Fan News

It's playoff time!

I know fans of the Yankees, Twins, Rays, Rangers, Giants, Phillies, Reds, and Braves are all gearing up with their jerseys, hats, and probably car flags to show their support as the playoffs get underway this afternoon.

What happened during the season means nothing at this point. Every team starts 0-0 and it become a whole new, albeit short, season.

The postseason is finally here, and now it’s time to preview each team that has a chance to win the World Series.

I’ll list the MLB odds on every team to win it all while also giving you some insight to every clubhouse. 

I'll also be covering the postseason with more baseball articles on a weekly basis.

Philadelphia Phillies: (+225)

ALDS: Tampa Bay Rays (96-66) vs. Texas Rangers (90-72)

While I really like this Texas Rangers team, I have to give the edge to Tampa Bay. The Rays have had the Rangers number, especially at home. Tampa Bay has won its last four overall against Texas, and 17 of its last 22 at home in this series. Tampa Bay won all three of its home games against Texas this season. The Rangers played below .500 ball on the road this year, and ultimately not having home field should cost them in this series. 

Adam Lind’s 2010 campaign was disappointing, as he fell well shy of what many hoped was his 2009 breakout (.305, 35 HR, 114 RBI).

The fact of the matter is, he had little opportunity to approach those numbers once again.

His HR/FB in ‘09 was 19.8 percent, significantly higher then what he had posted in portions of the prior two years (13.3 percent and 11.0 percent).

The 2010 NLDS has arrived and it has pitted David against Goliath.
 
It’s the mighty Philadelphia Phillies against the “happy to be here” Cincinnati Reds.
 
Going from 78 wins to 91 is an outstanding achievement. The Queen city enjoyed quite the celebration when the team went out to Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati to celebrate the teams’ first postseason appearance since 1995 on Monday.
 
But is that it? Are you satisfied Reds fans?
 

While the playoffs are now on the front burner, in the back of every baseball fan's mind, or the front if your team has been eliminated from contention, is what moves the team will make this offseason.

Free agency is always a hot bed for debate, and every year there will be a fair share of diamonds in the rough as well as big time busts. Often times, contracts are a sign of the free agent class as a whole and not necessarily what the player is worth. Once the top tier guys start to get signed, teams that missed out often overpay for second tier guys, and so on.

The calendar has turned to October, the weather has gotten chillier, and the regular season of the 2010 MLB season is finally over.

Playoff baseball has arrived!

The Yankees, who earned the Wild Card, finished 2010 at 95-67, just one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays, who won the A.L. East division over the defending champions.

Numbers 100-81

100. Heath Bell

99. Brian Roberts

98. Chris Young

97. John Danks

96. Ted Lilly

95. Magglio Ordonez

94. C.J. Wilson

93. Buster Posey

92. David Ortiz

91. Andy Pettitte

90. Chad Billingsley

89. Adrian Beltre

88. Shaun Marcum

87. Joakim Soria

86. Delmon Young

85. Nick Swisher

84. Tommy Hanson

83. Paul Konerko

82. Brandon Phillips

81. Trevor Cahill

Here's Part 2...

The Los Angeles Dodgers couldn't have summarized their disappointing season any better than manager Joe Torre's farewell speech Sunday, following a Dodgers win that allowed the team to finish a game under .500 for a fourth-place finish in the National League West.

Torre's speech seemed to stumble along in pleasantry, rambling while he searched for words to describe his tenure as Dodgers manager.

The 2010 MLB Playoffs are finally here.  Time for heroes to be made and remembered forever.  

These four series in Round 1 will be very telling and will help shape the remainder of the playoffs.  Many have been anticipating this playoff season for some time.

For some, it is seen as revenge, while others just try to come in and make a name for themselves.

The playoffs only come once a year but have a lasting impact from season-to-season.  

This playoff season will be no different.