Opinion

Mark Cuban is in Pittsburgh this week, and because of this, rumors are flying that he may be interested in purchasing the Pirates.

On the surface, people may ask why would he be interested in buying a team that has been so bad for so long? Simple, he is from Pittsburgh.

Last year, there were rumors that he was interested in purchasing the Steelers. The Rooney family was in the middle of having to sell part of the team, and Cuban wanted to be involved.

Things happened, and it did not work out. That does not mean he is not interested in rebuilding the Pirates.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday afternoon that they are extending the contract of general manager Ned Colletti.

The terms of the agreement were not available, except that it would be a multi-year deal.

"It's a long-term deal and I'll be here for a long time and maybe here for longer than that," said Colletti.

In his four-year tenure as general manager, Colletti has guided the Dodgers to the playoffs three out of four seasons, and helped the team capture back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1977-78.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on Tuesday afternoon that Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly took part in a phone interview for the unoccupied Cleveland Indians’ managerial job.

Mattingly was said to have a phone conversation sometime last week with Indians’ general manager Mark Shapiro and assistant general manager Chris Antonetti.

"I've wanted to manage a long time and I've been moving in that direction," said Mattingly.

When the division series played out, pairing the Angles vs. the Yankees and the Phillies vs. the Dodgers, I thought to myself, "All right. This should be some good baseball to watch."

Then the series started, and I have a completely different opinion. I now yell out loud, "God, I can't listen to these f***in' sh*thead idiots!!"

On another bone-chilling night, in the last of the ninth inning, the Phillies still preserved the biggest hit. A shot on a night that dictated the Dodgers' season.

If there’s a veteran the Phillies can depend on, Jimmy Rollins is the name to single out.

So far, we've looked at two names that the Atlanta Braves could pursue this offseason in Prince Fielder and Juan Rivera .

We'll continue in the Juan Rivera-Esq direction (as in realistic options) with this piece.

Now, I know that I made a small case against him in the Juan Rivera article, but today we are going to talk about Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz.

While the majority sentiment has focused on over-managing and the alleged Mariano Rivera spitball, it’s an entirely different issue that may have cost the Yankees a nine-inning win last night.

With two on and one out in the top of the eighth and the score tied at four, Melky Cabrera and his slumbering bat feebly approached the plate. Predictably, Cabrera struck out.

Throughout the playoffs, Joe Girardi has turned to Joba Chamberlain in high-leverage situations. My question is, why? I haven't seen Chamberlain do anything to warrant trusting him in a big spot.

Chamberlain has been inconsistent all season and there is no doubt that David Robertson is a better option out of the bullpen at this point. Now, I'm not trying to knock Joba; I am actually not as down on his season as most people are. He was only slightly below average for the season, which is just fine for a back-end starting pitcher.

Prospect #16 comes in the form of a athletic outfielder who has drawn comparisons to a guy who hit over .320 his rookie year and has two 25 home run seasons to his name. Prospect #16 is Ronnie Welty

Welty was a 20th round draft pick by the Orioles in 2008. At the time he was rated as the 5th best junior-college player in the nation. Welty was drafted in the 37th round in 2006, but a strong commitment to Kansas State kept him from signing.

During the 11th inning on Monday, seconds after Dave Robertson had registered the second out of what seemed to be an uneventful half inning, FOX cameras cut to Joe Girardi.

The Yankees manager looked discombobulated...even frantic. He took three quick steps toward his matchup binder sitting on the dugout bench, hurriedly flipped through the first few pages, and then he quickly turned around and shot up the dugout steps to pull Robertson from the game.

That was the precise moment when I knew for sure that Girardi was in over his head.