhouse. However, his ineffectiveness over the last couple of seasons may have finally reached its peak yesterday against the Rockies.

Alex Rodriguez locked in on a Brian Matusz offering Monday and unleashed the instantly-recognizable swing that has always seemed too easy and too effortless, to do any real damage.

But we know better by now. Rodriguez cocked his head to follow the flight of the ball then flashed his trademark "Trust me, I'm awesome" glance into his own dugout: always his sign that he knows he got all of it.

With the 2010 season ending in a month or so, we can look toward 2011 to speculate which mangers will not be returning to their respective clubs. 

I warn you, this is speculation. Not fact.

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Ryan Raburn showed flashes in 2009, hitting 16 HR in just 261 AB.  Yet, in 2010 either the Tigers were unable to find a spot to give him everyday playing time or didn’t think he was capable of producing on an everyday basis.  Through July he had just 161 AB, hitting just two home runs.

Then, in August, he was given an opportunity to play on a daily basis and has exploded.  Just look at what he had done through Sunday:

Following Monday night's loss to the Cleveland Indians, the Los Angeles Angels announced that Triple-A players Mark Trumbo and Hank Conger have been called up to the big club. Both players will be available for action on Tuesday.

All the talk about 2010 being the “Year of the Pitcher” in Major League Baseball is true. 

It has been an excellent year for pitchers.

For whatever reason, there’s been more no-hitters and perfect games than usual, and that’s without counting Jim Joyce’s rob job of Armando Galarraga.

But this year doesn’t only belong to the hurlers, it belongs to the young guns.

At a time when some people argue the fading relevancy of baseball, there has been more great young talent in the game than we can remember.

In my years as a Mets fan, I have been constantly scrutinized by members of the Evil Empire a.k.a. Yankees' fans. The "27-to-2" comparison of World Series titles is always flaunted around in claims that the Yankees are much better than the Mets.

While as a baseball fan I cannot argue that the Yankees are not a storied franchise, I can defend the "27-2" comparison as a Mets' fan, and here is why: