White Sox sign Pierre from the Dodgers

Today, Ozzie Guillen has managed to bring in outfielder juan Pierre from the LA Dodgers. Pierre has had reduced playing time in LA since the signing of Manny Ramirez. In Chicago, Juan Pierre will become the White Sox's leadoff hitter and main left fielder.

Pierre has bneen traded for two players yet to be named the left fielder was obviously delighted to join White Sox after 18 months of difficulty in LA. Pierre still managed to hit .307 average in 2009 with 57 runs scored.

Big Day of reported trades in MLB

John Lackey to the Red Sox
Firstly reports are currently suggesting that the Boston Red Sox have tentatively agreed terms of a 5-year deal with John Lackey. The LA Angels ace is ready to sign a worth at least $82.5m.

Lackey, 31, is 102-71 with a 3.81 ERA in eight seasons with the Angels, and he would join Josh Beckett and Jon Lester at the top of a powerhouse rotation in Boston.

The signing of Lackey could reduce the chances of Boston resigning Jason Bay (see earlier post for the importance of this). With $82.5m spent on payroll could mean that Bay or Matt Holliday will not be resigned despite the urgent need in outfield.


Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee close to trade

A reported three way deal that would send Roy Hallday to the Phillies and Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners is supposedly very close to being completed.

Halladay is set earn $60m on a three-year deal Philadephia. Toronto who are losing Halladay will attain top prospects from the Philles and the Mariners.

Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy review

Jules Tygiel book Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy is a brilliant compendium of cultural history leading up to the Jackie Robinson's integration into baseball and beyond. The Journal of Sport's History calls the book "The best baseball book of the decade", it is hard to disagree with this opinion.

Professor Tygiel's book is the definitive work on the importance of Jackie Robinson to American history. Tygiel writes a well-researched, dynamic narrative that illustrates Robinson's incredible achievements and strength of character.

This book, unlike others on Robinson, focuses on the years before and after 1947 as well. By doing this, Tygiel reveals the impact of Robinson's achievement in the context of the emerging civil rights movement. Jackie Robinson's story was not his alone- it was the story of the ballplayers who came after him. The book also shows how Robinson's courageous seasons personified the changing American conscience regarding race in the post-war era.

Every serious baseball fan should read this book.

10 out of 10

Free Agency - Impressive roster of free agents remains

There are also some big names available on the trade market, starting with Toronto ace Roy Halladay and including slugging second baseman Dan Uggla and right-hander Derek Lowe. There also will be another haul of free agents come Saturday, when some talented players such as Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins are not expected to be tendered contracts by the deadline to do so.

At the top tier, starter John Lackey and sluggers Matt Holliday and Jason Bay likely won't be ringing the same financial bells CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira did a year ago.

Starting pitchers (5): Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer and Aroldis Chapman. Lackey's far and away the class of the group, and Pineiro is coming off a career year with the Cardinals.

Relief pitchers (5): Jose Valverde, Mike Gonzalez, Fernando Rodney, Octavio Dotel, Darren Oliver.
The Astros have moved on from Valverde, picking Brandon Lyon from the free-agent aisle and acquiring Matt Lindstrom via trade. Valverde stands out with two 40-save seasons preceding a 25-save campaign in '09.

Catchers (2): Bengie Molina, Rod Barajas.

First baseman: Carlos Delgado.
If he's indeed healthy after hip surgery and he can return even to his 2008 form, Delgado could be big again in the middle of someone's lineup.

Second baseman: Orlando Hudson.
What a difference a year makes, eh? Last year, he had to wait and wait for the call, but this year Hudson is top dog among second basemen.

Third baseman: Adrian Beltre
It looks as though Beltre is about to join the Red Sox after strong finish with the Mariners.

Shortstop: Miguel Tejada
Having regained some of his dominant form while with the Astros, Tejada is one of the more coveted bats on the market.

Outfielders (5): Holliday, Bay, Johnny Damon, Mike Cameron, Jermaine Dye.
Holliday and Bay will get big deals, because they're both big-deal guys -- a lot of pop from the right side.

Utility: Mark DeRosa
He'll literally play anywhere, any day. In fact, that might limit teams interested in him, simply because his value might not fit their need for a multi-position player.

Corner infielders: Nick Johnson, Troy Glaus
Would be nice to have a first baseman of Johnson's caliber around especially if Delgado's the starter, and Glaus can deliver some pop off this bench.


Middle infielder: Felipe Lopez.
Orlando Cabrera has made the rounds, and they've won pretty much everywhere he's gone. But Lopez gets an edge here because he brings experience to the table at both middle spots and he's younger.

There are definitely some brilliant free agents available. Most teams could do worse than some of these 25 players

Jason Bay must the Red Sox's primary objective

Today the New York Mets have joined the pursuit for Jason Bay. It was believed that Mets had been looking for pitching to relieve some pressure from Johan Santana. General Manager Omar Minaya looks to have changed direction in searching for the left fielder.

The only definitive offer that Bay has currently received is from the Red Sox. The Canadian turned down a four year deal worth $60m to stay at Fenway Park.


Jason Bay had an excellent season in 2009. He averaged .267 and hit for power with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs. These were career highs for Bay in home runs and RBIs meaning his value has certainly risen ahead of free agency.

When traded to the Red Sox in July 2008, Bay had to take over the left field role from the talismanic Manny Ramirez. As a replacement for the talented Ramirez, Bay has managed to cope with the pressure successfully.

Currently the Red Sox do not have an adequate replacement for Bay in left field. Rumours suggest that Boston are looking to sign Matt Holliday. Holliday is another free agency option. If the Red Sox were to bring him in, Holliday would probably be a solid replacement for Bay having hit 24 home runs and 109 RBIs in 2009 in Oakland and St Louis.

Bay is better player defensively than Manny Ramirez ever was for the Red Sox and he also a slightly better outfielder than Holliday. The comparison between the two offensively is also pretty close.

Holliday is a three time NL All Star with the Colorado Rockies has excellent career statistics with the small-market side. It is often argued that his statistics in Colorado were inflated due at home-run friendly Coors Field. However throughout Holliday's career, he has hit for a better average than Bay at .318 over five seasons.

It would probably be best for Red Sox to try to keep their prized slugger. Since rejecting arbitration, Bay has been in high demand with numerous suitors including the Los Angeles Angels, the Seattle Mariners and now the New York Mets.

To lose Bay would be an extremely significant loss for the Red Sox. Having led the club in the power categories, his success helped to negate David Ortiz's early season slump. His importance in the last 18 months has been unquestionable. Bay is the Red Sox's main power outlet. It would be unlikely to that Holliday would be a similar replacement. As an all-round hitter Holliday is closer to a Kevin Youkilis than Jason Bay.

The Red Sox currently have a very strong offense; in 2010 they will have a full season of Victor Martinez and hopefully resurgent David Ortiz. To bring in Holliday would not be a bad move for the Red Sox. Holliday is obviously a very good ballplayer but it would certainly be in Boston's interests to offer Bay a better deal.

The Red currently have a lot of depth in the pitching staff so the available payroll should be used to keep the slugger in New England rather than being spent on a Roy Halladay. Bay's power and performances in the clutch should definitely justify this. If Epstein does not act quickly Bay will have signed elsewhere.

Yankees on verge of landing Granderson in blockbuster trade

Runours have it the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers are on the verge of the first major trade of baseball's winter meetings, a deal that would send Tigers speedy outfielder Curtis Granderson to New York.

In the trade, the Diamondbacks would obtain Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, while the Tigers will pick up Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Phil Coke and outfield prospect Austin Jackson.

Detroit, which failed to make the playoffs following a late-season slide, arelooking to cut the payroll after a big attendance drop this year at Comerica Park. Granderson is owed $5.5 million next year, $8.25 million in 2011 and $10 million in 2012, and his contract includes a $13 million club option for 2013 with a $2 million buyout.

Kennedy, who turns 25 on Dec. 19, impressed when he came up from the minors at the end of the 2007 season, going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts. But he struggled with injuries in each of the last two seasons.

If this trade were to go through it would be the first blockbuster trade of the winter. And typically the Yankees are involved.

Pettitte renews contract with the Yankees

Andy Pettitte has completed a new deal with the New York Yankees. The 37 year old left hander agreed to a one year deal worth $11.75m with Yankees.

Pettite had another good season in the Bronx. He pitched 32 starts going 14-8 with a solid 4.16 ERA through the Yanks' championship series.

After winning the clinching games of all three Yankees postseason series this year, going 4-0 in five postseason starts with a 3.52 ERA, the door was considered open for Pettitte to return. The only question was if the hurler would decide that he wished to pitch for one more season.

The southpaws' new contract represents a slight pay raise from last season and more importantly, it is a guaranteed, incentive-free contract, a major issue after Pettitte admitted that he was not ecstatic with the deal he signed with New York last season.

"Everybody knows I wasn't really happy with the contract I took," Pettitte said after the Yankees won the American League Championship Series against the Angels. "But I wanted to take it to come back here to have a chance to do this."

Free Agency - Red Sox agree to Scutaro deal BREAKING NEWS

The Red Sox have just agreed to sign Marco Scutaro on a two year deal. The Sox are expected to confirm the deal if he passes his medical later today.

The main result to come from the Scutaro deal is that Dustin Pedroia will not have to move to shortstop. It had been rumoured in recent days that Pedroia, a Gold Glove winning 2nd baseman, would be moving across the infield to shortstop. A Pedroia move would probably have been detrimental to his fielding abilties.

Theo Epstein (Boston's General Manager) has signed Scutaro to $5m a year two year deal. With the Red Sox only having Jed Lowrie available currently at shortstop as an option, the Scutaro signing was definitely needed. Lowrie who had a poor season in '09 having averaged just .147. That coupled with a career of .258 means that Lowrie is likely to move down to the minors now that Scutaro has arrived at Fenway.

Marco Scutaro had the best year of his career last with the Toronto Blue Jays. He averaged .282 with slugging percentage of .409. Scutaro is also an excellent fielder who is extremely versatile as he can play SS 2B and 3B or in the outfield.

One still wonders whether Scutaro was Boston's first choice at shortstop. It looks as if Epstein was unable to create the blockbuster trade for the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez.

If Scutaro can perform as well as he did in 2009 then he has the opportunity to become the Red Sox's best shortstop since Nomar Garciaparra left in 2004. Its a difficult task to match but Scutaro has the ability and the opportunity.

AL MVP - Joe Mauer

The Minnesota Twins' catcher Joe Mauer has been named Most Valuable Player for 2009 in the American League. The Twins star received 27 out of 28 first place votes and finished comfortably in first place ahead of Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter.

Mauer's season started perfectly hitting a home run in his first at bat. Mauer finished with a league leading .365 average and on-base percentage of .444. Mauer was obviously a deserved winner having helped his Twins to the playoffs.

NL MVP - Albert Pujols

The great Albert Pujols has been named Most Valuable Player in the National League. The St Louis Cardinals' slugger was a unanimous pick having received all 32 first place picks meaning Pujols retained the title. It is also his third career MVP award.

He led the league in a number of offensive categories. Albert hit 47 home runs and his slugging percentage was an incredible .658. Albert is the third player to win the NL MVP title three times after Roy Campanella and Mike Schmidt.

Do the Boston Red Sox Need Roy Halladay?

Roy Halladay, the six time All Star, has been linked with the Red Sox. The real question is whether the Red Sox need another ace or should the payroll be better used elsewhere.

There are a number of reasons why Boston would look to trade for Halladay. The first of which is his obvious talent. The Toronto Blue Jay's star is one of the dominant pitchers in the American League. Last year he went 17-10 with a 2.79 ERA in a losing team. He was third in the AL in ERA and 4th in wins. His abilities as a pitcher are unquestionable.

The 32-year-old Halladay who has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays is said to want to join a playoff chasing team. For Halladay the Red Sox would be a good fit having made the ALDS again in 2009.

Halladay is definitely a better pitcher than the knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. And if Halladay were to join the Sox he would probably take Wakefield's or Clay Bucholz's place in the rotation. The 43-year-old Wakefield has just signed a two-year, $4m contract extension meaning he is unlikely to be dropped.

Halladay currently earns $40m in Toronto whereas Bucholz earns $413k. Which makes one wonder whether the Red Sox need to use so much of their payroll when they already have aces like Beckett and Daisuke?

The Red Sox rotation is very strong with two players who have pitched no-hitters in Jon Lester and Bucholz to join Daisuke, Beckett, and Wakefield.

The extra payroll could be better used signing an outfielder, either getting by Jason Bay to return to Fenway Park. A replacement for Bay is more imperative than signing Halladay. Bay hit 36 home runs and 116 RBIs. The excellent outfielder gave the Red Sox power during Ortiz's early season slump.

Also Boston need to improve at third base with Mike Lowell having missed 92 regular season games in the last two seasons. Also with age against Lowell, the Red Sox will look at free agents with an abundance of third baseman talent available.

Halladay is in demand. As well as the Red Sox, the Angels and Yankees are both rumoured to be looking at the pitcher.

If the Red Sox were to sign Halladay then their pitching depth chart would certainly be impressive and would definitely be a great addition. But the payroll could be better used at third base or in left field.

Is Dustin Pedroia the Answer at Shortstop for the Boston Red Sox?

Dustin Pedroia, the 2008 American League MVP, is rumoured to moving to shortstop. With the Red Sox looking extremely vacant in that area, Pedroia is looking to step up.

He said to ESPN's Peter Gammons, "They've put it out there, and I've told them I'm all for it. I can do it. I can't wait for [Terry Francona] to call me and ask, 'Can you do it?' I can do it. I really want to do it."

Will he be able perform to high enough standards in a new position?

As an All-American shortstop Arizona State he certainly has the abilities. However, for the Red Sox, Pedroia has only played six games in the position. His fielding percentage at shortstop is .952.

Whereas in his four seasons at second base, he has fielded at an excellent .990 percentage. He also been the fulcrum of 289 doubles plays while fielding at second base. For his performances at second base Pedroia managed to win a deserved Gold Glove in 2008.

One could therefore argue that it would be detrimental for the Red Sox to move Pedroia from second to shortstop. It will take time for him to get to a sufficient standard, especially to a equivalent standard of his second base fielding talent.

The loss of Pedroia at second base would mean that Boston would have to look for a new second baseman. This would cause further disruption for Theo Epstein during a difficult offseason.

So what the options for the Red Sox at shortstop beyond Pedroia?

Currently in the depth chart, the Red Sox only have Jed Lowrie. In his career Lowrie has for a .235 average and an extremely disappointing .147 last season through 32 games.

Boston will have look at the options available in free agency. There are currently two Type A free agents still available. They are Miguel Tejada of the Astros and Orlando Cabrera of the Twins.

Tejada, 35, is a career .289 hitter who hits for power. Last year he hit a commendable .313; however, one doubts that the Red Sox will be able to sign the 35-year-old as the Astros are close to keeping Tejada.

Orlando Cabrera is a more realistic option. The Twins have just signed JJ Hardy at shortstop meaning Cabrera is definitely available. He is certainly a better option than Lowrie.

There are rumours that the Red Sox will look to former draft pick Hanley Ramirez in a blockbuster trade. Ramirez has become the face of the Marlins organisation. The talismanic shortstop had an unbelievable season with the Marlins and would obviously be a brilliant option if available.

Ramirez would certainly be the ideal man to play shortstop for the Red Sox. However, the likelihood of the Red Sox bringing him in is small.

The answer at shortstop, though, is currently not in Red Sox organization. Pedroia is just too good at second base. It is unlikely that Francona will want to lose that. Therefore, the Red Sox will have to look to sign a new shortstop, whoever he maybe.

NL Cy Young winner

The brilliant Tim Lincecum managed to retain his NL Cy Young award. Lincecum (15-7, 2.48 ERA, 261 strikeouts) received 11 first-place votes and 100 points. Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA, 144 strikeouts) finished second with nine first-place votes and 94 points, followed by Wainwright (19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212 strikeouts), who had 12 first-place votes and 90 points. Lincecum joins Zack Grienke as the reigning Cy Young pitchers.

The Giants will be looking to keep their strong rotation throughout free agency with Randy Johnson eligible on Friday

Tracy, Scioscia named top managers

Mike Scioscia of the LA Angels won the AL Manager of the Year award on Wednesday for the second time. Jim Tracy of Colorado was selected for the NL honour.

AL Cy Young winner

Zack Greinke won again on Tuesday - this time taking the Cy Young Award as the American League's best pitcher.

The Royals' right-hander received 25 of 28 first place votes and had 134 total points in the Baseball Writers' Association of America voting. Runner-up Felix Hernandez of the Mariners had 80 points, with two first-place votes.

The brilliant Zack Greinke went 16-8 with a major league low 2.16 ERA this season.

Free Agency Rumours - Peter Gammons' view

ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons' has written an interesting piece on Boston's offseason activity.

Free Agency Rumours - Hideki Matsui

Hideki Matsui put on quite an offensive show in Game 6 of the World Series as his New York Yankees made the final push past the Philadelphia Phillies to become champions. And the Boston Red Sox appear to want a piece of that.

Matsui has made about $13 million a year for each of the last four years, but he is apparently ready to lower his price for his next deal to $8 million annually.

There is plenty of doubt in Boston that this story has any truth to it, but it's always fun when a Yankees or Red Sox player switches sides.

Free Agency Rumours - Vladimir Guerrero

Big slugger Vladimir Guerrero is now a free agent and it appears that the Texas Rangers would like to bring the former Angels DH to the Lone Star State.

It is believed that Vlad will have to take a significant paycut to sign for the Rangers. The Rangers had a poor season offensively in '09, they will look to Vlad to boost it.

Free Agency Rumours - John Lackey

The Boston Red Sox have moved to try and enhance their starting rotation by bringing in the Angels' ace John Lackey. Lackey won 11 games last season dspite starting on the Disabled List.

The Red Sox already have Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka penciled in for the starting rotation next year, and the addition of Lackey would give them one of the best staffs in the Majors.

However the Milwaukee Brewers are looking to gazump the deal by attempting to sign Lackey. The Seattle Mariners are also said to be interested.

Free Agency Rumours - Ken Griffey Jr.

Ken Griffey Jr. has reached agreement on a one-year deal to return to the Seattle Mariners in 2010. Griffey will be playing in his 22nd season in the major leagues.

Griffey, who turns 40 on Nov. 21, ranks fifth on Major League Baseball's career list with 630 home runs. "I'd like to thank the Mariners organization for inviting me back to play in 2010," Griffey said in a statement. "While 2009 was an awesome experience for me, my ultimate goal is for the Mariners to get to and win the World Series. To that end, I look forward to contributing in any role that Don sees fit on the field, and any manner I possibly can off the field."

Free Agency Rumours - Jason Varitek

Red Sox captain Jason Varitek has exercised his $3m player option to remain at Fenway for a further season. The Red Sox on Monday chose not to pick up their $5 million team option on the 37-year-old, leaving Varitek with the decision about his player option. Varitek hit .209 last season and saw his playing time decline in the second half after the acquisition of Victor Martinez.

"We're happy to have Jason back and we look forward to a good year from him in 2010," Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein told reporters. "He means an awful lot to the organization on and off the field. He helps solidify our catching position also and is a big asset to the pitching staff."

With Epstein saying earlier this week Martinez will be the team's primary catcher in 2010, it is clear that Varitek will be returning as the backup.

Varitek has played 13 seasons with the Red Sox.

Free Agency Rumours - Joe Mauer

The Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer is looking likely to sign a longterm contract with the Twins.The 26 year old's current contract expires at the end of the 2010 season and Twins obviously want to keep the best catcher in baseball. Rumours have flown that the Angels and the Yankees have been looking to pick up Mauer.

Having led the American League in batting average (.365), on base percentage(.444)and slugging (.587), Joe Mauer is certainly a worthy candidate for this year's AL MVP.

Coming Up on The Extra Innings

In next few days, there will be blogs reviewing each of the MLB teams. These will analyse each teams successes and failures from the '09 season. We will start with the NL East and continue onwards.

Also there will blogs on the free agents and players filing for free agency this off-season.

And lastly there will more reviews of baseball literature. With another book on the great Jackie Robinson

Yankees win Game 3

Ok the yankees won again. Despite going 3-0 quickly, they went to win 8-5, now its Game 4 time. CC Sabathia is pitching on short rest against Joe Blanton. The Phillies really need to win or face losing their championship very soon.

Yankees level it up behind Burnett

The New York Yankees took game two of the World Series 3-1 to level the scores. AJ Burnett pitched a gem. In 7 seven strong innings he gave up one earned run to a Matt Stairs RBI single in the 2nd inning. The run could've been unearned as A-Rod should probably have stopped the ball and been scored an error. Burnett picthed 9 Ks and looked dominant.

Another huge free agency signing from last year's off season, Mark Teixeira hit a 440ft bomb from Pedro Martinez in the 4th inning. The Yankees spent $420m on the salaries of Teixera, Burnett and CC Sabathia. The exorbitant salary increase on the roster is looking like it is going to pay immediate dividends as all 3 performed well in the clutch this post season.

Pedro Martinez pitched pretty well for Phillies in 6+ innings giving up three earned runs. Two solo blasts were detrimental in his pitching effort. Ahead of Jay-Z and Alicia Key's performance, Pedro was jeered upon entering the playing field.

Yankees forced to Chase as Phillies take the Lee-d

Chase Utley hit two solo home runs to help the Philadephia Phillies to a 6-1 win in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series. Cliff Lee pitched a wonderful game. In nine innings of work he gave up no earned runs on six hits. He dazzled with ten strikeouts and no work, Lee looked every bit the Cy Young winner he is. The Yankees only run came unearned in the 9th from Jimmy Rollins error. Raul Ibanez excellent postseason continued with RBIs.

Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Lee, Cl (W) 9.0 6 1 0 0 10 0 0.00

CC Sabathia also looked dominant despite his worse start this postseason. He gave up two runs on just four hits. The two longballs from Utley gave the Phillies the momentum. The Yankees bullpen looked in poor shape giving up four runs in two innings. However Mariano Rivera, did not pitch

NY Yankees IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Sabathia (L) 7.0 4 2 2 3 6 2 2.57
Hughes, P 0.0 0 2 2 2 0 0 --
Marte, D 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
Robertson, D 0.1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
Bruney 0.1 3 2 2 0 0 0 54.00
Coke 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Pedro's big opportunity

Red Sox Nation will pulling for former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez in Game 2 of the World Series. Pedro is attempting to win his 2nd World Series after winning with the Sox on '04. Pedro pitched seven shutout innings in game 3 in 2004. Then his opponents were the St Louis Cardinals who struggled for power in that series. The same will not be expected vs A-Rod and the Yankees. Pedro will be hoping to get the starting berth in game 6 or 7 if it goes the distance.
After Cliff Lee's dominance in Game 1, Pedro has the opportunity to extend their new found home field advantage.

Random Pedro Martinez fact - the Boston Red Sox are the only team that Pedro Martinez is yet to record a victory against.

Its nearly World Series time!

In approximately 24 hours the World Series starts. Game 1 will probably be pitching duel. The two current Cy Young winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee will on the mound at Yankee Stadium.

My prediction for Game 1 is a relatively low scoring affair with Yankees taking it. I hope I'm wrong though. And with the Yankees offense, its hard to look beyond them to win the Fall Classic. The Phillies need the heart of order to hit, players Howard, e Werth and Utley to find form like year.

Yankees make the World Series

Unfortunately for Red Sox Nation, the New York Yankees have again made the World Series. They will play the Philadelphia Phillies who attempting to create a dynasty wih back to back World Series victories. The Yanks are into the Fall Classic for the first time since 2003 when they lost to the Florida Marlins.

One would expect the Yankees to beat the Phillies as the American League has won 61 of 104 World Series. As 8/15 favourites the Yankees have home field advantage and great lineup, their power looks as if it can take it down.

The Phillies though should not be underestimated. Ryan Howard is in devastating form and their lineup should not overwhelmed against a good New York pitching staff including a dominant ace in CC Sabathia.

Now lets hope for Red Sox Nation, the Phillies can start well on October 28th at Yankees Stadium.

The Angels keep ALCS alive

The LA Angels won game 6 of the ALCS vs NYY to keep it alive at 3-2 in the best of 7 series.
Now lets hope the the Angels can win the next two games against the evil corporation, sorry the Yankees.
The next game starts on Saturday night

Game of Shadows Review

Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada have written an intense description of the recent steroid era of baseball. The investigative journalists have have attempted to reach the bottom of one worst eras in baseball history.

This book may be relatively hyperbolic but it is informative and even slightly enlightening. Game of Shadows explains how Victor Conte and his company BALCO influenced and introduced steroids to Barry Bonds and other sporting stars. For example there is in depth analysis of the reason Barry Bonds supposedly took steroids in pursuit of the Home Run record.

Williams and Fainaru-Wada are also extremely critical of Victor Conte (and rightly so). The book details this influence on Bonds as well as convicted drug cheats in athletics like Olympic superstar Marion Jones, former US sprinter Tim Montgomery and Dwain Chambers.

At times the book, though, does seem to turn into a bit of a rant which is is extremely one-sided. One has to remember that Barry Bonds, the focus of the book, has not been proven to have taken steroids. The evidence in the book is compelling and does make an interesting read.

7 out of 10

Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball

Scott Simon's book on one of sports great pioneers Jackie Robinson is an enlightening, enjoyable, easy book to read.

The importance of Jackie Robinson as the first black player to play in Major League Baseball is undeniable. "No athlete performed at a greater level through greater stress than Jackie Robinson" says Simon.

Simon's book illustrates Robinson's achievements ably. His writing style makes the book a quick read. Maybe not the most in depth analysis of Robinson's career the book is easily accessible. His analysis is mainly based on the buildup before arriving in the Majors and his pro career. The book doesn't really analyse the effects of Robinson on Civil Rights in the USA in the way that other books do.

In review an easy book to read, thorough and enjoyable.

8 out of 10

Phillies make the World Series

Well done to the Philadelphia Phillies who have again made the World Series with a 10-4 rout over the Dodgers.

Jayson Werth showed his abilities in the clutch and as per usual the Phillies hit the long ball with three home runs in the game.

Now lets hope the Angels can start a fightback tonight in Anaheim vs the Yankees.