Rankings/List

Two or three weeks ago, I wrote an article that ranked every Center Fielder in the history of MLB, offensively. A letter grade was given to each player, and they were also put in order from 1-236.

I will do the same thing in this article, defensively—every Center Fielder in the history of MLB that played in at least 800 games.

At a later date, I will rank them overall, combining offensive and defense.

I suspect I'm not a whole lot different than you are in many ways. 

When 'Old Time Rock And Roll' blasts from the radio, I grab my wife's hair brush and slide across the hardwood floor wearing nothing but a white Hathaway button down and a pair of Fruit of the Looms.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported today that Cubs Chairman Crane Kenny anticipates payroll room to make moves around the July trading deadline.

This is good news for Cubs fans in that it gives the team a competitive advantage if the Cubs discover they need some help around midseason.

This also means that the sale of the team will be done by then. The Sun Times quotes Kenney as saying the Tribune and the Ricketts family are "very close to the terms of their deal," which could be wrapped up in May.

Professional sports fans know that they will suffer through their share of last-second heartaches, missed opportunities, and close calls that could have gone either way.

Minnesota Twins fans are no exception.

Some of the franchise's setbacks have occurred on the diamond. Some have taken place in the offseason. On at least one occasion, the worst moment of all unfolded far removed from the roar of the crowd.

10. Sept. 28, 1982

Hitters

Here’s a look at some players who got out of the gate early last year. It may be wise to target these players late in the draft and move them if they start hot again.

José López - Lopez’s three best career months for average are April, June, and May.

Listing the 10 best Hall of Fame (HOF) ballplayers of all time is difficult enough; to actually rank them would be darn near impossible, so the following list is not intended to be in any sort of order. In fact, ranking Babe Ruth at number one is the only certainty I can imagine.

1. Chris Young

-We all know that Young has plus power and the ability to steal bases, but at the same time, Young has not yet scratched the surface of his vast potential. In 2008, Young struggled to get on base consistently (.315 OBP), hit for a high average (.248) and struck out far too many times (165 K), especially for a leadoff hitter.

I usually try to stay away from these kinds of articles but, after reading several "Greatest Team Ever" or "Best Team Ever" articles, I decided to write my own. Now, I know this I have only been around for 19 years on God's good green Earth so I do have a bit of bias towards today's players. But, all biases will be put aside and I will judge players based on career and other information.

So I started with about 35 potential starting second basemen and I thought a lot about it. Now here’s Carter’s version of the top 30 MLB second basemen entering the 2009 season.

Drop a comment if you agree or are a little confused about someone being too high or too low.

1. Ian Kinsler (Rangers)

2. Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox)

3. Brian Roberts (Orioles)

4. Chase Utley (Phillies)

5. Brandon Phillips (Reds)

6. Jose Lopez (Mariners)

7. Kelly Johnson (Braves)

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Shea Stadium. Let's welcome Bob Murphy to the microphone (Tim McCarver is up in the TV booth) to introduce the Irish Mets—a list of Mets who have at least Irish-sounding names. Feel free to hit comments to add suggestions, nitpick heritage, or bitch. Bob, take it away... (no, I'm not going to attempt to write in Murph-cadence).