Sports Lists

March Madness might be in full swing right now, but you know what's only a few days away from beginning? The baseball season, meaning that, for the next six months, sports fans will get to experience America's pastime nearly every single night.

Oh, the elusive championship. Teams spend countless seasons hunting for it. Some make it to the top while others are left clamoring in the dust, looking like a character out of Mad Max.

When a franchise finally is able to nab a championship, things tend to change.

Our goal here was to analyze 10 changes that happen and explain each element in detail. Whether it's how these wins affect a city's economy or how coaches are suddenly given more slack, these changes are evident.

As if you need another reminder that Derek Jeter's life is better than yours, here it is.

While some spend retirement traveling and golfing, Jeter is, oh wait, he is actually traveling and golfing.

But unlike Average Joe, he's traveling with a supermodel and on the golf course with POTUS. Jeter also takes time out from relaxation to collect awards, work on new business ventures and just generally crush his post-baseball life. 

The Bay Area is one of the most beautiful and important sports areas in the country. Covering three major cities—Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose—the Bay Area has played home to some of the most prestigious franchises around.

By now, you know the drill. The point of this slideshow is to hone in and talk about the top 20 athletes in the history of the Bay Area.

A day at the ballpark doesn't really need a perfect sales pitch. Baseball season is the flag-bearer of springtime, and there's no better way to spend a warm summer night than sitting in the stands, watching your favorite MLB team while sipping on a cold beer.

But being an inherently good thing doesn't mean it can't be even better.

In life, and in sports, nearly everyone experiences prolonged periods of both success and failure. Of course, the 2014 sports year was far from different, as fans were treated to some truly memorable performances, of both the good and bad sort.

Madison Bumgarner, for example, had a downright iconic year, establishing himself as one of baseball’s all-time greats with the type of postseason pitching we’d never seen before.

Are you too cool to bring your glove?

That's what most people say, which is why 99 percent of the time when a ball goes into the stands, an all-star-like display of clumsiness ensues.

No matter the excuse for unpreparedness, though, every fan wants to make a spectacular catch and hand the ball to the little kid next to them.  Darn societal conscience.