Fan News

"Grounder to second, Iwamura picks it up and steps on the bag. The Rays have done it!  The Rays are going to the World Series!"

Every Rays fan remembers where they were when then-Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura stepped on the bag to clinch the American League Pennant and capped off a magical season, even if the clock struck 12 during the World Series.

Despite a history of Hall of Famers roaming centerfield for the Yankees, the position has been in flux since George Steinbrenner signed Kenny Loften after the 2003 season to help share the load with Bernie Williams . Last season, the Yankees got by with Melky Cabrera , but the only reason they seemed comfortable with that was because they were so solid at every other position.

When Justin Upton signed his six-year, $51.25 million contract, it not only signified that the Diamondbacks were committed to Upton, but also that the 22-year-old was ready to step into his seemingly reserved role as one of baseball’s elite outfielders.

But the deal also sent another message to baseball fans. A little less than a month earlier B.J. Upton lost his arbitration case to the Tampa Bay Rays, resulting in a salary of $3 million for the 2010 season. B.J. filed for $3.3 million.

The stratification of wealth between Major League Baseball teams is reaching endemic proportions. For the amount he spent on the Yankees two years ago, George Steinbrenner could have paid the Florida Marlins’ players nine times over and still had enough left to buy himself a nice yacht.

Once again, Carlos Pena professes his love for the Rays and his desire to stay there long term. I never expected to see anyone express a strong desire to stay with the Rays long term, but wow have times changed:

Baseball is a funny game.

One minute you are considered the most lethal,  dominant closer this game has ever seen, next you are being booed by your home crowd, on your way to independent baseball.

That is what makes this game so irresistible and endearing to its players and fans.

Despite all the heartbreak one endures during a career, one’s competitiveness brings them back, wanting to prove naysayers wrong.

Snubs are made whether it be during the All-Star break or post-season awards.

Thus, we can classify them as underrated, if they're not getting the proper accolades from the fans or even sportswriters. This isn't fantasy world, this is real world contributors.

Here are 12 guys who performed well in 2009 but didn't get the respect they deserved.

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The Yankees have kept fans largely in the dark this winter about when single game tickets will be available available to the general public, but apparently Staten Island Yankee fans are in the loop because for the second year-in-a-row they’re the first to know.

Anyways, NYY Stadium Insider has the lowdown on the ticket situation:

The Seattle Mariners are a hot pick in 2010—and for good reason.

Last year, the M’s rebounded from a 101-loss ’08 campaign to win 85 games and lead the American League in staff ERA (3.87). The top of their lineup now features a “double-whammy” of Ichiro and Chone Figgins while the top of their starting rotation now includes the “one-two punch” of Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee.

Yes, Seattle could be very good. But so too could those L.A. Angels.

It’s not everyday the Yankees are outbid by many teams, a few years ago they were outbid by Boston for Daisuke Matsuzaka, but that was the Red Sox and with their nearly $170 million payroll you’d expect them to outbid somebody sometime. The Blue Jays however? Come on!