Jim Thome, the hay-baling Illinois farm boy with a knack for making opposing pitchers look incompetent, crossed the 600 home run mark last night by hitting two opposite field shots to reach the milestone. The feat that puts him in a rather legendary club to which only seven former sluggers can claim membership. Read the rest of this entry »

Picking up where the MLB pitcher magic of 2010 left off, Francisco Liriano single-handedly (and armed) shut down the Chicago White Sox. 123 pitches, two strike-outs and one close call later, Liriano has the first no-hitter of 2011 in the name of Minnesota. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 was not a great year for the MLB. Continued steroid scandals, dropping attendance and a notable lack of September drama (unless you consider to .500 teams battling to get shellacked in the playoffs drama), mean that MLB could really use a good October. With flagship franchises like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cardinals all involved in the proceedings, the stage is set. Below are TSS resident baseball gurus — Jason H. and myself — prognostications on how it will all unfold.

ALDS — Boston Vs. LA Angels

Patrick M. – LA Angels in 5: Boston’s owned Anaheim’s finest to the tune of a 9-1 postseason ass beating this decade. But this Sox team isn’t quite to the caliber of the last five years. Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and the Fenway crowd won’t let the Sawx go out without a fight. Look for John Lackey to finally best the Red Sox in the playoffs in Game 5. Read the rest of this entry »

If you skipped last night’s heart-attack-inducing single-game playoff between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers for the AL Central Championship based solely on an anti-baseball bias, I feel sorry for you. Read the rest of this entry »

Conventional “baseball” wisdom says that the American League is the better league. Beating the National League for six consecutive All-Star games would prove that. Unfortunately for the AL, two out of three World Series titles have gone to the other league (Cardinals, Phillies).

In our second installment of the TSS MLB Preview, we give our staff picks to those teams who could possibly shift the balance of power back to the AL. With the snore of the AL West and the unpredictability of the AL Central, trust that the AL East soap opera will continue to dominate the sports pages.

–On a side note, I just hope I don’t have to see any A-Rod (“A” standing for arrogant) flicks ever again.

Feel free to backtrack & read yesterday’s entry previewing the National League.

AL East Projected Standings — Patrick M.

1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

This is a brutal division – the top 3 teams may be the 3 best teams in baseball and Baltimore and Toronto could both compete for a playoff spot in weaker divisions. Ultimately I’m picking the Red Sox for 3 reasons. Read the rest of this entry »