Jeter cements an amazing legacy

By Chris Ruddick


Derek Jeter has now done something that no other player in the illustrious history of the New York Yankees has ever done.

Think about that for a second.

For a franchise that has trotted out the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, amongst other numerous Hall of Famers, it is an organization that has never had a player reach 3,000 hits.

That is until Saturday afternoon, when Derek Sanderson Jeter became the first Yankee to reach the plateau, smoking a third-inning homer to left field off Tampa Bay starter David Price.

While four members of the 3,000-hit club played for the Yankees at some point in their careers -- Wade Boggs, Rickey Henderson, Paul Waner and Dave Winfield -- Jeter becomes the first to achieve the feat while wearing pinstripes.

While four members of the 3,000-hit club played for the Yankees at some point in their careers, Derek Jeter becomes the first to achieve the feat while wearing pinstripes.

The milestone, though, is just the latest in a long line of accolades for Jeter, perhaps the most beloved New York athlete since the Jets' Joe Namath, and maybe the most cherished Yankee since Mickey Mantle.

With all due respect to the late great Thurman Munson and Don Mattingly, I think El Capitan has them beat.

It's funny that after 16-plus years of hearing that Jeter's worth on the field has been his intangibles, the things that don't show up in the box score, he is now being honored like no other for a personal, statistical accomplishment.

For a player that has been pretty guarded throughout his career, Jeter seemed to have embraced the moment. He has even let an HBO documentary crew film the events and hoopla leading up to it.

When you hear his name you think of his countless clutch plays, whether it's the Jeffrey Maier home run, the flip in Oakland, the dive into the stands against Boston, or of course his Mr. November home run in the 2001 World Series.

His numbers are never bandied about because, while they are freakishly consistent, they really don't stand out. As adored as he is in New York and despite the fact that he has been the face of the game since he became a regular in 1996, he is always mentioned with the most overrated players in the league. Not to mention he has been called the worst defensive shortstop in the game.

Sure, he's never won a batting title, or an MVP award, but overrated? Really? Are you paying attention at all?

Is it jealousy? Perhaps. I mean it's probably pretty cool being Derek Jeter. He is a kajillionaire playing for the most storied franchise in all of sports in the biggest and brightest city on the planet. Plus the laundry list of his accomplishments off the field arguably rivals what he has done on it.

Not to turn this into a TMZ article, but among others, Jeter has been linked to countless supermodels and Hollywood actresses. Mariah Carey in her prime. Scarlett Johansson. Jessica Alba. Vanessa Minnillo. Jessica Biel. Minka Kelly.

My friends, that is what Charlie Sheen would call winning.

You can argue all you want that Jeter is overrated, but I doubt anyone who does watched him on a regular basis during his heyday.

While it may not be the most exclusive group in the game -- there have been just 20 pitchers who have thrown perfect games and only 15 have pulled off the unassisted triple play -- you can make the argument that Jeter becoming the 28th member of the 3,000-hit club will go down as the most celebrated milestone ever.

For one, it's New York. And two, it's Jeter, perhaps the most marketable athlete in sports today; maybe ever, given where he plays.

Oh and if you don't believe me, remind me when I can catch Craig Biggio's HBO documentary, or Cal Ripken's for that matter.

In addition to the over-the-top celebration at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, I fully expect Major League Baseball to go out of its way to honor Jeter at some point on Tuesday during the All-Star Game.

This isn't the time to debate where Jeter ranks in connection with the all- time Yankee greats. When it's all said and done he may not sit at the big table with Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, or even Berra, but he's now the only one in the room who can boast that he has 3,000 hits.

AL Preview: It's still the Yanks, Red Sox and everyone else

By Chris Ruddick

Philadelphia, PA - After what seemed like the longest offseason ever, Major League Baseball is finally ready to open up shop again this week.

Perhaps it's the constant coverage, but this spring training seemed to linger longer. Twitter has become a terrific resource, but batter-by-batter updates in the spring is just too much, even for baseball diehards.

Anyway, the American League landscape has changed a lot since the end of last season, but a lot has also stayed the same. We start the year the same way we started last season: with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees as the favorites to represent the Junior Circuit in the World Series.

Of course, things don't always go on as planned, since neither of those two teams were in the Fall Classic a year ago. As they say, that is why they play the games.

For an insight into the season, here's a brief synopsis for each division and a look at some of the teams who will try to unseat the Texas Rangers as this year's AL representative:

AL EAST

BOSTON RED SOX:

The Red Sox missed out on the postseason for the first time in four years last season. It's hard to believe they will be watching at home this year following an offseason that saw them land not only outfielder Carl Crawford, but slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in addition to a few bullpen upgrades.

Now if Boston stays healthy in its rotation, the offensive additions will pretty much be a moot point. Jon Lester has blossomed into one of the five best pitchers in baseball and Clay Buchholz seems to be on that path as well. Mix in John Lackey, who should be better than he was his first year in Beantown, and a healthy Josh Beckett, and you have the makings of a staff that could be elite.

NEW YORK YANKEES:

New York had set its sights on adding free agent lefty Cliff Lee this winter, but came up empty when he turned down the Yankees' money to go to Philadelphia. To compound matters, Andy Pettitte retired and the Yankees were left scrambling to fill two rotation spots from the likes of young Ivan Nova and aging veterans Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon.

The Yankees return essentially the same lineup that scored more runs than any team in baseball last season. Keep in mind the Yankees racked up those 859 runs and 95 wins despite down years from Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.

New York's pitching isn't as bad as people are making it out to be. For one, their bullpen is as good as it has been in some time with the addition of Rafael Soriano. And two, people are getting too hung up on who a team's fourth or fifth starter will be. Who cares? If A.J. Burnett pitches well it won't matter, and besides, the Yankees have the resources to go out and acquire another starter in July if need be.

AL CENTRAL

CHICAGO WHITE SOX:

The White Sox made a big move in the Central in signing slugger Adam Dunn, but is it enough to get them past the Minnesota Twins? On paper the White Sox look good, but their biggest obstacle may be overcoming their volatile manager.

It's almost amazing to me that Ozzie Guillen still has a job. The constant outbursts, the idiotic remarks, his family insulting the organization. Enough is enough. You can almost let it slide if the team was winning. That World Series title in 2005 is a long time ago, though. His act gets more tired with each season. Mark my words, should the White Sox get off to a bad start this year, general manager Kenny Williams will not hesitate to pull the trigger and replace Guillen.

Even Guillen may not be able to stop the White Sox this year, though. Dunn is a 40-home run guy year-in and year-out, and with him combining with Paul Konerko and Alex Rios, this is a lineup that is going to score some runs. As big of a factor as I think Dunn is going to be, though, the player who may be the most important to the White Sox is second baseman Gordon Beckham, who is poised to have a big bounce-back campaign following a disappointing second season.

MINNESOTA TWINS:

While the manager may be the White Sox' biggest obstacle, the biggest reason the Twins are always in the mix is because of skipper Ron Gardenhire, who was the AL's Manager of the Year for the first time in his career last season.

The Twins have won the division the last two seasons without the services of Justin Morneau down the stretch. The first baseman is still feeling the effects from last year's concussion, but should be ready to go at the start of the season. How long he stays in the lineup is another question.

I'm not exactly sure how they do it, but the Twins are just real good at playing baseball. By hook or by crook, they find themselves playing meaningful baseball in the last month of the season. That should be the case again this year.

A lot of Minnesota's success has to do with the fact that the AL Central is mediocre, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that the Twins are just a top-notch organization from top-to-bottom.

DETROIT TIGERS:

As good as Chicago and the Twins may be, they both could be looking up at the Detroit Tigers, though. The Tigers struggled last season despite a sensational year from Miguel Cabrera, but still managed to finish .500. Cabrera had zero help from his lineup last year, but that should be different with the Tigers' signing of Victor Martinez this winter.

Like Cabrera, Detroit righty Justin Verlander was sensational but had little help from his rotation mates. Rick Porcello came on down the stretch and should be past his sophomore slump, while a lot of people expect flame-throwing righty Max Scherzer to have a breakout season this year.

AL WEST

TEXAS RANGERS:

The Rangers are still the favorites, but they could be in store for a letdown season following their first-ever trip to the World Series.

Without Lee, there is no real ace on this staff. Brandon Webb was brought in to be that guy, but he has barely pitched in the last two seasons and has already been shut down with a sore shoulder. Not to mention reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton is always a game away from a stint on the disabled list.

This whole Michael Young drama could be a distraction, too. though Young seems like too much of a professional to let that happen. That could be the best thing the Rangers have going for them heading into the season.

When Texas missed out on Lee, they signed Adrian Beltre to play third base. I'm not saying that Beltre does not give 100 percent effort all the time, but his two best years have come in contract seasons. Well I guess I am then, huh?

LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM:

Speaking of injuries ,the Angels had a ton of them last season. The worst, of course, was the broken leg to Kendrys "Don't Call Me Kendry" Morales, who was injured following a walk-off home run celebration in May. Yeah, it was that kind of year for Mike Scioscia's crew.

The Angels had a pretty awful offseason that was highlighted by the trade that landed them Vernon Wells and his enormous contract. Still and all, though, if the Angels stay healthy they have as good a chance as anyone to win the AL West.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS:

The team to watch out West is the Oakland Athletics. General manager Billy Beane has put together a terrific young team, especially in the starting rotation. Brett Anderson broke out two years ago and Trevor Cahill won 18 games last season. This year another one of the young guns, left-hander Gio Gonzalez, could be the breakout starter.

The A's can pitch, but I'm not sure they are going to be able to score enough runs to make a real push for a division title just yet.

BEST OF THE REST

TAMPA BAY: Following an offseason fire sale that saw them lose Crawford, Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, and most of their bullpen, not much is expected from the defending AL East champion Rays. However, they have some terrific young pitching, meaning they could be back with the division's elite sooner rather than later.

TORONTO: The Jays crushed a major-league high 257 home runs last season and still finished fourth in the AL East. They could get to third this season, but more likely they will be battling the Orioles for the division cellar.

BALTIMORE: Buck Showalter seems to have changed the mind-set and identity of this Orioles team. The O's have a pretty good lineup on paper, but I don't think the young pitching is there yet.

KANSAS CITY: The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter by the day, as blue-chip prospects Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer should both be with the team by the All-Star break.

CLEVELAND: Jack Hannahan is the Indians' starting third baseman. Enough said.

SEATTLE: There may not be a team in baseball with less expectations than the Mariners. New manager Eric Wedge has his work cut out for him, but he does have one of the best pitchers in the game in Felix Hernandez at his disposal.

PREDICTIONS

AL EAST: NY YANKEES AL CENTRAL: DETROIT TIGERS AL WEST: LA ANGELS WILD CARD: BOSTON RED SOX

ALDS: YANKEES OVER TIGERS, RED SOX OVER ANGELS ALCS: YANKEES OVER RED SOX

AL MVP: ADAM DUNN, CHICAGO WHITE SOX AL CY YOUNG: JON LESTER, BOSTON RED SOX AL ROOKIE: ERIC HOSMER, KANSAS CITY ROYALS AL MANAGER: BOB GEREN, OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Now is it time for the Phillies to worry about Utley?

By Chris Ruddick

Philadelphia, PA - The Philadelphia Phillies have done a good job at brushing aside questions about Chase Utley's balky right knee. They've insisted that he was fine, even though he had yet to play in a spring training game and last weekend received a cortisone shot in the knee for what the team was calling patellar tendinitis.

Well, now they have to start talking, because Utley's knee did not respond to the shot and the team is now searching for additional options that at this time do not include surgery.

Surgery seems inevitable at this point, though, and the likelihood that he will not head north with the team for Opening Day has become a very realistic possibility.

Phils general manager Ruben Amaro said that he wouldn't rule out Opening Day for Utley, then downplayed the importance of players being ready for the start of the season. So in other words, Philadelphia, be prepared to hear Wilson Valdez's name announced on April 1.

It's definitely not the news you want to hear from a team whose fan base has already started camping out on Broad Street for their World Series Championship parade.

I'm not sure if you heard, but the Phillies have "Four Aces". It was already going to be those pitchers who were going to carry them this season. The lineup underachieved last season and the team still won a major league-best 97 games. That happened because of a terrific pitching staff which only got better with the addition of lefty Cliff Lee this winter.

However, this is a lineup that was already going to be missing Jayson Werth. Now it appears the Phillies' three-hole hitter could be on the shelf for some time. Aside from Ryan Howard, who scares you in that lineup?

Of course, Michael Young's name is going to come up now. The Phils were linked to him early on in the process when the Rangers started taking offers. It seemed like a head scratchier then, but now not so much.

If the Utley situation is as dire as some people are making it out to be, then Young makes perfect sense. In fact, the Phillies wouldn't even skip a beat. Acquiring him may not be realistic, though. The team is already above its payroll threshold, and adding Young and the remaining $48 million left on his deal just doesn't seem like a very Phillies' move.

Then again, neither did adding Lee this winter.

You could also make the argument that bringing in Young is also insurance if Jimmy Rollins bolts as a free agent after the season. Actually, it's not insurance at all. Young is a better player than Rollins. Another sub-.250 season from Rollins and the Phils might be begging him to return to the West Coast.

I suspect the Phils will ride Valdez in the short term. Perhaps they add a veteran like David Eckstein, who is still looking for a job. And no, I doubt they will call the New York Mets about Luis Castillo.

The best case scenario for all involved here is that rest and rehab do the trick for Utley. The absolute worst-case scenario is that this becomes a situation like the one the Mets had with Carlos Beltran.

The more likely scenario is that Utley will need the knee scoped and miss the first month or so of the season. This is an injury, though, that will likely hinder him all year.

Ironically, I asked someone earlier in the week who would be more productive this season: Utley or Beltran? The guy laughed at me for even bringing something like that up.

It doesn't sound so crazy now, does it?

Pettitte ends a great career, but is it Hall worthy?

By Chris Ruddick,

Philadelphia, PA - I'm sure the New York Yankees had hoped for a different outcome, but if you had read the tea leaves coming from the Bronx these last couple of months nobody could have been surprised about Andy Pettitte's decision to call it quits after 16 major league seasons.

Pettitte had done this retirement dance with the Yankees over the past few offseasons, but always came back. This time his heart just wasn't into returning and he made it official on Friday, leaving the Yankees to continue to scour the free agent wire for warm bodies to slide into their rotation for the 2011 season.

For those keeping score at home, since being left at the alter by Cliff Lee, the Yankees have added Mark Prior, Bartolo Colon and most recently Freddy Garcia this winter. Not exactly the names you thought you'd hear once their season ended in Arlington.

Not having Pettitte, though, certainly can't be a surprise for general manager Brian Cashman, who hinted back at the Winter Meetings that the Yankees were probably going to be without their reliable left-hander this coming season.

Like every other Yankee fan on the planet, Cashman probably held on to the slimmest of hopes that he would return once Lee shocked the baseball world and chose Philadelphia, essentially leaving the Yankees high and dry.

As dire the situation may seem with regards to the Yankees rotation, you may want to hold off on their eulogy. Even without Pettitte, they boast a rotation that has perennial Cy Young Award candidate CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes, who is just 24 years old and is coming off a season that saw him win 18 games.

Even if Pettitte had returned, the Yankees' starting pitching hinged on a bounce-back season from A.J. Burnett. Of course, having Pettitte would have softened the blow of another awful season from Burnett, but how much faith could the Yankees have had in a 38-year-old Pettitte, who missed more than two months last season because of an injury.

So whether it's Garcia, Colon, Sergio Mitre, Ivan Nova or perhaps a youngster like Andrew Brackman, the Yankees have two spots to fill. Garcia was 12-6 in 28 starts last season with the White Sox. If he can do that for three months and the Yankees can tread water to the trade deadline, they will be fine. We all know there will be a starting pitcher available in July.

Let's not forget they still have a lineup that scored more runs than any in baseball last season and now with Rafael Soriano setting up Mariano Rivera, probably own the best bullpen in the league.

While it may be premature to write the Yankees off, let's not underestimate just how big a loss Pettitte is for the Bronx Bombers. As good as Sabathia is and as much potential as Hughes may have, is there any other pitcher the Yankees would rather have on the hill in a big spot than Pettitte?

Pettitte's 240 wins are the 13th most by a left-hander, while his remarkable 19 postseason victories are more than any pitcher in baseball history. His 203 Yankees victories put him third in franchise history, behind Hall of Famers Whitey Ford (236) and Red Ruffing (231), and his 1,823 strikeouts are second to Ford in Yankee annals.

New York first fell in love with Pettitte in 1995 when as a 23-year-old rookie he helped lead the Bronx Bombers back to the postseason for the first time in over a decade.

It wasn't until his second season in pinstripes, though, that the rest of the league started to take notice. Pettitte won 21 games that year, but it was his start in Game 5 of the World Series that made people realize just how special he really was.

That night, with the series tied at two games apiece, Pettitte outdueled Atlanta's John Smoltz, the NL Cy Young Award winner that year, as he scattered five hits over 8 1/3 scoreless frames to give the Yanks the advantage in a Fall Classic that they would eventually win.

Had Pettitte pitched his whole career in New York, he would own just about every Yankee pitching record and that, coupled with his postseason heroics, probably would have been enough to punch his ticket to Cooperstown. Not to say he wasn't good in those three years in Houston, but for whatever reason his career would have been looked at differently had he spent his entire 16 years in the Bronx.

Is he a Hall of Famer anyway? I don't know. Pettitte was great in the postseason. How many times did the Yankees call on Pettitte to get them back into a series? He was the Yankees stopper and every bit as big a part of those five World Series titles as Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.

Baseball doesn't reward postseason play like, say the NFL. If this was football, Pettitte would tap dance his way into the Hall. But for some reason postseason play isn't held in as high regard in baseball. See Jack Morris.

Pettitte's overall numbers are borderline, but his postseason magic should be enough to push a normal player over the top.

Of course, there is that little old performance enhancing drug cloud that hangs over his head. Pettitte was involved with human growth hormone and in the end, that will be what ultimately keeps him out.

Not to mention we are probably all going to be reminded of Pettitte's performance enhancing drug use over the next few months, as he will be one of the key witnesses in the Roger Clemens trial.

It's a credit to Pettitte's character that you almost forget that he admitted to using HGH. Everyone loves to say Pettitte did it the right way. He admitted to it and people moved on. A lot of people haven't forgotten.

Well let's be honest, Pettitte admitted to it after it was already out there. A year before the Mitchell Report fingered him, Pettitte's name came up in the Jason Grimsley investigation. At that time, Pettitte could have done the right thing, but he said that it was an embarrassment that he was even linked with something like that.

Really, Andy? Did you forget about those HGH injections you took back in 2002 in order to get back to your team quicker?

Pettitte can put any spin on it that he wants. He said he only did it to help his team, he wasn't trying to gain an edge. So were Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, your BFF Clemens and the countless looking for an edge?

Sorry Andy not buying it.

As great of a clutch pitcher and as entertaining it was to watch Andy Pettitte in October, in my eyes and a lot of others, he is just one of those black marks in an era that will be remembered as one of the worst the sport has produced.

Blyleven finally a Hall of Fame pitcher

By Chris Ruddick,

Philadelphia, PA - There is no Hall of Fame election that sparks the kind of debate that baseball's does. And for years, one of the biggest arguments has been whether or not Bert Blyleven should be in Cooperstown.

Well, the powers that be settled that dispute Wednesday when Blyleven, along with Roberto Alomar, was elected as part of the 2011 class to Baseball's Hall of Fame.

Alomar should have gotten in last year, but probably due to that unfortunate spitting incident in Toronto in 1996, he fell eight votes short. Blyleven, though, became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 1998. What exactly has he done in the last 14 years to warrant a call now?

I know he has 287 wins and ranks among the leaders with 3,701 strikeouts, but why has it been such an injustice that he was not in the Hall, rather than someone like Tommy John, whose career numbers are quite similar and whose legacy in the game now far outweighs Blyleven's?

Granted, I saw Blyleven late in his career, but I have always felt that if you have to think about it for longer than a minute or so, the player is not a Hall of Famer. I guess after 14 ballots the voters changed their minds because he received only 17.5 percent of the vote back in 1998.

Now, I don't think Jeff Bagwell is a Hall of Famer, but look at his numbers. How is he not a lock? Or at least better than the 41.7 percent he received his first time on the ballot this year? I will tell you why, because he played in the steroid era and although he has never been caught using performance enhancing drugs, he will always be linked because he had big numbers.

On the other hand we have Rafael Palmeiro, one of just four players in his career to amass 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. But he tested positive for steroids after wagging his finger in front of Congress, adamantly denying that he had used them.

We all know that steroids have always been baseball's dirty little secret. Most agree there were players who dabbled in them in the 1980s before it became commonplace in the 90s.

So, in this age where nobody is above suspicion, how do we not suspect someone like, I don't know, Blyleven, who won 17 games at the age of 38 and pitched to a 2.73 ERA in the American League? Prior to that spectacular year with the Angels, he hadn't pitched to an ERA under 3.00 since 1984 and had lost a league-high 17 games in 1988.

There is no debate, though, when it comes to Alomar. It was an injustice that he wasn't voted in last year. Look at the numbers. He is one of the best second baseman to ever play the game.

Offensively he's near the top of every category and defensively there may never have been anyone who was better. He was a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner and appeared in 12 straight All-Star Games. How he didn't get in last year is beyond me.

But then again, I shouldn't be surprised. The Baseball Writers' Association of America has become a sham and how they handle this is a joke. It has become a popularity contest and they should be embarrassed. Take ESPN's Barry Stanton for example.

Stanton -- who is one of ESPN's 18 Hall of Fame voters, by the way -- named Jack Morris, B.J. Surhoff, Don Mattingly, Tino Martinez and Edgar Martinez on his ballot. No Blyleven, no Alomar. Really?

Nice work, Stanton. You are a clown and the BBWAA is just as guilty for allowing that kind of nonsense. That, my friends, is a farce and a different argument for a different day.

So where will the debate lie now? Jack Morris? Larry Walker? Barry Larkin? All are worthy, but all came up short. I have a feeling in Morris' case he may be nearing the end. He only received 53.5 percent of the votes this year, just over one percent higher than last year.

I don't think we will see another grassroots campaign like we have seen in the past with Bruce Sutter or Jim Rice, or even here with Blyleven. The big debates over the next five, 10, 15 years will be the steroid guys. Not only the ones we know took them like Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Palmeiro, etc. But also the ones who are guilty by association for just having played in this era, like Bagwell or squeaky-clean guys like Frank Thomas and Jim Thome.

I've always compared the cases of the steroid guys to that of the closers. Once one gets in they will all start to trickle in. Dennis Eckersley got in and that opened the door for players like Sutter and Goose Gossage.

Bonds and Clemens are going to be voted in. It might not be on their first try, but they will be in. Why bother having a Hall of Fame if those two are not in it?

And once they do get in, the dominoes will begin to fall. End of story.

Lee shocks baseball world, takes his talents back to south Philly

By Chris Ruddick

All along you heard there was a mystery team lurking in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes. Most people assumed it was the Los Angeles Angels, others thought it could be a real longshot like Minnesota or even Baltimore.

This much became clear, though, by about Friday evening. Whomever this mystery team was, it had a real shot at landing Lee because it was starting to become apparent that he didn't want New York and really had no intention of returning to Texas.

Really, what more did he need to think about from the time the Yankees upped their offer to seven years and $160 million. It's either yes or no right then and there. The longer this lingered, you had the feeling something else was going on.

Word started to leak out Monday afternoon that the Phillies were indeed the mystery team and by the time the New York Giants finished off the Minnesota Vikings later that night it was clear where Lee was going to sign. In fact once Yankees officials got word that Philly was the team lurking, they knew they were done.

And they were right because Lee has stunned the baseball world, agreeing to a deal with the Phillies for five years and $120 million, leaving close to $40 million and two years on the table from the Yankees. The deal is also believed to include a $27.5 million option that vests if he pitches 200 innings in 2015 or 400 innings in the 2014/2015 seasons. There is also a $12.5 million buyout.

Apparently Lee enjoyed his time in Philadelphia in 2009. When he was traded last winter to make room for Roy Halladay, he said he was stunned and disappointed. People close to him insisted that he really loved Philly and wanted to pitch alongside Halladay.

I just assumed it was just mindless banter from the one player, who if you listened to everyone, would go to the highest bidder.

If Lee wasn't a hero already in Philadelphia, he certainly is now. Remember there were still people in that city who at the time of the Halladay trade last winter still preferred the lefty who had starred for them in the 2009 postseason.

You have to hand it to Lee, he left a lot of money on the table. Players don't do that, especially that much. Mark Teixeira took less to go to the Yankees a few years ago, but it wasn't much less. The one guy you could compare this to was Greg Maddux who, like Lee, turned down the Yankees big money to stay with Atlanta back in the early 90s.

Speaking of that Atlanta team, when you talk of the great rotations of all- time, the Braves of the 90s are always in that discussion. Well this group the Phillies are going to throw out this year may even trump them. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, or R2C2 as they are being called today in Philadelphia, are about as good a rotation on paper that I can remember.

If you are a National League team how do you matchup against that? Heck how does any team matchup against that.

I have to admit I enjoyed the tete-a-tete that went on Twitter between Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman and ESPN's Buster Olney. Heyman was the first one to put the mystery team out there. Most people were skeptical, but none more so than Olney, who tweeted that basically Heyman was getting sold a bill of goods from Lee's agent.

Good stuff.

So where does this leave the Yankees? Well there has to be some people in their organization who are quite happy that Lee decided to go elsewhere. Seven years is an awful lot for a 32-year-old pitcher who already has some back troubles.

In case you haven't noticed seven-year deals for pitchers don't normally pan out. See Barry Zito, Kevin Brown and Mike Hampton.

However, the fact of the matter is, the Yankees needed Cliff Lee. Given the additions the Boston Red Sox have made in the past couple of weeks, the Yanks are going to need lefties. Brian Cashman already believes that Andy Pettitte is retiring. The Yanks need pitching and the free agent market is bare. Do they take a chance on Brandon Webb? Or make a play for Zach Greinke or Florida's Ricky Nolasco?

If I am Cashman I get on the phone with the Los Angeles Dodgers and see what it would take to get either Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley. The Dodgers need a catcher and the Yankees have an abundance in their system.

Then again Carl Pavano is still available.

Nats at it again; preparing mega-deal for Cliff Lee

By Chris Ruddick

Lake Buena Vista, FL - If you thought the Washington Nationals were done after the Jayson Werth deal, you were sadly mistaken. The buzz here in Lake Buena Vista as Day 2 of Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings gets underway is that the Nationals are getting ready to offer Cliff Lee a monster deal.

There were reports late last night that stated that not only was Lee interested in a seven-year deal, but there was apparently a team out there willing to give it to him. New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman quickly said he would not go seven years for Lee, so who is the team?

Well apparently it's the Nats. They had to overpay Werth for him to go there, now they are willing to do the same for Lee. Word is they are kicking the tires on a seven-year deal that could be worth up to $175 million.

Werth was a nice piece, but if the Nationals can add Lee they are legitimate.

Would Lee go there? Why not? Money talks and he would be insane to turn that down. The Yankees won't go that high and Texas won't match that. Honestly it would probably be $30-40 million more than any offer he would have received.

How would the fans in Philadelphia like having to face Lee five times a year, while watching Werth patrol right field at Nationals Park?

Obviously there are still a lot of holes on a Nationals team that lost 93 games last season and has averaged nearly 100 losses over the past three years. But Werth and Lee are a good start, especially if they can add another arm ... cough Carl Pavano cough. Not to mention Ryan Zimmerman is already there and the team does expects Stephen Strasburg to pitch for them at some point next season.

I didn't like the Werth deal because I thought the money would have been better served being spread around. Well I guess I was wrong because even if they don't land Lee, they are not done spending and it's apparent the Nats still have plenty of money to burn.

The Nats aren't just sending a message to the National League here at the Meetings, they are putting the entire league on notice that they are coming.

FORMER CY YOUNG WINNER AVAILABLE

There is also another former Cy Young Award winner available and you can probably get him pretty cheap. Right-hander Brandon Webb is still searching for a team after missing most of the last two seasons recovering from shoulder surgery.

Webb made only one start in 2009, the season-opener, before struggling with right shoulder problems and eventually having surgery. Prior to the shoulder injury he had been extremely durable, as he made at least 30 starts in five consecutive seasons, including 2006, when he won the National League Cy Young Award.

There are as many as 10 teams that are in on Webb, including, of course the Nationals. The Rangers also stepped up their pursuit of him late Monday.

ALL QUIET ON CRAWFORD

Surprisingly there does not seem to be much going on with Carl Crawford. Perhaps the amount of money Werth got over the weekend forced not only him, but the teams involved to reassess that situation.

Boston and the LA Angels are still the frontrunners. I wouldn't count out the Yankees, though, especially if they lose out on Lee.

JIM TRACY COLLAPSES

Colorado Rockies skipper Jim Tracy collapsed late Monday night and was taken to the hospital. Good news, though, as doctors have apparently ruled out anything serious, but he is still in the hospital undergoing tests.

Hopefully it was just a case of exhaustion following a busy day for him.

Werth deal still the talk of Lake Buena Vista

By Chris Ruddick

Leave it to the Washington Nationals to steal the show at Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings.

Wait what?

Even after the Boston Red Sox finally put the finishing touches on their acquisition of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres all anyone wanted to talk about on Monday was Washington's outrageous deal with outfielder Jayson Werth.

In case you were living under a rock or captivated by a full dose of NFL action on Sunday you may have missed that the Nationals agreed with the former Phillies slugger on a seven-year, $126 million deal, easily the most lucrative contract in team history.

Werth's deal is actually $6 million more than what the franchise sold for in 2002.

Essentially, Werth replaces Adam Dunn in the lineup. You can argue whether or not he is an upgrade, but wouldn't Washington have been better served re- signing Dunn and adding a couple of pitchers, like a Carl Pavano or a Jorge De La Rosa, than putting all their eggs in the Werth basket?

The Nats don't strike me as a win-now team and this is a win-now move.

Maybe we shouldn't be so surprised, though. The Nats were on the periphery of Mark Teixeira a few years ago and are always linked to some big names. While most people laugh them off when their name would come up, maybe this was a move to let everyone know that they can start to be taken seriously.

Bottom line was they made a nice offer to Teixeira before the 2009 campaign. It wasn't enough. They wanted to make a splash and gave Werth an offer he couldn't refuse. They had to blow him out of the water to come there and they did.

I think Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said it best, however.

"It makes some of our contracts look pretty good," Alderson said. "That's a long time and a lot of money. I thought they were trying to reduce the deficit in Washington."

Speaking of the Red Sox, no surprise that they completed the Gonzalez deal. I didn't buy the news on Sunday that the deal was falling apart because of the lack of an extension. They had come to far to back out because of that and everyone knows a deal is going to get done with him at some point.

The Red Sox were always the most logical fit for Gonzalez. He is going to rake at Fenway Park and keep in mind San Diego general manager Jed Hoyer worked for Boston GM Theo Epstein. He knows the Red Sox system very well. Hoyer got exactly what he wanted from Boston.

ORIOLES ADD A BAT

Not to be outdone by their brothers along The Beltway, the Baltimore Orioles added a bat as well, as they acquired slugging third baseman Mark Reynolds from the Arizona Diamondbacks for a pair of right-handers in David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio.

Reynolds belted 32 homers and drove in 85 runs while batting a dismal .198 in 145 games last season. He also topped 200 strikeouts for the third year in a row with 211.

The 27-year-old University of Virginia product has recorded 121 homers and 346 RBI over his four big league seasons, but has also fanned 767 times. He led the National League in strikeouts each of the last three years.

It was no secret that Baltimore was looking for a bat and had actually been linked to free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, whose options seem to be dwindling by the minute.

GILLICK GETS HALL CALL; MILLER, STEINBRENNER SNUBBED

The event that really kicks off the Winter Meetings is the Veterans Committee announcement of their Hall of Fame selections. This year was a pretty stacked ballot as former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was listed, as was former Players Association head honcho Marvin Miller and former general manager Pat Gillick.

Gillick, though, was the only candidate among 12 that received the necessary 75 percent vote from the 16-member committee, which considered a ballot of eight former players, three executives and one manager whose contributions to the game were most significant from 1973 through the present. He received 13 votes, one more than the required 12 for induction.

Steinbrenner, who bought the New York Yankees in 1973 and died July 13, was also on the ballot. He received less than eight votes.

Miller came up just short with 11 votes, while former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Dave Concepcion received eight votes. Ted Simmons, Vida Blue, Steve Garvey, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Billy Martin, Al Oliver and Rusty Staub also received fewer than eight votes.

"We are thrilled to have Pat as the newest member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and we welcome him into the Hall of Fame family," said Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark. "Pat's consistent excellence as a talent evaluator and team builder has been evident at every step throughout his brilliant career, constructing three World Series champions with his teams making 11 postseason appearances."

Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies are set for Sunday, July 24, 2011.

RUMOR OF THE MOMENT

I have been here for about a half hour and I can already tell you whose name is going to be bandied about the most this week and that is former American League Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke.

Greinke's name has been linked to about six teams already, but the two that make the most sense are the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. Something could be cooking with the Blue Jays, as they have already sent righty Shaun Marcum to Milwaukee, leaving a big spot open in their rotation.

Could a Kyle Drabek for Greinke deal be in the works? We will see, but I am betting dollars to doughnuts he is dealt this week.

Plenty of action expected at Winter Meetings

By Chris Ruddick

Get ready for a ton of baseball rumors, wild trade scenarios and free agent signings, because the giant schmoozefest known as Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings gets underway next week at the Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Unlike the snoozefest the meetings have been the last couple of years, this latest edition of the get together figures to be action packed as all but a couple of the major A-list free agents are still on the market.

Of course the biggest fish out there, Cliff Lee, is still available and his agent has stated that he would like to get a deal done by the time the meetings conclude. That may be a bit ambitious, but he did meet with the Rangers this week and they are apparently ready to give him a fifth year.

I have thought all along that Lee would re-sign with Texas, but you can never count the Yankees out on anything, especially when it comes to someone they want. And by all accounts they want Lee bad.

Once Lee finds a home all the other dominoes should fall, likely in quick order: Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Carl Pavano, Rafael Soriano and Adrian Beltre are among countless others are still searching for homes. Derek Jeter is too, but like I have said in the past, he isn't leaving the Bronx.

All of the big free agents won't sign next week, but I expect at least two will come off the board.

If I had to predict right now I would say the Angels get one of the outfielders, with the Red Sox snatching the other. Then again if the Yankees miss out on Lee, expect them to jump into the Crawford-Werth mix. Then again there are teams out there that you are not thinking of that will jump into the fray, like say, perhaps St. Louis gets involved with Werth.

Either way the bulk of the action this offseason has yet to happen. In addition to the free agents, Boston may look to shop Jonathan Papelbon at these meetings and you have started to hear Kansas City ace Zack Greinke's name being kicked around as well. Then of course you still have Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez out there and Tampa is looking to deal shortstop Jason Bartlett.

The early winners this offseason have been a pair of teams from the American League Central, the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox.

Detroit came out swinging, locking up catcher Victor Martinez and reliever Joaquin Benoit early, while the White Sox made a ton of news on Thursday, signing slugger Adam Dunn and cutting closer Bobby Jenks free. Chicago is also on the verge of re-signing catcher A.J. Pierzynski and is still very much in the mix on Paul Konerko.

Another hot topic next week will be the expansion of the postseason. Both the owners and MLBPA seem to agree that some sort of expanded playoff system is in order, but the logistics still need to be worked out. The current labor agreement has one year remaining, so a vote on this topic is probably still a bit away, but the MLBPA's executive board is currently meeting and you know the topic is being addressed.

Commissioner Bud Selig's 14-man committee is also expected to meet next week to discuss the playoff situation, as well as an expanded role of instant replay.

The meetings kick off on Monday with the Veterans Committee Hall of Fame selections. This year, George Steinbrenner is on the ballot and could get in along with longtime MLBPA leader Marvin Miller. It would be fitting for Billy Martin to go into the Hall alongside Steinbrenner, but he will likely fall short.

After the Hall of Fame announcement on Monday morning comes a lot of walking and waiting inside the lovely Swan and Dolphin before the meetings conclude on Thursday with the Rule 5 Draft.

The in-between, though, should be crazy.

Collins isn't the sexy choice, but he's the right one for the Mets

By Chris Ruddick

If you had polled New York Mets fans at the end of the 2010 season on who their manager would be entering the 2011 campaign, how many names would have gone by before someone mentioned Terry Collins?

In fact it is a safe bet that none of them would have named him. And why would they have? Collins hasn't managed in the big leagues since 1999 and the last I heard of him he was skippering the Chinese team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

I guarantee nobody in Flushing gave Collins a thought.

Collins' name, though, was brought up almost immediately upon Sandy Alderson being named the team's general manager. He had served as the Mets' Minor League Field Coordinator last season, overseeing all on-field aspects of the team's Minor League Spring Training, mini-camps and the Fall Instructional League.

He makes all the sense in the world for a Mets team that desperately needed a new identity. For the Mets fans who wanted Wally Backman, Collins is Wally Backman, only he does not come with the baggage, and he has some major league experience on his resume.

Collins will hold his players accountable, something for whatever reason has been missing from this organization for a while now. I wasn't as down on the job Jerry Manuel did as some people, but he often gave off the impression that was already defeated. He was like wallpaper, he never showed any emotion. At the end it felt as if he was counting the days until it was over.

Well if you want fiery, you got it in Collins. Like I said he is Backman without the 1986 ring. By the way that is the only reason Mets fans want him. Sure he did a good job with the Single-A Brooklyn Cyclones this year, but there is a reason he is not on anyone else's radar.

Bottom line was the Mets could not afford to be wrong with this one. Backman may very well be a great major league manager one day. But he is a wild card at best. When Willie Randolph was fired in 2008, I wrote then that they should have went to Backman.

Backman would have been the right move then, but now they can't take that kind of chance now.

Citi Field is on its way to becoming a ghost town. I doubt that Backman being in the dugout sells any more tickets. Maybe a few here and there, but ultimately it is what happens on the field that is going to pack the house.

Now you can also make the argument that Collins is a wild card too. I mean he hasn't managed in the majors in 11 years. Collins is a safe choice, not as safe as Bob Melvin would have been, but at least it is a bit of an out of the box approach.

Collins is a taskmaster and he is going to change the culture of that organization. If you have watched the Mets over the last couple of seasons, the one thing that jumped out at you is the lack of fundamentals. Collins will take them to school right from the start.

The thing that would bother me is the fact that I have heard from someone with knowledge of the situation that Alderson actually preferred Backman, while it was Paul DePodesta who favored Collins. And Jeff Wilpon for whatever reason went the Collins route instead of his new GM's choice.

I love the Mets front office with Alderson, DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi. A better group of baseball minds you will not find. I just hope that there aren't too many cooks in the kitchen. Alderson's voice needs to be the loudest, as they embark on their most important offseason in some time.

The bigger question is how Collins will accepted in that locker room. In his last big league stint with Anaheim he wore out his welcome pretty quickly, almost creating a mutiny upon leaving. I am not sure how tight a ship Manuel ran, but I guarantee Collins won't stand for some of the stuff that has gone on with the Mets over the last few seasons.

Collins' demeanor could very well go over like a lead balloon in Flushing. But he is exactly what that team needs right now.

Let's hand out some hardware

By Chris Ruddick, MLB Editor

Philadelphia, PA - While the offseason is already off and running, the Baseball Writers' Association of America will start doling out their awards this coming week.

First, though, let's take a look back at the first significant move of this offseason, as the Oakland Athletics dealt promising righty Vin Mazzaro to the Kansas City Royals for outfielder David DeJesus.

Once the A's won the negotiating rights to Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma you had a feeling they were going to deal some of that young pitching for a bat. Now DeJesus is a nice player, but he does not fill the power need that Oakland desperately needs.

In fact the presence of DeJesus actually makes them worse from a power standpoint, as top prospect Chris Carter is now the odd-man out in an outfield that will likely feature Coco Crisp in center and Ryan Sweeney and DeJesus manning the corners.

I guess Carter could be the team's designated hitter, provided the A's let Jack Cust go, but who knows what Oakland general manager Billy Beane has up his sleeve. Reports are starting to circulate that the team is now interested in signing first baseman Lance Berkman.

DeJesus is a solid player who was in the midst of a terrific season last year before a torn ligament in his thumb ended his season on July 22. Had the injury not occurred DeJesus surely would have been dealt by the Royals at the trade deadline, most likely to the eventual world champion San Francisco Giants.

Bottom line is DeJesus is a terrific veteran addition to an A's team that could make some noise in the now-crowded AL West.

But anyway the bulk of the news next week should center around the BBWAA awards. So without further ado here is how I see them going this year:

AL MVP - JOSH HAMILTON, TEXAS RANGERS: It is hard to give out an MVP Award to a player who missed the majority of the final month of the season. But it is warranted in Josh Hamilton's case. The Rangers, for the most part, had the AL West wrapped up at the start of September when Hamilton fractured his ribs. Luckily they could afford him the time to heal up. They did not need him for a stretch run. Hamilton is one of the top-5 best all-around players in the game. After an injury-plagued 2009, the former first overall pick rebounded to lead the AL with a .359 average and a .633 slugging-percentage. He had 32 home runs, 95 runs scored, 40 doubles, and 100 RBI. He became the first American League player with minimums of a .359 average, 40 doubles, 30 home runs, and 100 RBI since Lou Gehrig in 1934. Not bad company. Honestly, if not Hamilton then who is the AL MVP? The only other options are Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, who had a great year, but plays on a team of All-Stars, or Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, who was great, but his team finished .500. Hamilton is the only choice here.

AL CY YOUNG - FELIX HERNANDEZ, SEATTLE MARINERS: Perhaps the hottest debate of all the awards this season will be AL Cy Young. We are going to see if the new wave of baseball writers, who rely heavily on stats, win out over the old- guard, a group that still puts a lot of emphasis on wins. Felix Hernandez only won 13 games for the 101-loss Mariners, but pitched to a major league-best 2.27 ERA in a major league-high 249 2/3 innings. In Hernandez's 12 losses this season, the Mariners produced only seven runs. The righty also finished the year strong, as he allowed eight total runs over his last 10 trips to the hill, while receiving zero runs of support (runs scored when he is pitching) in seven of his last 14 outings. His biggest competition figures to come from New York lefty CC Sabathia, who won an AL-best 21 games, and Tampa lefty David Price, whose numbers were comparable to Hernandez, albeit in nearly 50 less innings. King Felix was the best pitcher in the American League this season.

AL ROOKIE - NEFTALI FELIZ, TEXAS RANGERS: As important as Hamilton was to the Texas Rangers this season, you can make the argument that they may not have gotten as far as they did without 22-year-old closer Neftali Feliz. Feliz showed flashes of brilliance in limited action a year ago, but was one of the best closers in baseball this past season, saving 40 games, while pitching to a 2.73 ERA. The Rangers may still view him as a potential starter, but they will be hard-pressed to find another ninth-inning guy with as electric stuff as Feliz.

AL MANAGER - RON GARDENHIRE, MINNESOTA TWINS: It is amazing to me that Ron Gardenhire has never been named Manager of the Year for the financially challenged Twins. Chances are he will likely finish second for a sixth time this season, as Texas skipper Ron Washington seems to be the favorite. But he gets my vote nonetheless. Gardenhire is the best manager in baseball and should be rewarded as such. Nobody gets more from their team than Gardenhire.

NL MVP - JOEY VOTTO, CINCINNATI REDS: With all due respect to two-time and reigning NL MVP Albert Pujols, this year's race will come down to two men: Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez and Cincinnati's Joey Votto. I am going with Votto, though, basically because his team made the playoffs. It is not most outstanding player it is the most valuable and nobody in the National League meant more to their team than Votto. The Reds first baseman flirted with the Triple Crown at one point, but still finished second in average (.324), third in home runs (37) and third in RBI (113). Bottom line is the Reds don't win the NL Central without Votto. Isn't that the definition of a Most Valuable Player?

NL CY YOUNG - ROY HALLADAY, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: This one could be unanimous. Roy Halladay is quite simply the best pitcher in baseball. All he did in his first year in Philly was lead the majors in wins (21), shutouts (4), complete games (9) and innings pitched (250 2/3). The seven-time All Star finished second in the NL with 219 strikeouts and was third with a 2.44 ERA - the second lowest in his 13-year big league career (2.41 in 2005). Oh yea and he had a perfect game, not to mention a no-hitter in the playoffs. This one isn't even close.

NL ROOKIE - BUSTER POSEY, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: Everyone knew the San Francisco Giants had the pitching to compete for a World Series, but skeptics wondered where the offense would come from. Well everyone got their answer on May 29 when a catching prospect named Buster Posey entered the starting lineup for good. In just 108 games Posey batted .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI, while helping the Giants pitching staff to a major league-best 3.63 ERA. Atlanta's Jason Heyward will also get some votes, but Posey should win this award.

NL MANAGER - BUD BLACK, SAN DIEGO PADRES: Dusty Baker did a great job with the NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds this season, but a lot of people thought they were close to winning anyway. How many people actually thought San Diego would actually finish above .500 let alone be fighting for a playoff spot up until the final weekend of the season? Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel should get some credit too. His team was ravaged by injuries at different points during the season, but yet in the end finished with the best record in baseball. Still and all, though, Bud Black is the clear winner here.

Hot Stove heating up early

By Chris Ruddick

There is certainly no rest for the weary anymore in Major League Baseball. Within minutes of the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series, 142 players filed for free agency. Twenty more have filed since.

And rather than the 15-day waiting period free agents had to endure before talking to new teams, they can negotiate after five, meaning we will be in full Hot Stove mode by the end of the weekend.

So with that said, let's take a look at some items to prime you for the start of the offseason and free agency.

STORYLINES TO WATCH THIS OFFSEASON

WHAT THE YANKEES DO WITH THEIR AGING CORNERSTONES

For years people knew this was going to be a tough offseason for the Yankees. What do they do with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera? Rivera continues to pitch at a Hall of Fame level, but he will be 41 at the start of next season. He has to start slowing down at some point, right? Then there is Jeter, who is clearly not the same player he once was and is coming off the worst statistical season of his 16-year career. This is probably a non-story because the Yankees have to and are going to pay both of them. But how much is too much? There are already reports that Jeter wants a six-year deal that would end when he is 42. Hard to say no since the Yankees' deal with Alex Rodriguez runs until his early '40s. Bottom line there is no way either Jeter or Rivera will be anywhere other than with the Yankees on Opening Day 2011.

WHERE WILL CLIFF LEE WIND UP

There is no doubt who the big fish in this free agent market is and that is none other than left-hander Cliff Lee. Through the first two rounds of the playoffs it looked as if Lee could have named his price, but two losses in the World Series brought him back to Earth. Lee still has one thing going for him and that is the fact that the New York Yankees want him. The Rangers could also retain him, as they just inked a very lucrative television deal. He won't sign quick, though. I expect him to still be in play at the Winter Meetings in early December. The Yankees and the Rangers are probably the frontrunners, but all the usual suspects will be in on this one.

INSTANT REPLAY DEBATE

There is no doubt the instant replayers will be out in full force this winter and that topic will be addressed perhaps as early as the owners meetings in Orlando. I am all for expanding it in some fashion. Give a manager challenges like in the NFL or something like that. I don't want to hear about the purity of the game. That stuff is nonsense. If there is a way to get it right, get it right. You would think the umpires would be for it so they don't have to hear how inept they are all the time.

BESIDES LEE, WHO ARE THE FIVE BEST FREE AGENTS AVAILABLE:

CARL CRAWFORD

If Lee is the best pitcher on the market, then Carl Crawford is the best position player. Hands down. Crawford is coming off a terrific year with the Rays, as he hit .307 with 90 RBI and 110 runs scored. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim want him, but don't count out the Yankees if Lee stays in Texas. Boston could also be a destination. How much will he get? Think Matt Holliday's 7-year, $120 million deal from a year ago.

JAYSON WERTH

For the teams that miss out on Crawford, Jayson Werth is a pretty solid fallback plan. In fact he may even be better. A true five-tool superstar, Werth can do it all. The Phillies should do everything they can to keep him, but some think he is intent on leaving anyway. Werth led the league with 46 doubles this past season. Imagine how many he would hit at Fenway? The Red Sox are in the market for an OF and he certainly fits the bill.

RAFAEL SORIANO

Rafael Soriano picked a pretty good year to post the best numbers of his career. He set just about every Tampa Bay Rays' record this season as a reliever, and saved 45 games for the AL East champions. Teams will be lining up for his services.

VICTOR MARTINEZ

It appears as if the Red Sox are not going to re-sign him. Victor Martinez is a great hitter, batting .300 with an OPS above .840 in five of the past six seasons. However, he is 32 and is nothing special behind the plate, as he has thrown out just 19-percent of baserunners in the last two seasons. I am sure somebody will put him behind the plate at the start of a new deal, but nowhere he is there at the end of what could be a five or six year deal. He is a terrific hitter, though.

ADAM DUNN

Adam Dunn's name was mentioned a lot last July at the trade deadline. Nothing happened, though. He is one of the premiere sluggers in the game. It will be interesting to see what kind of contract he winds up with. He has AL DH written all over him. The Chicago White Sox were hot on his tail last summer so he could wind up there, but don't count on him replacing Jim Thome in Minnesota either.

FIVE SURPRISING NAMES YOU'LL HEAR IN TRADE TALKS

ADRIAN GONZALEZ

I guess Adrian Gonzalez's name being bandied about this offseason isn't much of a surprise since everyone assumed he would be dealt last winter. But after the way the Padres competed this season you would think they may keep him around. Think again. Although they just picked up his option for the coming season the Padres aren't going to be able to sign him after the 2011 season. The time to deal him is now.

JONATHAN PAPELBON

I have thought the Red Sox were going to deal Jonathan Papelbon each of the last two offseasons. This winter, though, they may not have a choice. Papelbon is going to be a free agent at the end of the year and the Red Sox already have closer-in-waiting Daniel Bard ready to take over. Bard is probably better at this point anyway. What about a Papelbon for Prince Fielder deal?

JOSE REYES

Talk about a team that needs an overhaul. The New York Mets desperately need to change their identity. The fans want a change. It may be time for Jose Reyes to go. When healthy he is one of the most electric players in the game, but it seems as if he is always nicked up. The Mets would still get more for him than David Wright. Now I don't think they will deal him, but I won't be shocked if teams come a calling for the 27-year-old shortstop.

ICHIRO SUZUKI

The Seattle Mariners need a lot of help. They are not going to win anytime soon, especially while Ichiro Suzuki is still there. Why not deal him now, get a few pieces back in return and start over? Depending if they get major league ready players in return they may not be that far off considering they have the best young pitcher in baseball on their team in Felix Hernandez.

ZACK GREINKE

Zack Greinke was the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2009. This past season he was 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA. Which is the real guy? Greinke never really seemed to get on track in 2010. Since the Royals are once again in rebuild mode it may be time to think about dealing their ace for some prospects. The problem is he does not want to go to a big city. The perfect fit would be the Minnesota Twins, but even the Royals won't deal their star player within the division.

THIS YEAR'S RECLAMATION PROJECT: BRANDON WEBB

Last year it was Ben Sheets as the pitcher who missed all of the previous season then hit the free agent market. It didn't work out well for the Oakland Athletics who paid him $10 million only to watch him go down with another season-ending injury in July. Brandon Webb has made just one start in the last two years, but is a former NL Cy Young Award winner and won 22 games as recently as 2008. I think Arizona would love to keep him. He would be a perfect mentor to an impressive young staff, but there will be plenty of other options. Let's hope that it turns out better for him than Sheets, though.

Why the Rangers will win the World Series

By Chris Ruddick

Philadelphia, PA - The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees were widely viewed as the two best teams in baseball this season. Well guess what? The Texas Rangers disposed of both of them on their way to their first-ever World Series appearance.

And I don't think the San Francisco Giants are the team to derail the Rangers from a championship here in the 106th edition of the Fall Classic.

There is not much this Rangers team can't do. They hit the ball a ton, their bullpen is phenomenal, and they run the bases better and as aggressively as any team I have seen in some time.

And, oh yeah, they have this guy named Cliff Lee.

After a tremendous postseason run with the Philadelphia Phillies a year ago, all Lee has done in these playoffs has gone 3-0 with a 0.75 earned run average in his three starts.

With his win in Game 3 against the Yankees, Texas' midseason acquisition became the third pitcher in MLB history to win his first seven playoff decisions and is the first pitcher with three games of 10-plus punchouts in one postseason.

"What I attribute my success in the post season to is confidence, relying on my routine, playing on a really good team, having a really good offense to lean on, Bengie Molina," Lee said. "Those are a lot of the reasons. But I think mostly it's probably just confidence and going out there and expecting to be successful, and what allows me to do that is my routine. I've proven to myself over and over that it works, and eventually it becomes what you rely on to make you successful, and that's where I'm at."

Lee's career ERA of 1.26 in the postseason is also good for third best all- time. Simply put he is becoming a postseason legend and could elevate himself into a different stratosphere with another solid series.

Not bad for a guy who is about to become a free agent in a few weeks.

Also, Lee has beaten the Giants all three times he has faced them and has pitched to a 1.13 ERA in doing so. I expect him to set the tone right away in Game 1 and take whatever home field advantage the Giants think they may have.

The Rays couldn't hit Lee. The Yankees couldn't hit him. Do you really think the likes of Juan Uribe, Freddy Sanchez or Edgar Renteria are going to get to him?

But it hasn't just been Lee. C.J. Wilson has pitched well in two of his three postseason starts and Colby Lewis beat the Yankees twice and has pitched to a 1.45 ERA in three starts.

Sure you can make the case that Philadelphia had better overall pitching than the Rangers and the Giants found a way to beat them. True, but the Phillies did not hit in the NLCS. That is the only reason they lost that series.

That is not going to be a problem for the Rangers. By the way, can you believe we have gotten this far without mentioning Texas' offense?

For years, this was a hit-first, pitch-second team. Well, while that is not the case anymore, the Rangers still can score runs with the best of them, as evident by the fact that all four of their wins over the Yankees came by five or more runs and they have played just a single one-run game this postseason.

What makes the Rangers so dangerous, though, is their ability on the basepaths. Sure they can hit the home run and score in bunches, but everyone on their team takes pride in stealing bases, or stretching a single into a double, moving a guy over, or just taking an extra base at the right time.

ALCS MVP Josh Hamilton is at the center of the offense. After hitting a mere .143 in the ALDS Hamilton hit .350 against the Yanks with three home runs and seven RBI. It is safe to say that Hamilton, the front-runner for the AL MVP award, is back at 100-percent after missing 24 games in September with fractured ribs.

But it is not just Hamilton.. Nelson Cruz can hit, Vladimir Guerrero, Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus. The lineup is relentless and will be too much for San Francisco to handle. Regardless of who is pitching.

"I've had to face them over the years and it's not a lot of fun," said Lee. "When you start pitching around Josh Hamilton and then you're staring at Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler, it's not a lot of fun, because it's a very powerful lineup.

"I feel like I could fill that lineup every day and throw it out there. I mean, it's a winner."

Bottom line is there is not much these Rangers can't do and they will be celebrating sometime next week.

NLCS Notebook: Halladay gets Phillies back to Philadelphia

By Chris Ruddick

Roy Halladay did what everyone expected him to do on Thursday night in San Francisco. He extended the season for the Philadelphia Phillies and got the National League Championship Series back to Citizens Bank
Park for a Game 6.

I thought the Giants had to win on Thursday if they wanted to win this series. I know they still have the edge heading back to Philly, but it is never easy closing a team out, especially on the road against a pair of former NLCS MVPs in Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.

Things didn't look good for the Phillies in the first inning. Halladay appeared to be wound tighter than a 10-day clock and it showed as he gave up a run, then stared down home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, as he walked back to the dugout.

San Francisco outfielder Pat Burrell, who struck out looking to end the first, thought Halladay was looking at him as he walked back to the dugout and television cameras caught him politely asking him what he was looking at it.

Halladay, though, settled down after that and allowed six hits and two runs in six innings with a pair of walks and five strikeouts to get the win and bounce back from his loss in Game 1 of this series.

It was an at-bat by Halladay in the third inning that changed the game.

With runners on first and second, Halladay laid down a bunt  which seemed foul, a few inches to the third-base side of home plate.  Nelson signaled fair and both runners advanced a base. Pablo Sandoval failed to get to third base in time on the throw from Buster Posey and Raul Ibanez was safe Halladay, however, thinking the ball went foul, never ran to first and was out.

So, in essence Halladay did his job, but had that throw to third been on target, Ibanez would have been out and Halladay would have been out by a mile for the double play. Instead there were runners at second and third.

"It's a bad bunt and they got a break there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Buster did a great job giving it to Pablo. He just couldn't find the bag and fell down there. But we're inches away from getting a double play and the bunt was right in front of home plate. At that point the third baseman goes back to the bag and we had a force there, and he wasn't running. So that's a missed opportunity for us not getting the double play, and it came back to haunt us."

Shane Victorino then hit a hard bouncer that glanced off the heel of first baseman Aubrey Huff's glove and caromed into center field, scoring both runners. Placido Polanco followed with a line RBI single to left field for a 3-1 margin.

The Giants wasted a golden opportunity in the fourth inning. After Cody Ross continued to dominate this series with an RBI double to close the gap to one, he made an absolute bonehead of a play trying to tag up from second on a fly to right fielder Jayson Werth, who gunned him down to end the inning.

There is a few ways to look at this. Rule No.1, you never make the third out at third base. But then again, with Ross at second and first base open. the Phillies likely would have walked Juan Uribe to pitch to Tim Lincecum.

So give Ross some credit for trying to make something happen there. But then again, even it that scenario had played out, the Giants still would have turned the lineup over and had the top of the order coming up in the fifth had they come up empty.

Bottom line, dumb play by Ross, who has been the MVP of this series through the first five games.

As gutty as Halladay was, the real hero of this game was the Phillies' bullpen, which tossed three scoreless innings to nail down the victory one night after surrendering three runs in the Game 4 loss.


HALLADAY DEALING WITH A GROIN INJURY

After the game was over it was revealed that Halladay was pitching with a groin pull that he suffered in the second inning on a pitch to Ross.

"After a couple innings, I was like, 'God, this guy is pitching on one leg. Really?'" Victorino said. "His velocity wasn't 92, 93 [mph]. It was 89, 90. That shows me what he's about. He wasn't coming out of the game, I can tell you that much."

Halladay kept the groin loose by riding a stationary bike between innings and shortened his stride on the mound.

"He wasn't going to let us take him out," Phils manager Charlie Manuel said.

Manuel also said that depending on how Halladay feels over the next couple of days that he could be able to give them an inning if need be in a potential Game 7 on Sunday.


HISTORY STILL ON GIANTS' SIDE

With the Phillies' victory Thursday, an NLCS stands at 3-2 for the 17th time since the series became a best-of-seven in 1985. Eleven of the prior 16 series were won by the team that led after five games, but half of those series went the full seven games.


UP NEXT: SANCHEZ - OSWALT REMATCH

Before we talk about a Game 7, though, the Phils have to get by Game 6 and that could be a daunting task with left-hander Jonathan Sanchez going for the Giants against Roy Oswalt in a rematch from Game 2.

Although Sanchez was charged with the loss in Game 2 of this series, he has traditionally been a thorn in the side of the two-time defending National League champions.

He allowed three runs (two earned) and five hits and struck out seven in six innings last Sunday, but prior to that loss, he had been 3-1 lifetime against the Phillies with a 2.86 ERA in nine games (five starts).

The Phillies, though, will have Oswalt on the hill, as he tries to bounce back from a loss in relief on Wednesday. Oswalt gave up the winning run in Game 4, but was simply sensational in his start last Sunday against Sanchez.

Oswalt followed up his loss in the NLDS with a terrific effort against the Giants, who managed just a run and three hits in eight innings of work. He also fanned nine in the win.

Yanks' bats making Burnett debate a moot point

By Chris Ruddick

This is exactly the predicament New York Yankees fans feared when they heard that A.J. Burnett would be starting a game in the American League Championship Series.

When Burnett takes the hill on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers, it will essentially be a must-win game for the defending world champions, who now find themselves in a 2-1 hole following Cliff Lee's masterpiece on Monday.

Of course there are people out there who want Joe Girardi to go back to CC Sabathia on short rest tonight, but let's be honest, the Yankees could have Whitey Ford on the hill Tuesday and it is not going to matter because they haven't hit a lick through the first three games.

Plus, Tommy Hunter is going for the Rangers on Tuesday. The Yanks don't need a shut down game from Sabathia, who by the way hasn't been that great this postseason anyway. They just need a solid outing from Burnett because let's face it, if this Yankees lineup can't get to Tommy Hunter, they probably
shouldn't be playing anyway.

As good as Cliff Lee was on Monday - and he was good - he was facing a Yankees team that mustered a mere five runs off of C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis over the weekend.

Aside from Robinson Cano the Yanks just aren't hitting. Mark Teixeira is 0-for-11 in this series, Alex Rodriguez has two hits and Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher have combined to strike out nine times.

Take away Cano's five hits and this Yankee lineup is batting a whopping .143 (14-for-98) this series with 30 strikeouts. Not exactly Murderers' Row.

Burnett, though, can't put them in an early hole on Tuesday. Andy Pettitte pitched great on Monday, but you got the feeling around the second inning that the two-run home run by Josh Hamilton in the first was probably going to be all the Rangers were going to need.

Lee was phenomenal, as his eight scoreless innings made him the third pitcher in MLB history to win his first seven playoff decisions and is the first pitcher with three games of 10-plus punchouts in one postseason.

Now the Yanks turn to Burnett to be their stopper. Not exactly an encouraging thought when you consider he was a miserable 1-7 with a 6.61 ERA in his final 12 starts.

Oh and by the way he hasn't pitched since October 2.

After the Yankees were dominated by Lee in Game 1 of last year's World Series, it was Burnett who turned in a gem with seven innings of one-run ball and helped them even that series.

If history does not repeat itself on Tuesday, there is a good chance this series does not find its way back to Arlington.


COULD PHILS TURN TO HALLADAY ON SHORT REST?

The Yankees aren't the only ones who could have a pitching conundrum on their hands. Should the Philadelphia Phillies lose on Tuesday and go down 2-1 in their National League Championship Series with the Giants, would they consider bringing Roy Halladay back on short rest for Game 4?

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has already named Joe Blanton as his starter for Wednesday's contest at AT&T Park, but on Monday when asked if Tuesday's outcome could change things, he seemed as if it was not the forgone conclusion that it may have been a week ago.

"We'll play the game tomorrow and we'll see,"Manuel said before the Phillies’ workout on Monday. "Does it impact it? I don't know. We'll just wait and see what happens."

Although Halladay hasn't had to go on three-days' rest this season, he has pitched on short rest on six other occasions and is 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA in those contests.

However, if Halladay goes on three-days rest that would likely mean that both Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels would be moved up as well.

Oswalt is 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA in five starts on three-days' rest, but has done it only twice in the last six seasons.  And Hamels has never done it.

"When you get to the postseason, that’s something that always comes up," said Hamels. "I've been here enough to where I'm confident enough to do it. I've never had the opportunity, but you have to make those opportunities. I'm definitely ready. I feel strong. I feel very confident I could do it if asked upon. But at the same time, we do have four really good pitchers."

Blanton, by the way, was 6-0 with a 3.24 ERA in his final 13 starts.

NLCS Preview - Phillies vs. Giants

By Chris Ruddick

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - NL West Champion; defeated Atlanta, 3-1 NLDS

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - NL East Champion; defeated Cincinnati, 3-0 NLDS

The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the National League Championship Series for a third straight season. If they want to make it three consecutive trips to the World Series, though, they will again have to go through a team from the National League West to get there.

However, unlike the last two years when it was the Los Angeles Dodgers standing in the Phillies' way, this time it is the San Francisco Giants, who are back in this round for the first time since 2002.

The Phillies, who are vying to become the first NL team to reach the World Series in three straight years since the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals, entered the postseason on the heels of their fourth straight National League East title.

Philadelphia overcame a ton of injuries in its lineup this season to post 97 wins, as it finished with the best record in major league baseball for the first time in franchise history.

Expectations have been raised even further following a three-game sweep of the NL Central-champion Cincinnati Reds in the NLDS that started with the second no-hitter in postseason history courtesy of soon to be NL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay in his postseason debut.

After the Phillies took advantage of some shoddy Cincinnati defense to come from behind and win Game 2, Cole Hamels sealed the series win with a five-hit shutout, as he and Halladay became the first pair of teammates to throw a shutout in the same series since Ken Holtzman and Vida Blue did it for the 1974 A's in the ALCS.

"It's been a long time (since I've seen a starting staff this good)," Reds manager Dusty Baker said after his team's ouster. "I don't recall -- probably as far back as the Baltimore Orioles when they had (Jim) Palmer, (Dave) McNally ... and those guys. (The Phillies) pitched, they really pitched. They're a very good team."

A cause for concern, though, could be the Phillies' lineup, which hit just .212 in the sweep of the Reds. Luckily, they will be facing a Giants team that also hit at a .212 clip in their four-game NLDS win over the Atlanta Braves.

Still and all, San Francisco is back in the NLCS for the first time since winning the NL pennant in 2002 following its 3-2 win over the Braves on Monday at Turner Field.

"This series had everything," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Just the intensity and excitement of the series, it had to be thrilling for the fans. There was never an easy moment for [Braves manager] Bobby [Cox] or myself, because these games could have gone either way. We were fortunate to have come out on top. We know it."

The Phillies split their six matchups with the Giants this season and since the start of the 2000 campaign, the teams are 36-36 against one another.

Despite both teams being original NL franchises, this is the first-ever postseason meeting between the two.

LINEUP

Philadelphia's lineup consists of plenty of left-handed hitters in Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez and switch-hitter Jimmy Rollins.

Howard's numbers were down a bit this year due to time spent on the DL with an ankle problem and he batted .276 with 31 homers and 108 RBI. Despite his 157 strikeouts, Howard is still dangerous to all corners of the field. However, he batted just .273 against the Reds, with all three of his hits singles. He also struck out five times without a knocking in a run, but is the only player to hit at least three home runs against Giants ace Tim Lincecum.

Rollins was eased back into the lineup at the end of the regular season because of a hamstring issue, but has plenty of postseason experience with three homers, 11 RBI, 20 runs scored and a .297 on-base percentage.

The former league MVP didn't look right against the Reds and was just 1-for-11 in the series. Rollins wasn't the only one struggling, though, as right fielder Jayson Werth was just 2-for-12 with five strikeouts against the Reds.

Philadelphia's lone offensive bright spot in the series win over the Reds was Utley, who, like Howard, hit .273, but drove in four runs and crossed the plate three times.

As bad as the Phillies' lineup looked at times against the Reds, they still hit .260 in the regular season and scored the second most runs in the NL at 772.

From start to finish Aubrey Huff was probably San Francisco's best offensive player this season after he led the club with a .290 batting average, 26 homers and 86 runs batted in. He has hit at least 25 homers four times in his career and has driven in 85 runs on six different occasions. Huff also scored 100 runs and is in the playoffs for the first time.

Huff, though, had just four hits with one RBI in the four games against the Braves.

Batting behind Huff in the clean-up spot is rookie sensation Buster Posey, who collected 18 homers, 67 RBI and a .305 batting average. The baby-faced catcher is dangerous at the plate and has a rifle for an arm behind the plate.

Posey completely outplayed his fellow Rookie of the Year candidate, Atlanta's Jason Heyward, in the NLDS, as he hit .375 and scored three times.

A player to watch in this series could be outfielder Pat Burrell, who spent the first nine years of his career playing for Philadelphia before leaving the team as a free agent following the Phils' World Series win in 2008.

Rescued from the scrap heap, Burrell was signed to a minor league deal in May and it paid off to the tune of 18 homers and 51 RBI in 96 games. Burrell homered in the series against the Braves and would love nothing more than to spoil the City of Brotherly Love's plans.

EDGE: PHILLIES

STARTING PITCHING

What can Halladay possibly do for an encore?

The ultra-talented right-hander was absolutely magnificent last Wednesday against the Reds as he joined the Yankees' Don Larsen as the only pitchers to ever throw a no-hitter in postseason play.

The 33-year-old threw 104 pitches, 79 for strikes, and his only blemish in the contest was a two-out walk to Jay Bruce in the fifth inning. He struck out eight and also drove in a run with a single to cap his finest performance since tossing a perfect game at Florida on May 29.

After 12 years in Toronto, Halladay was traded to the Phillies this past offseason and has been nothing short of brilliant. He finished with a 21-10 mark to go along with a 2.44 ERA. He also led the majors in complete games (nine), shutouts (four) and innings (250 2/3).

Halladay, though, has struggled in his career against the Giants, going 0-2 with a 7.23 ERA in three starts. It was the Giants who handed him his first NL loss back on April 26.

Hamels was also effective in the NLDS, as he struck out nine in his shutout. The 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP was just 12-11 this season, but pitched to a 3.06 ERA.

The one Phillies starter who struggled in the NLDS was Roy Oswalt, who gave up four runs (three earned) and five hits in five innings of Game 2. He was bailed out, though, by the Reds' poor defense and escaped without a decision.

Like Halladay, Oswalt has a losing record to the Giants, going 6-8 with a 3.61 ERA.

Countering Halladay will be Lincecum, who was just as dominant as Halladay in his playoff debut. The two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner tied a major league record for the most strikeouts in the first postseason start of a career with 14.

The 26-year-old Lincecum was winless in August, but rebounded by winning five of his last six outings of the regular season before his dominating Game 1 performance.

Lincecum has faced the Phillies seven times and is 2-1 with a 3.17 ERA against them and has fanned 54 batters in 48 1/3 innings.

Following the Freak will be righty Matt Cain, who did not get a decision in his Game 2 start against the Braves. Cain pitched well, though, allowing just an unearned run in 6 2/3 innings.

Cain, who was 13-11 with a 3.14 ERA this season, has never beaten the Phillies, posting an 0-3 mark with a 6.23 ERA in five starts.

Left-hander Jonathan Sanchez followed up a terrific start to get the Giants into the postseason with an even better effort on Sunday against the Braves. Sanchez limited Atlanta to a run and two hits in 7 1/3 innings, but did not get a decision.

Sanchez has traditionally had success against the Phils and beat them twice this season. He is 3-1 lifetime against them with a 2.86 ERA in nine games, five of which have been starts.

The Giants will have an advantage in Game 4 with rookie Madison Bumgarner likely facing Joe Blanton. However, Phils manager Charlie Manuel could opt to throw Halladay on short rest, depending on the situation of course.

EDGE: PHILLIES

BULLPEN

Brad Lidge seems to have turned the corner from a disastrous 2009 campaign in which he posted 31 saves but squandered another 11 chances. He blew just five saves and recorded 27 this season even though he missed some time with health issues.

Lidge only appeared in one game against the Reds, but got the save in that one and has converted his last 11 save chances in the playoffs.

With Lidge on track the Phillies have a solid relief staff with righties Ryan Madson, Jose Contreras, Chad Durbin and left-handers Antonio Bastardo and J.C. Romero. Starters Kyle Kendrick and Blanton are other options.

San Francisco closer Brian Wilson paced one of the top bullpens in the National League and ended the regular season with three straight saves for a career-best 48 on the year. The right-hander is one of the more intimidating closers in the game when he gets the call from the dugout.

Wilson saved the final two games in the NLDS, but blew Friday's Game 2, surrendering a run in two innings.

Helping to set the bridge to Wilson are lefties Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez, as well as righties Ramon Ramirez, Chris Ray, Sergio Romo, Guillermo Mota and Santiago Casilla.

EDGE: GIANTS

MANAGERS

Manuel is back in the postseason for the fourth straight year with the Phillies and his fifth time overall as a manager. Manuel also led the Cleveland Indians to an AL Central title in 2001, but his team lost in five games in the ALDS to Seattle.

Bochy, meanwhile, has been manager of the Giants since the 2006 season and is one of only a few active managers with at least 1,000 wins. Before taking the Giants to the playoffs this season, he had guided the San Diego Padres to the postseason four times.

EDGE: PHILLIES

BENCH

Mike Sweeney has found the fountain of youth as a reserve with the Phils, while seasoned backup catcher Brian Schneider can spell Carlos Ruiz at any moment. Wilson Valdez played well in Rollins' absence and Greg Dobbs has been here before. Dobbs can play any position on the field and Ben Francisco is a strong right-handed bat off the pine. Domonic Brown brings power and some speed from the left side of the plate.

San Francisco possess plenty of talent off its bench. Veteran shortstop Edgar Renteria, weathered outfielder Aaron Rowand, Cody Ross and Nate Schierholtz are just a few options. Rowand belted 11 homers and eventually lost his starting job to Andres Torres.

EDGE: GIANTS

PROGNOSIS

There may not be a better pitching matchup this postseason than the one that should take place in Game 1 between Halladay and Lincecum. But, even if the Giants somehow manage to come out on top of that one, they just don't have enough firepower to outlast a Philadelphia lineup that is better than what it showed against Cincinnati. I think both starting staffs will pitch well, but I have more faith in Philadelphia at the plate. Pitching may have gotten them through the first round, but it will be their bats that carry the Phillies this time around.

Prediction: PHILLIES in SIX

Umpiring leaves a lot to be desired in MLB postseason

By Chris Ruddick

Home field advantage has been anything but thus far in the American League playoffs, as the home team has yet to win any of the four games played.

Both Texas and New York have jumped out to 2-0 leads on the road and could very well wrap up their respective series on Saturday when the American League Division Series shift to Arlington and the Bronx, respectively.

"Again, we've been in difficult situations before, and a lot of times we've come back from that," Tampa manager Joe Maddon said of the predicament his team is in. "I think up until we've had 16 three-game winning streaks this year -- we're going to have to do this one game at a time starting on, what
would that be, Saturday."

Since the Division Series was instituted, AL teams that start the series 0-2 have won four of the 20 series, but only one  of those teams did so after losing the first two games at home (2001 Yankees).

Minnesota has to be demoralized, as it heads to New York. Ron Gardenhire's club has now lost 11 straight playoff games, eight straight to the Yankees and making it even worse is the fact that they have held the lead in all eight of its losses to New York.

Gardenhire's team is just 2-11 all-time in the playoffs against the Yankees, but he doesn't feel as if his team is snake-bitten.

"No, we have to figure out a way to beat the Yankees," Gardenhire said. "We haven't done that very well. I think it is documented and my job is to figure out how we can go to New York and beat the Yankees. They're getting some big hits when they have to. They're playing good baseball right now, and we
haven't got it done. We have to figure out a way to beat the Yankees when we go to New York and get back home."

The Rays though are easily the biggest disappointment in these playoffs. After winning an American League-high 96 games, they have crossed the plate just once in their series with the Rangers.

Tampa, which entered the postseason hitting .247 as a team, lives and dies with the walk, but Cliff Lee did not walk anyone in his Game 1 win and C.J. Wilson issued just two free passes on Thursday.

"They've taken a part or a component of our game away with the walk," Maddon added. "We have not walked that often because of their command issues or how well they've commanded the baseball."

Should the Rays lose this series they will look back to that first inning against Lee. Tampa had the former Cy Young Award winner on the ropes, loading the bases off on him with one out. However, Lee struck out Carlos Pena and Rocco Baldelli to get out of the jam and settled in after that to retire 12 of the next 13 batters he faced.

Of course, the Rangers were helped by a bad call at the plate, as Pena felt that he was hit by a pitch, but home plate umpire Tim Welke ruled that the ball hit the bat, making it a 2-2 count. The pitch did not appear to hit Pena, but at the very least it should have been called a ball because it did not look to hit the bat either.

"Plays like that, we've seen that happen over and over again where a close play like that, it's tough to tell for an umpire -- no doubt about it. But the ball hit my hand," said Pena. "It was the wrong call."

Pena obviously didn't learn anything from Derek Jeter, who put on one of the best acting jobs of all-time a few weeks earlier in St. Pete after a close pitch was determined to have hit him, although replays clearly showed that it hit the bat.

"I think everyone in the park would have thought I was an idiot if I started hopping up and down like the ball killed my hand when the reality was that it nicked it," said Pena.

Tampa's frustration boiled over in Game 2 when it looked like Michael Young struck out on a 2-2 pitch that was ruled a check swing instead of a swinging third strike. Young took advantage of the at-bat continuing by blasting the next pitch to straightaway center for a three-run homer that extended the Rangers' lead to 5-0.

The Twins also felt they were wronged on Thursday when it appeared as if Lance Berkman was called out on strikes on a pitch that was right down the middle of the plate, but was called a ball. Berkman made the most of his extended at bat and doubled off the center field wall to give the Yankees the lead, one they would not relinquish.

That call wasn't the worst of the night, as San Francisco's Buster Posey was clearly out on a stolen base attempt in the fourth inning. He was ruled safe, though, and later scored the only run in his team's 1-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Posey even admitted after the game that he may have gotten away with one.

"I guess it's a good thing we don't have instant replay right now," Posey said.

Umpiring, or lack thereof, has once again been the story in these playoffs. But then again, it was also the story in last year's postseason and nothing was changed.

Sadly, it seems as if something is going to have to happen to a New York team to get something changed. The whole replay for home runs ball got rolling back in early May of 2008, when both the Mets and Yankees had home runs taken away from them on national television due to blown calls by the umpiring crew.

Guess what a few months later MLB instituted some form of replay. Mark my words if a bad call costs the Yankees a postseason game, we will have replay in play at the start of next season.

And why not? I have always been an instant replay guy and what has happened in these playoffs has further cemented that. In this day and age, if there is a way to get a call right, how do you not take advantage of it?