The Tigers just acquired Gary Sheffield. This did not come cheap as they acquired the outfielder from the Yankees for pitching prospects Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett. They then went on to sign a two year $28 million contract extension with Gary Sheffield which is till 2009.

With this move, Sheffield is reunited with the general manager and field manager who put 1997 World Series champion team, Marlins, together. Sheffield express his delight saying that he is ecstatic to get reunited with the people he has always loved and talked about in the last 10 years.

With Sheffields induction into the Tigers, their batting lineup is suddenly looking good. Sheffield will strengthen Tigers middle batting order and Tiger President and General Manager Dave Dombrowski has been meaning to do this for sometime.

Sheffield, who is a right handed hitting slugger, played only 39 games this season due to a wrist injury. While he was injured, the New York Yankees brought in Bobby Abreu as his fill in who became his replacement instead. After his return from injury, Sheffield returned to first base with mixed results. The Yankees offered him up for trade once they exercised his $13 million option for next year.

The Tigers did not want to use Sheffield as a rented player. They reached an agreement on the trade with the Yankees after which Dombrowski spoke with Sheffield to ensure that he was comfortable with the move and contract extension. The Tigers will not be using Sheffield on first base. He will be the designated hitter to fill the role of Dmitri Young.

About the writer: Nigel Kerry is an American free lance writer born in \r Los Angeles, California. Kerry writes among others for Sportus.com \r - Sportsbook reviews, UsBookies.com - \r Sports Betting Online and \r Get-best-mortgage-loan.com - Mortgage lenders, get the best mortgage loan

Baseball Forecast 2007: Great Expecations for Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tiger baseball fans were jolted awake last season. Quality pitching, that more rare and treasured commodity, arrived in Detroit wearing the old English D on the ball caps. Pitching, that ranked #1 with the Team Best ERA in the American League. Pitching from Justin Verlander, American League Rookie of the Year, who started 30 games for the Motown Nine and tallied a 17 9 record.Along the way young Verlander emerged as one of the go-to guys...

Post-Season 2006 Baseball Predictions: Rating the Teams
Lets take a look at baseballs post-season rivals and predict who will prevail when the autumn leaves have touched down.American League:Oakland As: Theyre a balanced team with solid pitching, but theyre not particularly deep.Detroit Tigers: Hands down, their record was the best in the majors for 85% of the season. But were they playing far over their heads? Their September record says yes, so I expect theyll be respectable, and possibly make it to...

Slow September for NY Baseball
With the Red Sox completely out of the playoff picture, the month of September will be a pretty boring month for baseball in the New York area. The only thing well pretty much have to look out for is the race for the best record in the American League, which will probably end up going to the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers may look to rest some of their younger pitchers, and may lose some ground, but a Yankee team without Mike Mussina wont be able t...

Chicago White Sox - From First to Worst in Less Than 24 Months
Its hard to believe that the Chicago White Sox were the 2005 World Champions, topping all other clubs in the majors. Today, as I gazed at the standings, less than two full seasons later, theyre in dead last in the Central Division, beneath the perennially poor performers, the Kansas City Royals.The good news is that the Sox are a mere four games out of fourth place. They still have a fighting chance to stave off the shame of becoming cellar dwel...

Mr Runs Batted In
Whenever I think of Lou Gehrig, I think of power, consistency and most of all runs batted in. Lou was in business. His business was driving in runs. He had a thriving production company. He had seven years where his business surpassed 150 RBIs in that year.. And his RBIs per game is still the highest percentage in major league history at .921 runs driven in per game. From 1930 to 1934 he knocked in 813 runs. Averaging 162 rbis per season. More th...

The floundering Yankees managed to win one yesterday. Many are questioning A Rods tatics in the top of the ninth. With the Yankees up by two runs, Alex Rodriguez was running from first on a pop fly by Jorge Posada. As the Blue Jay Clark, 3b, was preparing to catch the pop fly with McDonald, ss, backing up the play; A Rod let out a yell. This yell was heard by Clark as one of his team mates calling him off and he backed off at the last moment. McDonald was unable to make the catch and the ball fell in for a hit.

The controversy started immediately. Umpire Chad Fairchild had to seperate McDonald and Rodriguez when McDonald started jawing with Rodriguez. The Blue Jays manager entered into the onfield dispute and the homebase umpire had to intervene. Rodriguez remained at third base with his smirk, until he came into score on Giambis single.

Rodriguez later brushed aside the Blue Jays anger, saying the Yankee$ were desperate for a win.

Honestly, I couldnt care less, he said. They have their opinions. Were looking not to be swept.

The thing about the Yankees, one of the reasons theyre so respected, is they do things right. Always have, manager John Gibbons said. Theyve got a lot of pride and a lot of class. They play the game hard. Thats not Yankee pride right there, he said. Thats not the way they play. I thought it was bush league.

It sounds like the sort of thing that would happen during an unsupervised game on the sandlots or a beer ball game. Technically there is nothing wrong with what A Rod did. After all, he didnt go out of the baseline or try to bowl over the player fielding the ball. Players really should know the voices of their other team mates.

In the final analysis, Alex resorted to a parlor trick trying to fan the embers in the overbloated bellies of his fellow Yankee$. It smacks of misplaced desperation.

nutcupsports.com
\r nutcupsports.com

A-Rod: A Liability at Third Base
In the beginning of the year, when A-Rod was hearing it from the boobirds of Yankee Stadium, I was sticking up for the guy. I told friends, family, people on the internet, and fellow fans to give the guy a break and that he would be getting back on track relatively soon. A-Rod would get back to his old ways of playing great offensively, and playing a damn good third base for the Yankees. Rodriguez has been hearing it all year for his actions a...

Mike Lowell vs A-Rod
The major difference between Mike Lowell and Alex Rodriguez is quite simple: Mike Lowell had cancer, and A-Rod is a cancer.In 2000 Alex Rodriguez was essentially the face of baseball. He signed the largest contract to date in American sports, one that would pay him $252 million over 10 years. We all know this, but what is also surfacing especially lately is his cancerous behavior that brings teams down. It is common knowledge that both Seattle an...

A Puke-Worthy Performance
Alex Rodriquez got sick on the West Coast trip, and then he made Yankee fans sick.Rodriquez had one lousy hit in 15 at-bats against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and if the Yanks are to possibly get past the Angels if they were to meet again this October, or anyone else for that matter, Rodriquez must once again become A-rod, not K-rod or E-rod. Right now, New York fans should be rooting for Oakland to win the West, because the Yankees flat...

Friday Night Lights
The lights were on and the music was blaring from the old Yankee Stadium speakers in center-field, as the crowd filed in slowly on this middle-July evening. After tossing warm-ups in the bullpen prior to the game, Jose Contreras made the long walk from the bullpen to the visitors bench, to a mild chorus of boos as bitter Yankee fans showed that there was very little love lost from his underachieving days as a Bronx Bomber. Randy Johnson was next ...

Yankee Gauntlet Comes to a Close
The New York Yankees have finally finished their 21 game in 20 day gauntlet, as the stretch ended just as it started: with Alex Rodriguez struggling. I really feel that Id be beating a dead horse if I went on and on about how abysmal A-Rod has been playing, both in the field and at the plate; Ill spare him and you all and just say that the guy hasnt been playing nearly as well as hes capable of. All of this poor play can be easily erased if A-Rod...

Barry Bonds is now in position number two regarding home runs. If his body holds up, or if he wishes, he should be able to pass Hank Aaron for number one. That is a heck of an accomplishment, but as everyone knows, controversy surrounds Bonds big time.

Barry has been a great player for a long time. He has hit many home runs well before his alleged steroid use. Stolen bases, gold gloves, etc., he has been a dominant player for sure. But passing Babe Ruth on the home run chart does not make him a better player or a better home run hitter. He simply is not.

Ruth dominated his era so much that it was almost comical. \”Playstation stats\” like the year he hit 60 home runs which in his era accounted for 14% of all homers. Today, a guy would have to hit about 350 dingers in one year to accomplish that according to one study.

Babe was also a great pitcher racking up 20-win seasons. Thus, when he could have been cranking out home runs, he was busy on the mound. Add more to the homer total.

The 154 game season compared to today might not seem like a big deal, but Ruth played 22 years. Therefore, that is one season of hitting more dingers.

Barry Bonds has had more than 1,000 extra at-bats. Hank Aaron around 3,000. Who are we kidding? Ruth is the best at the dinger.

Throw in the fact bats were made with softer wood and the balls not being wound as tight. What about the ballparks in many cases from the past? They were tougher to hit homers.

Of course, there is the steroid issue. Barry looks like a different human being compared to 10-12 years ago. He is far bigger. Before the age of 35, he hit a home run every 15.7 at bats. After 35, it became 1 in every 8.2.

Hmmmmm……

His trainer, Greg Anderson, was busted in the BALCO steroid scam. Basically, Bonds admitted to applying a cream given to him by Anderson. Plus, Human Growth Hormone has not been tested for by MLB. Bonds looks like \”Human Growth Man.\” Worse, those involved in the BALCO scandal were allowed to stay away from naming names. Was Barry one of the names?

Barry Bonds is a great player. But what happened to him physically is strange. To hit more home runs per-at-bat after age 35 is strange, too. To have your trainer get in trouble in a steroid scandal is strange, three. Plus, he is generally not liked by media and teammates. It all adds up to strange things.

Bonds is basically the equivalent of a guy who gets more chances to knock someone out. Eventually you will get there compared to the guy who gets one or two swings. But it still does not change who has the bigger punch. The Babe had the bigger punch.

Robert Carberry is a freelance writer from New York

Barry Bonds - No Deal
Barry Bonds, alleged steroid cheat, is the pariah of MLB, now more than ever. Until now, not one MLB wants to come near the home run champ.Barry Bonds never dreamed he would see this day. He is the home run "king" without a MLB team. The San Francisco Giants and Bonds have parted ways, leaving behind innuendo, speculation and a different kind of "roid-rage." The kind of rage that makes MLB finally say enough, or does it?The sad part is that M...

Barry Bonds Hopes Albert Pujols Shatters Home Run Record
It is no surprise that everyone in MLB knows who Barry Bonds is, between the smashed balls and records to the Balco investigation, the name is now synonymous with baseball. If you asked Barry Bonds to name a few players in the league however, you may be waiting a while. There is one name that stands out in Bonds mind when he thinks about Baseball, and that name is Albert Pujols.This young player is setting records all on his own, and is on pace t...

Barry Bonds - Mixed Emotions Over the Homerun Record
So Barry Bonds hit his 756th homerun late Tuesday night on August 7th, 2007. How do you feel about this? Are you excited to see such a great record broken? Are you aggravated because it was Bonds who did it? For most people the answer is likely both.Bud Selig called Bonds afterwards. Hank Aaron had a message on the big screen in the outfield. Neither seems too excited for Bonds. The fans cheered, but some booed. So why was there so many contradic...

Baseball, Barry Bonds and Steroids
In the last 5 years the growing popularity and use of illegal substances (steroids) in major league baseball has created a public outcry and led to indictments, arrests and congressional hearings. Some have even put major league baseball on par with professional wrestling as it is now a drugged or juiced game and old, lasting records by the greats like Ruth and Hank Aaron can easily be broken by lesser athletes on steroids and have become meanin...

Roger Clemens Traded To Washington (Part 1 of 4)
Roger Clemens. The name suggests strikeouts. Big-game pitching behind murderous fastballs for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. It now denotes something else. The allegation of using performance-enhancing drugs.HGH...steroids, the dirty little secret that is little no more. These days, when a baseball player is accused of playing with HGH/steroids in addition to baseballs, he is brought to Washington to appear before Congre...

After 3 consecutive 70+ win seasons, these Pirates faltered to 67 wins. They were -18 units on the season. We cannot blame them as they were in a heated NL Central. Heck, maybe they win their division if they were in the National League West. Maybe.

One thing to note about these Pirates is that they are a historically bad team against left handed pitching. It is almost always a sure thing when you see a dominant lefty facing this team. Going against these Pirates as an underdog of greater than +150 facing a lefty was 16-2 +13 units over the past 3 years. Taking underdogs with a lefty on the mound was 30-23 +11 units against thiese Pirates.

Combining the two angles, you have a 46-25 (+24 units) trend saying to go against these Pirates when they face lefties.

Trends and angles can change and the odds can always be adjusted accordingly. That is why it is important to combine trends together to find strong bets.

For example, we see that going against the Pirates in certain situations against lefties is money. We also saw, for example, betting the Giants at home versus southpaws was money. So if you see the Pirates playing at San Francisco and both teams have a lefty on the mound, you have money made by taking the Giants.

Check out our Baseball Betting Articles for addtional betting systems.

San Francisco Giants Handicapping: 2006 Season Preview
The Giants are probably going to be on my list of teams to look to bet on. They had a disappointing 75-87 season last year but that was because Bonds did not play the entire season. These Giants have won their backers money in every season for the previous 6 seasons. A total of 91 units!With Bonds expected back in 2006, they will more likely resemble the Giants that won their backers money than the losers of last year. With a weak National League...

Texas Rangers Handicapping: 2006 Season Preview
After finishing the 2004 season 16 games above 500, the Rangers sputtered through the 2005 season and finished 4 games below 500. They went from being a handicappers dream at +24 units in 2004 to a team that was priced about right.The Angels look like they are going to lock up the division again. The Athletics made moves to bolster their weak hitting. These Rangers are losing Alfonso Soriano to the Washington Nationals. These Rangers are going to...

Baltimore Orioles Handicapping: 2006 Season Preview
The Orioles had a great start to the 2005 Baseball season. At the 40 game mark, they were 26-14 +10 units. Even I thought they could contend with the Yankees and Red Sox for the division. The Yankees were playing bad and the Red Sox looked poised for a letdown. Too bad. But how did their strong start resonate with bettors the rest of the season?Most people continued betting on them. In fact, they ended the season 48-74 -31 units. Since the initia...

Florida Marlins Handicapping: 2006 Season Preview
The past two seasons have been pretty identical for these Marlins. 83 wins and about -16 units in both of the two seasons.The Marlins have shown some success against left handed pitching as compared to right handed pitching. Vegas is correctly deciding the odds for the Marlins against left-handed pitching but is overvaluing them by an average of 14 points against right handed pitching. When looking to bet these Marlins, you want them against Left...

LA Angels: 2006 Baseball Betting Season Preview
The Los Angeles Angels will probably be a lock for the American League West in the 2006 baseball season. Uh oh, as soon as I said that the gambling gods were planning on ways to make them lose.We say lock because we do not expect much out of the Mariners, Athletics, or Rangers. Even though we feel the Angels are not all that great themselves, they are still in the upper echelon of American League teams or so they should be.In the 2005 baseball se...

The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers are amongst those who have placed bids for Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Japanese pitcher. Matsuzakas club, Pacific Leagues Seibu Lions, is announcing whether it has accepted the highest bid.

Though none of the teams have confirmed that they placed bids for Matsuzaka, it confirmed by a baseball official that the New York Yankees had placed a bid.

Once Matsuzakas club accepts the highest bid offer, the Major League team will have 30 days to agree to a contract with Matsuzaka. The bid is paid only if the contract is agreed upon. Matsuzaka is being represented by Scott Boras.

The Major League commissioners office has already informed the Japanese commissioners office about the high bid but has not disclosed the name of the club. Once the Seibu Lions accept the bid, the amount and the name of the club will be made public. In November 2000, when Ichiro Suzuki was posted by the Orix Blue Wave, Blue Wave had announced the day after the bidding closed that it had accepted an offer for $13,125,000 while a few hours later the US commissioners office informed that Seattle Mariners had the highest bid. Suzuki went on to sign a contract for 3 years for $14 million a few weeks later. Matsuzakas team has a few days to make its decision.

Matsuzaka won the Most Valuable Player of the World Baseball Classic which was held in March 2006. He pitches the ball in the high 90s and is known for his highly deceptive pitch known as the gyroball.

About the writer: Nigel Kerry is an American free lance writer born in \r Los Angeles, California. Kerry writes among others for Sportus.com \r - Sportsbook reviews, UsBookies.com - \r Sports Betting Online and \r Get-best-mortgage-loan.com - Mortgage lenders, get the best mortgage loan

Introduction to Baseball
Baseball is a game that is played with nine players on each team. The objective of the game is to score more points (runs) than the other team. Runs are scored when a player advances from home plate to first base, on to second base, third base, and then back to home plate again without being put out by the other team. Opposing teams take turns being on offense and defense. When a team is on offense, members of the team take turns attempting t...

Betting the Streaks: Losing in Baseball After a Long Winning Streak
It cannot be expressed enough the fact that baseball is all about momentum. When teams are playing well, they will continue to play well. The converse is true for a team if they are playing poorly.As a result, it is very common for a team to go on long winning streaks but when they break out of the winning streak by losing a game, how do they historically perform?Teams coming off a loss after having a 9+ game winning streak has gone 34-21, +10 Un...

Teaching Softball Drills To Win
In softball, a coach cannot afford to underestimate the other team; they can only prepare their own team to be the best. As a coach, its important to set the standards for your team. Along with setting an example of the right attitude, you are responsible to make sure that the players skills and overall game improve over time. Therefore, teaching softball drills should always be a vital part of practice.The most effective way for teaching soft...

Cleveland Indians Handicapping: 2006 Season Preview
From 2003 to 2004, the Cleveland Indians improved by 12 wins. They followed that up by improving by another 13 wins. Where will these Cleveland Indians be in 2006?It is easy to expect a lot from these Indians. They have a young cohesive hitting lineup. No chemistry problems on the team at all. Their pitching staff is actually pretty decent considering they gave up Bartolo Colon not too long ago.With all that said, if you are expecting similar suc...

Chicago Cubs Handicapping: 2006 Season Preview
The Cubs are expected to win the World Series every year. So I exaggerated it but Cubs fans have their hopes and dreams set on this team every year and the team always stinks it up. They are consistenly overvalued by 13 points over the past 7 seasons. Betting against them is MONEY.Since betting odds in baseball have a lot to do with pitching, the pitchers in Chicago command great odds. The problem with that philosophy is that the team still blows...

Purchasing baseball tickets online is an easy way to obtain a ticket. It is fast, simple, and reliable, and it is one of the best ways to escape box office hassles. Many ticket websites are available for purchasing baseball tickets online. These websites differ in prices, selection, and trustworthiness. All that is required for getting baseball tickets online is a credit card and an Internet connection.

You can buy any type of baseball tickets online, including season and mini-season passes, single-game tickets, and playoff tickets. Most promoters, fan clubs, stadiums, and ticket brokers provide online services for purchasing baseball tickets. Apart from speed and convenience, buying baseball tickets online has other benefits. Most sites provide up-to-the minute ticket information, special promotions, renewal payments, instructions, game schedules, game date information, and game advice.

The Internet is the best place to look for any type of tickets such as premium, sold-out, or hard-to-find event tickets. Baseball ticket websites offer information on purchasing policies along with a view of the stadium to simplify the purchasing processes. They also give game schedules and seating order information so that you can select your seat location. Websites also provide seating charts, so you can view seating arrangements before the purchase is confirmed.

Baseball tickets online can be a little expensive because of the additional service fees that are charged. Service fees include an order processing fee, taxes, delivery price, convenience charge, and facility charge. It is safe to buy tickets from a website that is part of Ticket Network Direct.

Baseball Tickets provides detailed information on Baseball Tickets, Major League Baseball Tickets, Cheap Baseball Tickets, Baseball Ticket Sales and more. Baseball Tickets is affiliated with Outdoor Batting Cages.

Cheap Baseball Tickets
A multitude of online ticket brokers on the Internet offer affordable tickets to all the major MLB and NCAA baseball games. You can sometimes buy cheap baseball tickets from "scalpers" who need to unload their leftover tickets outside the stadium, but this is often an illegal practice in most places, and your chances of getting a good deal are slim.CheapMLBtickets.com, a member of the NATB and BBB that has been selling MLB tickets since 1985, spe...

Baseball Season Tickets
Baseball season tickets allow the holder admission to regular season baseball games. Season tickets come in different packages, such as full- and partial-season plans, half-season ticket plans, weekenders, series plans and flex plans to suit your budget, schedules, and tastes. Seating assignments are available on the basis of location demand, availability, cumulative total, and annual point total. Baseball season tickets are ideal for business pe...

Baseball Ticket Seating Charts
Baseball ticket seating charts help you view seat locations before you purchase a ticket. They carry a wide range of seating options so that you can choose a seat to suit your needs and budget.Seating options usually include dugout box, bullpen box, club box, field box, terrace box, terrace reserved, upper deck box, upper deck reserved, and bleachers. Club box offices and ticket selling agencies supply baseball ticket seating charts along with ti...

MLB Baseball History
No one knows for sure where baseball exacted originated. However, most baseball buffs will concur that the sport is based on the English game of rounders. In the United States, baseball became popular in the early 1800s, originally known as townball. At a later date, the sport was renamed baseball. Throughout this period of time, smaller communities formed teams, while larger cities formed leagues.There is some question as to who was the original...

Ball Park Food
How much money do you spend every time you go to a major league baseball game? And not just on tickets, how much do you spend on concession? This is where the stadiums really make their money. Sure, they collect quite a bit on ticket sales, but when it comes down to it concessions bring in tons of money as well. And as long as people are willing to pay the higher prices, the stadiums are always going to charge more; why wouldnt they?Gone are the ...

The Nationals have been scouting for a new manager ever since Frank Robinson was informed in September 2006 that he would not be returning as the manager in 2007. The Nationals are expected to announce their choice soon and Manny Acta, Mets third base coach, is keeping his fingers crossed hoping that he would be their choice.

There is no doubt that Manny Acta is one of the top candidates for this position. Acta has just returned from Japan where he was coaching the Major League All Stars. He informed that General Manager, Jim Bowden, had told him that he was still in contention for the position. Acta is also having an interview with the Oakland Athletics for a similar position.

Acta had his first interview with the Nationals in October 2006 and through an undisclosed source it was revealed that Acta had really impressed the Nationals managements. He had meeting with Jim Bowden, Stan Kasten, the team president, Bob and Mike Rizzo the two assistant general managers. Acta later went on to meet the Lerner family.

Acta, who is only 37, is the most familiar with the Nationals. He only left the team two years ago in 2004 and many of the players are still there. He was the third base coach under Frank Robinson from 2002 to 2004. He has also worked with catcher Brian Schneider, second baseman Jose Vidro, Chad Cordero and pitching coach Randy St Claire.

Another possible manager candidate for Nationals is Tony Pena the first base coach for Yankees. However, he has not heard from Jim Bowden ever since the Yankees were eliminated from the American League Division Series by the Tigers.

There are other likely candidates for this position but Nationals are keeping silent about it. We should soon know who would get this coveted position.

About the writer: Nigel Kerry is an American free lance writer born in \r Los Angeles, California. Kerry writes among others for Sportus.com \r - Sportsbook reviews, UsBookies.com - \r Sports Betting Online and \r Get-best-mortgage-loan.com - Mortgage lenders, get the best mortgage loan

Is Jenna Jameson An Ebay Seller Too?
Some days ago, I discovered a website where it was published that Jenna Jameson is currently an ebay seller. The website said, and Ii quote "Jenna Jameson is currently an ebay seller because she is broke." Too good to be true...hey! Just kidding! But it does seem that a lot of ebay sellers are loosing a lot of money because they can't seem to see the powerful resources right at their finger tips. In this article, I shall give you two little know...

Drew Leaves Los Angeles Dodgers
J D Drew shocked the Los Angeles Dodgers when he opted out of his contract. There was no prior indication that Drew was contemplating such a move. Drew had signed a five year $55 million contract with the former general manager of the Dodgers, Paul DePodesta. However, the contract did have a clause that Drew could leave the Dodgers after two seasons should he wish to. This decision has caught Grady Little, Los Angeles Dodgers manager, with ...

Tigers Acquire Gary Sheffield With A Roar
The Tigers just acquired Gary Sheffield. This did not come cheap as they acquired the outfielder from the Yankees for pitching prospects Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett. They then went on to sign a two year $28 million contract extension with Gary Sheffield which is till 2009. With this move, Sheffield is reunited with the general manager and field manager who put 1997 World Series champion team, Marlins, together. Sheff...

A Coach Profile: Dave Duncan
The player-turned-coach Dave Duncan was born on September 26 of 1945 in Dallas, Texas. On his retirement from the game he joined as a pitching coach. As a catcher he had the opportunity to play 11 seasons starting with the Oakland Athletics, which he was with for seven seasons and ending his career with the Cleveland Indians as well as Baltimore Orioles.Known as a defensive catcher during his career days, Duncan has to his credit a career average...

Ryan Howard Wins Player of The Year Award
Ryan Howard of the Philadephia Phillies was selected by the Major League Baseball players to receive the Player of the Year Award. Howard also won the National Leagues Outstanding Player award. This is caused a lot of jubilation amongst the Phillies as it keeps their hopes alive for playoff in the National League Wild Card race.Howard was also the National League Player of the Month for August and September. He set a club record for hittin...

Although many of the colleges want you to believe you have to be the top of the top for baseball college recruiting, that isnt always so. In fact, many times colleges are assuming that they are not looking at the top 5% because those student athletes may already be spoken for.

Some things to remember:

1. Grades count. Sure, athletic ability is important, but do you have the grades to get into the college admissions office and catch their eye even without your sports ability? You should have grades that support you as a well-rounded student, not just an image of a ball player alone.

2. Do you know what a college coach values in a player? Is it the same as a high school coach or a teen-level coach? What do you bring to the coach that is different from the myriad of other players your age and ability that makes you a step above? Can you bring the values to the team that your coach is looking for?

3. What is your motivation? Not just are you motivated but what motivates you? Is it fame, money or a passion for the game? Do you work at your game based upon only your motivation? Do you have many motivators for your game? This is important; because parents, students and coaches will need to understand the motivators.

4. Are you motivated? As a verb, do you have it? Do you have what it takes to look into adversity and tough times and still shine? This is going to be important to be able to display to prospective colleges and future coaches as this may be a tie breaker trait.

5. Dont wait until the last minute. Some students start as early as their freshman year in marketing themselves to colleges. If you are a senior and havent started, dont let that discourage you, but do get moving on that! Market yourself as early as you can as a true athlete, because every moment you are no exposing your abilities, your peers are.

6. Do you, or do you plan to, meet the core requirements of entering college? If you are a great player, its important to have pretty good grades and decent SAT scores. There are a myriad of Internet sites that can help you make sure you are not lagging, and your guidance office should be able to help you. Again, its never too early to start working on your sports collegiate career.

7. Know the reality. According to statistics, less than 15% of high school baseball players will play college baseball. Just know your realities so if you dont make the team, you are not devastated. Its as important to know the realities of the situations as well as how to best get into a situation. Never enter any situation blind to both sides.

8. Look at the bigger picture. You may want to play ball but you may also want to have a certain climate, social life and academic schedule that fits your desires. Look at more than just the team; because you are more than just a ball player.

9. Do you have what it takes? Its more than just the above. There is also something called Luck and Timing. Absolutely realize that you have to have both in addition to all the things you can control. Realize that a little of this is going to be out of your control.

10. Finances: not everyone is going to be playing ball on scholarship, or at least on full scholarship. Decide if the cost is worth the sport participation. If you are reading this, the answer probably is yes, of course it is but realize an injury or a sudden lack of passion means you still have the finances to deal with but none of the glory of the sport. Really weigh your financial realities.

All of this is meant to get you thinking be it a parent or a player. Even a coach reading this needs to understand that you are going to be looking at some kids who have the research down pat and can impress you, but some other youth will be just as impressive deep down, but you may have to scratch the surface a bit. Not everyone knows the ins and outs of impressing a coach and a college but may be an exceptional player, student and person under it all. Its everyones responsibility to learn as much as possible and do what they can to ensure the best options for all involved.

Kenny Buford spent years playing baseball at the college level. Today, he coaches 3 youth development teams and shares his extensive coaching knowledge on his blog, you can visit him here: http://www.baseball-tutorials.com/

Baseball Positions And Baseball Coaching
With nine different positions, have you ever thought about all the baseball coaching and baseball drills that goes into each position? There are several, and you will find that positions like the "pitcher" is subject to more training then just pitching the ball. This is why, when children are growing up, they are encouraged to play several different places on the field to interact in all baseball drills and learn all aspects of the game.Doing so...

A Guide to College Baseball Bats
In the mid 1850s, when baseball was in its infancy, players made their own bats. They experimented with flat bats, round bats, and heavy bats. They ultimately discovered that the barrel shaped bat was the most effective. Today, college baseball bats have taken this technology to a new, powerful level upon the introduction of aluminum bats in the mid 1970s. Too many wooden bats were being broken, so due to budget crunches suffered by many college...

How Youth Baseball Coaches Are Using Small Discs To Teach Proper Hitting Fundamentals
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The lights were on and the music was blaring from the old Yankee Stadium speakers in center-field, as the crowd filed in slowly on this middle-July evening. After tossing warm-ups in the bullpen prior to the game, Jose Contreras made the long walk from the bullpen to the visitors bench, to a mild chorus of boos as bitter Yankee fans showed that there was very little love lost from his underachieving days as a Bronx Bomber. Randy Johnson was next to come out from behind the walls of the Yankee Stadium outfield, and he was treated to gracious cheers from the fans, probably due to The Unit having quality outings (6 IP, 3ER or less) in four of his last five starts. The players from both sides finished stretching and warming up, as they took to the dugout; after the national anthem was played, we would all be ready for baseball.

Randy Johnson took to the mound, and although not all of the crowd had filled the stadium as of yet, the atmosphere seemed to have a bit more juice to it. Johnson pitched well in the first, with the highlight of the inning being the strikeout of Jim Thome. The Yankees then came to the plate and couldnt muster up any runs themselves. The White Sox struck first with a shot by Joe Crede over the wall, which gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead early on. The Stadium had now become full to the brim, and were just taking their seats as Johnson gave up the bomb; many Yankee fans started to voice their displeasure with Johnson. Randy settled down and wouldnt give up another run until the 7th inning. The Yankees struck back in the fourth with a bases-loaded single by Jorge Posada, and then a sacrifice fly by Bernie Williams. The game was now tied up at two a piece, heading into the fifth. This game had all the elements of a playoff atmosphere, timely pitching, hitting, and fielding, but unlike playoff games, the time was flying. It mustve been only 8:00PM or so by the time the game was into the fifth.

Johnson worked a perfect fifth, and the Yankees would now come to the plate in the home half of the inning. Miguel Cairo was the leadoff hitter and he started things off with a triple. The crowd was roaring after every step as the fans knew this could be the deciding run in this pitchers duel. So the Yankees had top of the order up with no outs and a runner on third. Johnny Baseball was up at the plate, and he struck out on three pitchers; Jose Contreras made Damon look absolutely silly. D.J. was up next and once again, Contreras had the upper hand on a Yankee, striking him out on four. Ozzie Guillen then made an interesting move, intentionally walking Giambi to pitch to A-Rod. The crowd then rose to its feet and began cheering for Alex Rodriguez; A-Rod quickly went down 1-2 and the dissapointment began to grow. Just as fast as he went down in the count, it was all wasted by Contreras as a curveball slipped out of Contreras hand, and hit A-Rod in the head. Jorge Posada came up with the bases-loaded and two outs; the crowd was roaring and cheers of Hip, Hip Jorge! rained down from the upper decks of the Stadium. Posada grounded out to Juan Uribe and ended the threat.

The Yankees would take the lead in the home half of the sixth with a lead-off homer by Aaron Guiel, to make the score 3-2. The Sox struck back with a run in the seventh, with a sac. fly off the bat of Juan Uribe to Melky Cabrera. The game would be 3-3 heading into the bottom of the 7th. The crowd rose for the singing of God Bless America, as little did the fans in the bleachers know, that they would not be sitting at all again for the rest of the game. Damon, Jeter, Giambi did nothing in the seventh for the Yankees, who would now have to bring in Farnsworth for the eighth, who worked a surprisingly perfect inning for the Yankees.

(story continued in Friday Night Lights: Part II)

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Panic Attack: The Worst Panic Attack Yet!
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Germany is a fascinating country with a vast array of cultural heritage and religious celebrations. Excluding national holidays, all the public holidays in Germany are established by the federal states. Many of the German holidays are religious. Some of the holidays including New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labor Day, Ascensions Day, Whit-Monday, Day of German Unity, and Christmas are observed in all the federal states of Germany.Like Am...

When Major League Baseball announced its decision to expand its horizons to Arizona and Tampa Bay in 1998, many owners reveled in the undulating P.R. value and duplicitous good will. The most vocal baseball lord, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, was reliably available for comment.

The best part of these meetings is expansion to two areas that deserve, and if anybody ever deserves it, Tampa-St. Petersburg does, said Steinbrenner, a Tampa resident and then-expansion committee member. Right now, I just want to relax and relish in Tampa Bay.

But there is no joy in Tampa. Three years of financial woes, and the verdict has been made. Entitlements do not ensure stability. Despite managing the leagues 10th highest payroll, the Devil Rays could only muster an average of 19,218 fans last season partly attributed to the poor quality of play.

It is no secret that baseball has been enduring the effects of a diluted talent pool since the last expansion draft. With a scarcity of 2.50 ERA pitchers and .300 hitters, MLB executives realize that top talent is a valuable commodity. And more divisive among owners, it comes at a premium.

The argument that only the top 10 teams in payroll can emerge as World Series contenders is futile. Analysts were proven wrong last season that baseball could not produce a sporadic underdog to challenge the Yankee dynasty. The fault lies in the method itself.

Rather than assess the cumulative wealth among franchises, consider a rudimentary itemization that truly differentiates the so-called winners and losers. This analysis, however you dice it, reveals that teams in Los Angeles and New York versus those in Montreal and Minnesota are separated by about four marquee players, respectively. As post-expansion syndrome perpetuated a thinning of talent, owners of upper-tier franchises accelerated the bidding for premier athletes disproportionately to the mainstream players.

When analyzing the Baseball Elite (the 80 highest-paid players), there is a prevailing condition of top-heavy teams. By Opening Day of the 2000 season, Steinbrenners Yankees committed a staggering 73 percent of its payroll to eight members of the Baseball Elite. In 1999, Jerry Colangelo and the Arizona Diamondbacks, making a concerted playoff run, earmarked a league-leading 68 percent to seven members of the Baseball Elite. As a parenthetical note, their competition was not far behind in both years. So, after the feeding-frenzy, the residual pickings are not enough for the smaller teams.

Top-heavy franchises are not always indicative of the highest total payrolls. The Boston Red Sox has financed a top tier payroll over the last two years, but it allocated only 24 percent to Elite players in 1999, 31 percent in 2000. With such additions as Manny Ramirez and Dante Bichette, the Red Sox open the 2001 season with nearly 50 percent committed to the Elite.

While the Texas Rangers search ways to subsidize the signing of Alex Rodriguez, it becomes clear that franchises may burgeon from only a small number of player acquisitions, yet significant enough to improve their formula for success.

The itemization of top-heavy teams does not discourage sports analysts and special interest groups from bickering over the inequitable disparities among MLB teams even though playing 162 grueling games inexorably produces a deviation in achievement. These groups were the same ones lobbying for franchises in Tampa and Miami, followed by unsuccessful attempts (thus far) in Charlotte and Northern Virginia. No recognition was given to the repercussions of entering saturated markets. No assessment was conclusive toward the long-term sustenance of fan attendance and stadium revenue.

Before the recent MLB expansion, critics deemed the league obtuse, unwelcoming, and unfair. After the 1998 inauguration, they modified their disapproval to obtuse, welcoming, but still unfair. This rhetoric suggests that the invisible hand theory should not succeed unless the public controls the hand. \r It would be foolish of expansion enthusiasts to forget the most fundamental lesson from Tampa Bays plight. Franchises must be scalable to the cities that foster them.

The real irony is that the perpetrators of MLBs disarray will have to bail themselves out. Owners have been compelled to follow public opinion on expansion issues, simply in response to their poor image among fans. Now that the hype has fizzled in cities like Tampa, Steinbrenner and company must look to reality. Their product has been soiled with mediocrity, causing a lopsided payroll and creating a new Baseball Elite. As usual, owners have imposed more damage to each other than anyone on the periphery could ever achieve.

Yet, the condition is not nearly as flawed as the approach itself.

Reducing MLB membership may serve as a cathartic endeavor for each surviving franchises operations. The call to action may be even more paramount. And should Steinbrenner emerge as a committee member for this cause, let it be transparent that no city deserves a professional team any more than the Baseball Elite deserves to divide the contenders from the pretenders.

[Originally Written 1/10/01]

2007 LineDrives.com, Michael Wissot,

Michael Wissot is a managing partner at SymAction Communications, a corporate communications and market research firm. He serves as an adjunct professor of communication at Pepperdine University and a political analyst for KABC talk radio in Los Angeles. Wissot an expert in crisis management, messaging, public relations and Internet communications previously worked as Vice President of Luntz Research, a premier public affairs firm. He has moderated focus groups and conducted surveys for Fortune 100 companies and leading industry associations. Wissot, a former aide to U.S. Senator John McCain, has contributed to high-level messaging projects for President George W. Bush, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and several other world leaders and CEOs. He served three years as CEO of Dentistry.com, a leading dentist-matching company. Wissot received a BA from James Madison University, a MBA from The University of Arizona, and a MIM from Thunderbird.

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