Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
It's been quite a decade for the Red Sox, who flipped an 86-year-old script in 2004 by winning a World Series and a second in 2007, but they enter this offseason behind a very familiar eight ball.
Yes, Boston made the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons in 2009, but after getting swept by the Angels in the American League Division Series and watching the Yankees win their 27th World Series just weeks later, it is once again the chaser.
The Red Sox have redefined success at Fenway Park over the last few years. Now the trick is to keep duplicating it, a task that's harder than ever with their more monied rivals to the south apparently rejuvenated.
Tuesday, FanHouse had the opportunity to discuss the MLB Playoffs with Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, who currently serves as a studio analyst for TBS. TBS will be broadcasting all four Division Series and also the NLCS again this season. Ernie Johnson is the studio host while Dennis Eckersley and David Wells join Ripken as studio analysts for these playoff games.
Of all the things Ripken discussed Tuesday, the most intriguing subject, not surprisingly, was one Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod is an oft-maligned regular season superstar, in that he's put up extremely gaudy regular season numbers throughout his career, yet has never played in a World Series and has pretty sub-par numbers in the playoffs overall -- especially of late.
Terry Francona announced the Red Sox rotation for the series on Sunday as well. Jon Lester will take the ball in Game 1 to face Lackey, while Josh Beckett will start Game 2 followed by the young Clay Bucholz in Game 3. The question is, who will Boston's fourth starter be?
While it would be nice to run Beckett out there and get a win, the game likely bears little consequence for the Red Sox on the whole. The Yankees have already clinched the AL East, and the Red Sox hold a six-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the wild-card race with just seven games to play.
There won't be a happier fan in all of Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday night than Randy Aaron Barker. As you can probably guess by the fact that we referred to him by three names, Barker has had some trouble with the law, but unlike most of those thrown behind bars, Barker's pleas for mercy fell on willing ears.
A judge in Iowa allowed Barker, who is serving a 10-day sentence for interference with official acts and violation of a protective order, to be temporarily released so he could join his father and brother at the game. Barker told the judge that the three of them had been planning a trip to the game for three months, that they hadn't been able to attend a game in 25 years and that baseball was one of the "few pleasures" of his life.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's weekly, extended look at some aspect of America's pastime.
As I look ahead to the MLB playoffs, I'm faced with the fact that my beloved Cubbies aren't going to be competing. Being a devout baseball fan, though, there's no way I'm not watching the postseason. Without a horse in the race, I'm forced to focus instead on individuals, and there are always plenty of reasons to watch certain players. Thus, I'm going to list 10 players I'm looking forward to watching and five players I wish I could come October.
With the recent additions to major league ball teams due to the expansion of rosters there aren't that many two-start pitchers next week. And there are still a few situations up in the air. The landscape could change rather quickly as teams decide if they want to run with a six-man rotation or keep things normal with five starters.
Not only has Pedro Martinez looked great in his early starts but he gets to face the Nationals and the Mets next week. He would be a great two-start add, and he's only owned in 33% of fantasy leagues.
There are 35 total two-start pitchers for week 23. Make sure you get your rosters set by 12:35 PM ET as the Cubs and Pirates play first on Monday.
For a number of major league teams Mondays and Thursdays are travel days. Every Wednesday and Sunday, Fantasy Fill-Ins finds guys who should be widely available on the waiver wire and can step in for the day, helping you gain ground or hold off the pack.
On Monday we have 12 major league games on the docket but on 22 teams are playing because Tampa Bay and New York play in a double header. That means there are plenty of players to choose from on the waiver wire. If you have players in your fantasy baseball lineup from Baltimore, Detroit, Seattle, Oakland, Florida, Atlanta, Washington or the New York Mets, grab a fill-in. They all have the day off on Monday.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
The team might not win a lot of games, but it sure is fun watching the Washington Nationals hit.
In yesterday's 8-3 win against Milwaukee, the Nationals received dingers from Christian Guzman, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Zimmerman. The round-tripper was Guzman's fifth of the year. Seeing Dunn and Zimmerman display some power is nothing new for Nationals fans; in fact, the pair has hit homers in the same game four times in August and the seventh time this season. The round-tripper was Guzman's fifth of the year.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Heading into the season, the signs were there that the Rockies' 25-year-old right-handed starter Ubaldo Jimenez was ready for a breakout campaign. The only question was his occasional lack of command, which reared its ugly head in April (he started the season 1-3 with a 7.58 ERA and 2.11 WHIP). Since then, though, Jimenez has actually been one of the best hurlers in baseball and he's been even hotter for the past month.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
Tuesday, FanHouse had the opportunity to discuss the 
While we're not going to know who the 
According to reports from the Boston area, 
There won't be a happier fan in all of Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday night than Randy Aaron Barker. As you can probably guess by the fact that we referred to him by three names, Barker has had some trouble with the law, but unlike most of those thrown behind bars, Barker's pleas for mercy fell on willing ears. 
With the recent additions to major league ball teams due to the expansion of rosters there aren't that many two-start pitchers next week. And there are still a few situations up in the air. The landscape could change rather quickly as teams decide if they want to run with a six-man rotation or keep things normal with five starters.
For a number of major league teams Mondays and Thursdays are travel days. Every Wednesday and Sunday, 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
