Fan News

Manager of the year in baseball, like many leagues, is often given to a manager able to lead his team to the playoffs. However, what if in 2011 the AL Manager of the Year was given to a manager who's team has a 62-95 record entering Sept. 29.

Bring in Buck Showalter. Although Showalter has little chance of winning the AL Manager of the Year Award for the third time, the question I ask, that the 1989 Orioles coined, "Why Not?"

The Philadelphia Phillies should be the favorite to not only represent the National League in the World Series, but they should be the favorite to win the World Series title.

The Phillies have the best three starting pitchers in baseball: Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt.

They also have home field advantage up until the World Series where they have a record of 54-30.

They have an offensive lineup that is coming together and can hit with the best in baseball.

I wrote Its Getting Hot in Here, So Take Off All Your Clothes back in May. I was laughed at, ridiculed and told to cut back on the drinking (or smoking) because it was messing with my head. But I was just fed up and could not take watching awful baseball anymore.

Before my head gets too big and explodes, though, I have just a few things to back up my proud smile today.

Probably not, but I figured someone owed Paul Konerko some publicity since ESPN often either forgets to do actual reporting and research or simply forgets to be logical.

As of Wednesday, Miguel Cabrera is out for the season due to a sprained ankle, so his numbers are concrete at .328 BA, .420 OBP, .622 SLG, and a 1.042 OPS to go along with 38 home runs, 126 RBI, 111 runs, and three stolen bases in 150 games played.

The San Francisco Giants are moving up Tim Lincecum's next start to tonight while pushing Madison Bumgarner to tomorrow's series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With Monday's day off, Lincecum is pitching on his "normal" rest, and there should be no sign of fatigue with the change in the two-time Cy Young award winner.

Remember that movie Thinner?

It was based on a novel by Stephen King, in which an obese family man commits a hit-and-run, only the victim is the daughter of a witch, or a wizard, or a gypsy. Listen, 1996 was a long time ago.

Anyway, the witch/wizard/gypsy casts a hex on the fatty—"You keeel my daughter, and I curse you, thinnnnnnnner"—and the obese family man wastes away to nothing and (I think) eventually dies.

“Cro” was once considered a part of the best outfields in the game as a member of the Montreal Expos in the early 1980s.

Then Warren Cromartie made a name for himself—as well as a book—when he took his game to Japan.

He turns 57 today.

These past two seasons have seen the Orioles graduate more top prospects than nearly any other franchise. 

According to Baseball America's 2009 top prospects list, four members of the Orioles top 10 graduated to the Majors, and eight of the top 29.

This season, the team has seen five of the top 10 players move on to the greener pasture that is Camden Yards, including prospects number one (Brian Matusz), two (Josh Bell), and four (Jake Arrieta).

Jay Bruce and Joey Votto are not yet household names among baseball fans. Soon, they will be.

In about a week's time the Cincinnati Reds will be playing in the National League playoffs for the first time in 15 years as the 2010 NL Central Division champions.

Congratulations to the Cincinnati Reds for winning the National League Central and advancing to the postseason for the first time since 1995.

The Reds are one of baseball’s young, up-and-coming teams with tons of future superstars in Joey Votto and Aroldis Chapman.

They have excellent veteran leaders in Scott Rolen, Orlando Cabrera, and Brandon Phillips.  Cincinnati's manager is also one of the game’s best in Dusty Baker.