World Series

Dear Roger Clemens:

I've had enough: I'm leaving you behind. It's time to say goodbye. You chose to go the route you did and drag everyone that loved watching you compete down with you.

In the words of Fleetwood Mac, "You can go your own way." 

You were once a paragon of athleticism and hard work. You symbolized what ability, hard work and arrogance could accomplish not only in baseball, but also in life. You were an artist on the mound that mixed perfect mechanics, a blazing fastball, splitter, fear and location into 300-plus wins.

Curt Schilling, the man who returned to Boston and brought home a World Series in 2004, has officially announced his retirement.

Here's a portion of Schilling's retirement post at 38Pitches.com:

Officially there are now just 14 days left until the 2009 MLB season opens. Who will be this year's Tampa Bay Rays?

Last year's Rays went from celler dweller to World Series runners-up. So who will be this year's Rays?

Being a 44-year Cubs fan, can't remember anything before age 5, of course we all hope this will be the year.

And why not? Lilly, Dempster, Harden and Zambrano all return. Gone is oft-injured closer Kerry Wood. Hopefully Kevin Gregg will suffice.

After 100 years, we've gotta be close. But enough about my hopes and dreams.

For years Cubs expectations have been based on them being overdue to win a championship. We've all heard this phrase, "It's been 90+ years and the Cubs MUST win a championship this year." 

For the record, it's now a 100+ years but the Cubs are expected to play deep into October because they're one of the most talented teams in all of baseball.  The expectations have nothing to do with their World Series drought. 

I remember jumping up and down in front of my dad one evening in 1997. 

The Florida Marlins, Cleveland Indians, and a sour apple lollipop my mother reluctantly gave me after literally an hour of begging, which in turn probably made jumping up and down a bad idea. 

The stage was set.

Johnny Bench will be 62 this year.  Pete Rose was thrown out of baseball 20 years ago.  Sparky Anderson is an old man with three rings from two leagues.  The team had two losing seasons from 1961-81—six less than they have had since 2000.  For a team whose future still seems a ways off, Reds' fans can remember the glorious summer of 1976.

Since going to a League Championship Series in 1969, only one team has swept the LCS and World Series in the same year—the 1976 Reds.  And they seemed to do it on cruise control.

Derek Jeter's range at shortstop has been scrutinized a lot in the media recently as Yankees writers are already worrisome of the Yankees' defense in 2009.  Frankly, it's pissing me off.

The Red Sox slipped only a little in 2008, reaching game seven of the ALCS after entering the year as defending World Series Champions. But even if the Sox hold their ground again in 2009, others appear to have gained on them.

Though Boston returns virtually the entire roster from a team that has been the class of the AL over the last two years, it failed in its pursuit of No. 1 offseason target Mark Teixeira, who signed with the rival Yankees.