Opinion

The playoffs, whether fair or not, determine a lot in terms of historical value for both baseball fans and writers alike. Why should it not? It is obviously the most important games a player can play in, the nation is watching, and a great performance can turn any mediocre player like David Eckstein or Don Larsen into a folk hero.

Cubs fans, we should look at the Cardinals agreement with second baseman Felipe Lopez as an insult. With no sure-fire, proven starter at the position, why wouldn't Cubs GM Jim Hendry at least consider signing this guy?

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweeted that Lopez only got $1 million in base salary with easily obtainable bonuses that could take the deal to $1.2 million.

This article is a mere excerpt. If you would like to see the article in its full entirety, you can find it here at the BEV.

Sitting and watching a heavy snowfall, I am angry with the Cleveland Indians.

For a guy who lives within 50 miles of Lake Erie, I am not a winter person. I don't know about where you live, but where I live it's more than cold and snow; it's slate-gray skies, day after day after day. The lack of sunshine weighs on me and by February, without holidays to distract me, I am going crazy.

Sandy Koufax won the Cy Young Award for the third time in 1966.

He won 27 games for a Los Angeles team that was offensively challenged, and compiled a 1.90 ERA+, which was the best of his career. Koufax was at his peak.

Los Angeles, led by Koufax and Don Drysdale, won the pennant, but the underdog Baltimore Orioles swept the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series.

It was a tremendous upset that only Frank Robinson and Orioles' manager Hank Bauer thought could happen.

The Toronto Blue Jays have existed in the American League East since their inaugural season in 1977. In 1977, the American League had only two divisions, the Central Division hadn't existed yet. It wasn't until the 1994 realignment that the three division format was adopted.

Why am I mentioning this?

This is my second time writing my Yahoo Fantasy Sleeper Guide (if you would like to see how I did last year, here is a link http://bleacherreport.com/articles/139285-yahoo-fantasy-baseball-sleepers-draft-guide). 

When any self-proclaimed "die hard" Giants fans talk about their team for more than five minutes, the dismal managing duo of Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean almost always comes up in the conversation.

And what is the biggest issue that makes this tandem of field manager and general manager so maligned by the fan base?

The biggest issue that irks the die-hards is San Francisco's inconsistency in giving young players a chance to pull out of an inevitable slump (for almost every young player not named Pablo Sandoval or Evan Longoria, slumps are bound to occur).

There's been some chatter recently about realigning the teams of Major League Baseball.  Perhaps it's because the collective bargaining agreement is about up for re-negotiating or maybe it's simply due to the fact that there isn't a whole lot of substance to write about the first week of Spring Training.

Nevertheless, it's an interesting topic to debate, but I find myself on the side that believes baseball's six-division structure works well just the way it is. 

In every interview with Alex Rodriguez, there's always at least one moment where I shake my head in disbelief and think to myself, "My God, what a goober."

It's become a cherished part of my Yankee fan experience these past six years.