
Our MLB editor files dispatches from the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas in Notes From Sin City.
While the baseball world watches and waits for Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia to make up their mind, or even just for a scrap from super-agent Scott Boras, closer Francisco Rodriguez has become the belle of the Winter Meetings ball.
Though the Mets have yet to publicly acknowledge that they have signed the record-setting reliever, it is widely believed that Rodriguez has agreed to a three-year deal with the club worth roughly $37 million and containing a vesting option for a fourth year that could push its value past $50 million.
Problem solved, right? Third straight September swoon averted, right? Hardly.
Look, there's no doubt that the Mets' biggest need heading into the offseason was to fix their wretched bullpen. And there's no doubt that Rodriguez is a big part of the puzzle in that regard. But they also play in the same division as the reigning world champions and a pair of clubs in the Marlins and Braves who are capable of winning 85-plus games if things break right.
New York has some elite talent -- Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Johan Santana -- but it also has a roster that is perilously thin at the margins.
After giving the city of Philadelphia their first championship of any major sport in 28 years,
Much like the
Last year, the Red Sox celebrated their championship by re-signing World Series MVP
In the
Two days ago, we prepared for Game 5 of the World Series by wondering if the Rays could step up in the face of two ugly losses and find a way to beat the best pitcher in the post-season to keep their World Series hopes alive. Today, we're still wondering about Game 5, but the complexity of the game has changed entirely. The score is tied at two, we're 5 1/2 innings in, and neither team has played for two days.
There was nothing normal about this particular World Series win for Philadelphia. For starters,
Sunny might be a stretch for Philadelphia's forecast tonight (especially, you know, since the sun won't be up). But the good news for everyone involved is that the rain which was originally predicted for Philly tonight is
In the 

