Fan News

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella has seen enough of this season apparently and has decided to retire from it and his career after Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves. 

In mid-July, Piniella had announced that this would be his final season in the big leagues, after 18 seasons as a player and 22 as a manager.

Third base coach Mike Quade will serve manager the rest of the Cubs' season.

This week it was announced that a grand jury is indicting Roger Clemens for lying to congress. Really. In this economy. 

Glad to know we're keeping on top of the things that are important.

I've been very clear in several articles that I think we need to give up the war on PED's because it will never work. But even if you believe that drug testing in sports can work, you have to admit that prosecutions like this one are frivolous.

You have to love the dog days of summer. 

Since the end of basketball free agency the major sports writers have been trying their mightiest to find a headline. 

Yeah, NFL training camps have opened but it isn't the same.  Baseball is in the summer lull and there hasn't been a no-hitter in almost a month.  So, what have the writers been doing, making up stories on topics that really aren't story worthy. 

I'll give a few examples and how I think they could be solved.

The Yankees placed Alex Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday. The move is looked at as a precautionary one; the Yankees want to make sure that the injury does not turn into a bigger problem as we approach the playoffs.

With a win on Saturday, the Yankees improved to 11-0 when Alex Rodriguez is not in the lineup. They increased their runs per game value without him to 8.2, as opposed to 5 with him.

Just when you think they're done, they pop back into the race. Well, sort of.

Sitting 7.5 games back in the NL wild card race, the New York Mets still have an outside chance of making the playoffs. 

I know. It seems crazy to consider this. The Mets have been horrible this summer. They were just 1.5 games back exactly two months ago, but went on a downward spiral that left many of us assuming they were done.

They've collapsed in years past, so why not again?

I know the Giants are in the thick of the playoff race, but their recent troubles have got me wondering about next year and how we can improve.  I think it is clear that this team, while they still have a chance, remains behind the top teams in the National League in terms of talent.

The Steroid Era has officially left its mark in professional sports while tarnishing the reputation of America's pastime.

With the recent indictment of legendary hurler Roger Clemens, the next generation will be very confused about which players to look up to.

Players like Roger Clemens have forced parents to lie to their Little Leaguers and young baseball stars by telling them their favorite players are stand-up citizens.

PITTSBURGH: The last time the Mets swept a road series against a National League team of three or more games was September 2008. It's hard to believe, but that's a fact.

Today, the Mets can end the drought by beating the Pirates. With Johan Santana on the mound against Pittsburgh, you'd think there's no way the Mets can lose.

Hopefully, that's the case, as the Mets try to pick up more ground in the NL Wild Card chase.

What happened to Derek Lowe?

In the offseason of 2009, the Atlanta Braves signed Derek Lowe to a four-year, $60 million dollar contract. Lowe was one of the most accomplished pitchers in baseball. He was the man who broke the curse of the Bambino, he threw the first no-no in Fenway since 1965, and in his four previous years, his ERA never climbed above four.

Since 2005, the only National League pitcher to win more games than Lowe is Roy Oswalt.

That was the old Derek Lowe.

Preface: This article is not just the best players at each position, no matter the circumstances (payroll, player preferences, owners, etc). The criteria used for the article includes all of the before mentioned attributes and they are factored in to each position.

The 2010 season is over for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Faithful fans are still watching, but the Boys in Blue are really only mathematically in it, not realistically.