In a move that was anticipated for weeks, the New York Mets officially hired Sandy Alderson as their next General Manager on Friday. The Mets signed Alderson to a four-year deal with a club option for 2015.

Despite the Mets interviewing candidates like Rick Hahn, Allard Baird, and Josh Byrnes, Alderson was the Mets' guy from the beginning. Alderson is a Bud Selig guy and the Wilpons are Selig guys, so this was a match from the beginning.

The AL East is a battleground and while Toronto may be the best fourth-place team in the majors, 85-77 isn't going to send them to October. 

The John Farrell era doesn't need to be kicked off with another "rebuilding year." They can win now; the Jays just need a little help. 

Enter Manny Ramirez. Some of you may shake your heads at the idea of bringing the 38-year-old troublemaker to Canada but it's not really a bad idea at all. In fact Manny may be the X-factor. 

That's right, I said it.  Javier Vazquez would be a great fit for the New York Mets.  Last year, Vazquez was less than stellar for the Yankees.  He just couldn't seem to get it going, but when he finally did, he did it in Citi Field.

During the Subway Series, Vazquez pitched one of the best games of his not-so-good season.  It seemed as if Vazquez benefited from the spacious dimensions of Citi Field.  He was throwing strikes and was keeping the ball in the park. 

Down two games to none in the World Series, the Texas Rangers desperately needed some home cookin’, and more importantly needed a win in Game 3. The guy they relied on for a big performance was Colby Lewis and like in his three postseason games prior, Lewis delivered.

Wow. What to say.

For anyone in Cub-land who lives in a cave or doesn’t have electricity, the Cubs announced Tuesday that Mike Quade would indeed be retaining his job as manager.  Not, as many believed, losing it to HOF 2B Ryne Sandberg.

Someone once said that a playoff series hasn't begun until a road team wins.

Based on that idea, the matchup between the Giants and Rangers is still at the starting line. The next three games of the 2010 World Series will be played in Arlington, and that suits Ron Washington and his ball club just fine.

Down 2-0, the Rangers need a win to reverse the momentum that the Giants established in the pair of games at AT&T Park.

Here are three keys for a Game 3 victory for the Rangers:

In no particular order, here are the factors that led to the end result in Game 2 of the World Series.

1. Bruce Bochy is pushing all the right buttons.

2. Ron Washington doesn’t even know where the buttons are to push.

3. The Texas Rangers’ bullpen had a complete meltdown.

4. Matt Cain.

Selected in the first round of the 2007 draft by the Minnesota Twins, outfielder Ben Revere got his first taste of the Major Leagues in 2010 and could be in line to make an impact in 2011. 

The 22-year-old has shown tremendous speed since making his professional debut, and that could certainly make him an important cog in the Twins lineup.

Before we get into what he can bring to the table in 2011, let’s look at the numbers he posted at Double-A in 2010:

It was the same feeling I had as a little kid on the night before Christmas, where no matter how hard you try to sleep, it is physically impossible because you are anticipating the next day’s excitement.

As a kid, I was excited to see what Santa left under the tree, but last week I couldn't wait to attend my first ever World Series.

I called my buddy, let's call him Michael, after Game 2 of the World Series. I figured he would be in a bar in San Francisco watching the Giants game. 

Upon calling, a random stranger picked up the phone. I heard screaming, I heard joy, and far in the distance, I heard Michael screaming "Ya! Go Giants!"

That epitomized what the first two games in San Francisco have been for Giants fans: a big party.