Opinion

The New York Daily News printed its second (at least) article in the past week regarding a deal in the early stages of talks between Royals and the Mets.  In this deal, Kansas City would be sending Jose Guillen to New York, presumably eating a chunk of his $12 million salary for 2010, for Angel Pagan.  

Roy Halladay's pitch hand is strong.

So strong, in fact, he's got practically every team in the Majors falling all over themselves to make sure it belongs to them. 

Top prospects, proven starters, first born children—all being offered up like sacrificial lambs to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Halladay's unique services, but one team has emerged as a potential front-runner.

According to several media outlets, the Philadephia Phillies have agreed to terms with free agent Juan Castro on a one-year contract with a club option for 2011 pending a physical. The signing is expected to be announced next week.

Castro is listed as a shortstop, but he's a utility player who will replace Eric Bruntlett on the roster for the 2010 season. In 2009, Castro played 20 games at second base, eight at third, and two in left field.

Today, José Alberto Pujols Alcántara, was named the unanimous choice for his third National League Most Valuable Player award. It wouldn't surprise me if he is soon named captain of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pujols has clearly exemplified what it means to be a Cardinal. He is a hard working, honest, good man. It is hard to find a time in Pujols' day when he is not at the ballpark taking swings or donating his time to a local charity.

What is going on at Fox?  First they overreact by suspending Ralph Lawler and Mike Smith, now they dismiss Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler.

Lawler and Smith, announcers for the L.A. Clippers, made comments that offended a viewer.  The viewer called to complain, Fox called the viewer to apologize.  Instead of leaving it at that, Fox suspended the pair from broadcasting the next game.  Ralph Lawler hadn't missed a game in 25 years!  He is a consummate professional and loyal employee.  A single comment and the resulting complaint by a single viewer led to a suspension. 

Thus far, the offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers has been mired in speculation about the divorce of Frank and Jamie McCourt.

Does the team have enough expendable money to fill their roster holes? 

Will Frank have to sell the team to a third party? 

Is this organization dedicated to winning even with the front office distractions? 

But no amount of off the field drama can sour the recognition being earned by Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp.

With another year of uneventful MLB GM meetings over in Chicago, the final verdict was an unsurprising “business as usual” approach. Most notably, the general managers passed on the expansion of instant replay in the game.

After a very disappointing 2009 season, fans of the Milwaukee Brewers are anticipating GM Doug Melvin to make several moves this winter involving the pitching staff to bring the team back to prominence in 2010. Regardless of the pitching acquisitions, the Brewers will need some luck as well as several players having career seasons to achieve the success they did in 2008.

This is the first post of my in-depth review of the 2009 Cincinnati Reds.  After a quick look back at the season as a whole, I will now begin a player-by-player analysis of this year's performances and what to look for next year.

In the convoluted spheres of American democracy, the voters rarely deserve praise.

With so much misdirection, so much double-speak, and so many battling special interests, true merit almost never enters the equation that determines the eventual winner and it's generally an afterthought when it manages to sneak into the fray. If the right man or woman ends up on top, coincidence is usually to blame.