New York Yankees

I know I mentioned it yesterday, but it's really worth repeating: We're less than a week away from Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season. Wow!

But with first pitch just days away, there is still a lot of preparation to be done, and I'm not talking about your favorite team deciding on their fifth starter. Nope, I'm talking about you making the final tweaks to your fantasy team.

Finding unsung heroes in the Yankees' landscape is difficult business.

If you do something noteworthy in New York, chances are you'll be remembered for it. Just ask Aaron Boone, who will be signing photographs of aging knuckleballers for the rest of his life.

This isn't a bad thing, mind you. Boone deserves his fame, just like Stéphane Matteau, Jim Leyritz, and Mookie Wilson deserve theirs.

Combine a knowledgeable fanbase and a competitive media contingent and you get a hyper-aware sports town. Simply put: We don't forget.

Baseball season begins April 4, so it’s time to predict the outcomes for every team in the AL. Look for your favorite squads and compare your picks to mine.

I’ve ranked the teams based on their predicted finish for the 2010 season. I’ve also ranked each squad’s batting and pitching on a letter scale, with a short explanation following.

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The good people over at Maple Street Press were nice enough to send me a free copy of this year’s edition of their Yankees annual to review. If you are looking to pick up a Yankee-specific season preview magazine, I can’t imagine finding a better one than this.

The Magazine : Maple Street Press: Yankees 2010 Annual

The Editor : Cecilia Tan

The Yankees jumped out to a 7-0 lead in today’s game before rain ended things. Damaso Marte got the start (that’s right), and Mariano Rivera pitched the second inning. Andy Pettitte , who has only pitched in one official Spring Training game thanks to rain, had his outing cut short after pitching just one inning. He then went indoors and pitched a simulated game, stopping at 100 pitches.

Zach McAllister was born on Dec. 8, 1987 and grew up in the town of Chillicothe in Illinois. He was drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees in the third round of the 2006 draft. When drafted, McAllister's size stood out.

The guy is just built like a starting pitcher. He stands 6'6" tall and weighs 230 pounds, although his weight has fluctuated since becoming a member of the Yankees organization.

Some pests are hard to get rid of.

Like Yankee fans.

As anyone who follows American League ball can tell you, they show up in droves at opposing ballparks whenever the Bronx Bombers visit.

With their charming ways, chainsaw accents, and oh-so-gentle demeanor, they continue to be ambassadors for the civility and "live and let live" attitude that their home city is so well known for.

But few realize that the entire Yankee fan species (blowhardus obnoxious) is actually split into several subsets or, from those who remember your high school biology days, phylum.

I've never heard so much talk of rumors and speculation about a free agent class before.

The class of 2010-2011 already has had a ton of speculation surrounding it. Now Jayson Werth's name is being added in.

Werth has finally caught on as an emerging star with the Phillies and will be in the final year of his contract in 2010. Werth will then join a free agent class with Lance Berkman, Carl Crawford, Manny Ramirez, Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, Carlos Pena, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and possibly, Albert Pujols.

That's a pretty impressive list.

When Joba Chamberlain took the mound in his first major league appearance, he piqued everyone's interest. The Yankees hyped him up as a special pitcher.

Chamberlain backed it up by pitching well in relief for the first few weeks of his callup in 2007. For good measure, he earned a standing ovation from the fans and respect from his teammates for throwing the ball at Kevin Youkilis’ head.

Joba Chamberlain got his first taste of action as a reliever this spring. He had a save in today’s 2-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Here is some other news on a nice Saturday afternoon: