Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Steven Stamkos

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rankings, SPs, Yankees, CC Sabathia, Red Sox, Josh Beckett, David Price, James Shields, Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, CJ Wilson, Matt Harrison, Angels, Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, Mariners, Felix Hernandez, Brandon McCarthy, Astros, Phillies, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, St. Louis Cardinals, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Cubs, Matt Garza, Zack Greinke, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw, Daniel Hudson, Ian Kennedy

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11/19 MLB Rumors: Brandon Phillips Extension Talks

November 19th 2011 14:38

The Colorado Rockies were discussing a trade that would send closer Huston Street to the New York Mets for starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey. The funny thing is that the Mets rejected the deal, because they didn't really like Street. It's funny, because Street is a much better player than Pelfrey. I mean, Pelfrey is a below-average starter who would be an awful fit in Coors Field. Bob Geren is the New York Mets bench coach, and part of the reason why this deal didn't go through is because Street and Geren hate eachother from their days in Oakland. I don't blame Street, because Geren is an incompetent manager and most players hate playing for him. Tell me why he was hired again? Oh yeah, that's right, Sandy Alderson likes bringing in former Oakland guys; look at their manager Terry Collins (at least he's okay).

Instead of worrying about what could have happened, let's talk about what might happen. That's what rumors are about, right? Brandon Phillips was easily the NL's best second baseman this season, and it is incumbent upon the Cincinnati Reds to extend him. He's got one more year left on his contract, thanks to a team option that was exercised on Halloween, but the Reds would obviously want their second best player to stay longer.

"We've made progress, but we're not close," GM Walt Jocketty said Thursday, MLB.com reports. "It will take a little bit of time. It's a complicated contract. It gets down to trying to determine the number of years and amount of dollars. We're still a ways apart on both."

Jose Molina knows quite a bit about the AL East, because he's only played in the AL East for the last four and a half seasons. Molina is a solid defensive player behind the plate, but he is poor with the stick. The Tampa Bay Rays are about to give him a one-year deal with a 2013 option stuck to it. The veteran catcher will surely put pen to paper soon, and Molina will be an average backup to John Jaso. And really, that's all Molina does; he backs up younger players behind the plate.

ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine has been in the running for the Boston Red Sox vacancy at manager, and he is seemingly always a candidate for every team. Right now Valentine is the frontrunner, but don't count out other established candidates such as Torey Lovullo, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Gene Lamont.

Set to make 12 million but more is coming with a possible extension

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Torey Lovullo, Jose Molina TOR, Red Sox, Rays, John Jaso, Sandy Alomar Jr., Gene Lamont, Athletics, Mets, Sandy Alderson, Terry Collins, Bob Geren, Mike Pelfrey, Reds, Brandon Phillips, Walt Jocketty, Rockies, Huston Street

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11/1 MLB Rumors and News: Lowe Traded and Cashman Re-Signs

November 1st 2011 18:33

We all know that TLR retired, Davey Johnson is getting ready for another season in Washington, the Sabathia deal, and the moves dealing with Dempster, Grady, and Carmona. I don't want to focus on those moves at the moment, but I will take a look at the Derek Lowe trade and the obvious Brian Cashman re-signing.

Derek Lowe was traded to the Indians for some random minor leaguer, and the Braves will pay ten of the 15 million that the righty is due in 2012. It's a good deal for both teams, as the Braves save some money and get a prospect while getting rid of a starter in a crowded rotation. Lowe has always oupitched his ERA, in that his predictive stats are always better than his actual earned runs allowed. I do expect him to have a better 2012 campaign, but he won't set the world on fire (it's Derek Lowe guys). Still, the Indians get an above-average pitcher who fits in nicely.

We all knew that Brian Cashman was going to get re-signed, and the best GM in baseball was given a three year deal a day after his contract ran out. Yeah, he's definitely with the Yanks for the long term. The problem is that Cashman sometimes gets overrided by guys like Oppenheimer, Hal, and Levine; but he rarely ever makes a wrong move and has mastered the ways of faking out a rival. How you likin' Crawford guys in Boston?

I am hearing that the big stars like James Shields, Aramis Ramirez, and Albert Pujols are going to stay put with their respective teams. I doubt the Cubs bring back A-Ram, but it wouldn't be the stupidest idea seeing that he is still a decent hitter at arguably the weakest offensive position in baseball. Shields is staying for sure, and I bet Pujols sticks with the team that he belongs with. I say this because I can't possibly visualize him playing for a team like the Cubs at all.

Indians

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Yankees, Brian Cashman, CC Sabathia, Damon Oppenheimer, Hal Steinbrenner, Randy Levine, Red Sox, Carl Crawford, James Shields, Indians, Grady Sizemore, Derek Lowe, Fausto Carmona, Braves, Nationals, Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa, Cubs, Ryan Dempster, Aramis Ramirez

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8/2011 PSW AL Gold Glove Team Update

August 30th 2011 15:05

The statistics used are UZR, DRS, ARM, RngR, and UZR/150, and Fld from www.fangraphs.com.

P Mark Buehrle- He has the best rSB in the AL and the highest DRS as a result of his ability to stop base-runners. That's really the only conceivable asset a pitcher brings defensively.

C Matt Wieters- Again, the ability to snuff out base-runners is the only major asset that a catcher brings to the table defensively. It's definitely the only thing that can significantly separate catchers, and Matt Wieters has been excellent at stopping guys on base.

1B Adrian Gonzalez- A-Gone has clearly been the best defensive first baseman in baseball, and he has the best UZR and ErrR. Only Mark Trumbo has better range, and Gonzalez is the only American League first baseman with a double-digit UZR/150. The metrics say Tex is the second best, and Trumbo follows him at third. It's a pretty tight race between those two at two and three.

2B Dustin Pedroia- Although Howie Kendrick, Ian Kinsler, and Ben Zobrist have been excellent, Pedroia has been in a class of his own. Nobody can match his range at second, and his defense is what has vaulted him into the MVP discussion.

SS Alexei Ramirez- Watch out guys, a new A-Ram is in town. Alexei Ramirez has been a force in the field, and it has definitely made up for some below average hitting. While a case can be made for Alcides Escobar, I don't see how Ramirez doesn't win this award.

3B Adrian Beltre- With all due respect to Mr. Longoria and his fine season in the field, Adrian Beltre is the man to man this spot on the Gold Glove team. His fine defensive career has continued with another terrific display in 2011, and he still has incredible range out there at the hot corner.

LF Brett Gardner- Most left fielders can't play any D, but that description definitely does not hold true when you look at Brett Gardner. Even though Dustin Pedroia has been exceptional defensively this season, Gardner has been the best defensive player in 2011. He has an accurate arm, and range that no outfielder in the game can dream of possessing. He is far and away the best defensive player at his position, and I don't think anybody- save Pedroia- can compare with him defensively.

CF Jacoby Ellsbury- Poor Peter Bourjos, his wonderful season in the outfield spent chasing flyballs pitched by Jered Weaver will not net him a Gold Glove award. Unfortunately for him, Jacoby Ellsbury has been even better this year. His defense has cemented his status as an MVP candidate, and he is certainly making up for lost time last season. Even though Bourjos does have the better arm, Ellsbury is more consistent and has even better range. That's not so say that Bourjos is a slouch in the range department, it's just that Ellsbury is such a beast.

RF Nick Swisher- Before the season started, it would be crazy to name Nick Swisher as a Gold Glove candidate. But here we are at the end of August, and I am sitting here and telling you guys that Nick Swisher is my pick for the Gold Glove winner in right field. He has the arm, the range, and Swishalicious is probably one of the most consistent outfielders in the game. The highlight shows don't reward this kind of consistency enough, but the metrics do.

AL Gold Glove SS

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB Teams, Brett Gardner, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Wieters, Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, Alcides Escobar, Alexei Ramirez, Mark Buehrle, Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, Howie Kendrick, Peter Bourjos, Jered Weaver, Mark Trumbo

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8/2011 MLB Power Rankings

August 26th 2011 11:24

1. Red Sox
2. Yankees
3. Phillies

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rankings, MLB Power Rankings, Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles, Rays, Indians, Tigers, Twins, Royals, White Sox, Rangers, Angels, Mariners, Athletics, Astros, Phillies, Mets, Braves, Marlins, Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Padres, San Francisco Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, D'Backs

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8/2011 Center Fielder Rankings

August 6th 2011 14:07

One of the premier positions in baseball is center field. First off, it is the second most important position on the diamond- after shortstop- and many of the game's greats were center fielders. Below are my rankings of the center fielders in baseball today. (Minimum 750 plate appearances as a center fielder since 2009)

1. Rangers Josh Hamilton

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6/20 Daily Rundown: Edwin Rodriguez Resigns

June 20th 2011 06:32

1. Edwin Rodriguez steps down

Marlins fans were shocked when Edwin Rodriguez unexpectedly resigned yesterday (not re-signed). He was frustrated with their current ten game losing streak and 1-18 slump. Rodriguez is the first Puerto-Rican manager in history, and the Marlins had no intention of firing him. He was doing a good job this season, and won the respect of his players. I guess this slump was too much for him, and it's a shame that he quit

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6/2 Game Preview: Rays and Mariners

June 2nd 2011 15:26

The Mariners are hanging around in the AL West race thanks to some great starting pitching that has overcome the league's worst offense. The M's simply can't hit. They bring out their ace to face James Shields. Yours truly predicted a huge bounce-back season for Shields after he had a poor 2010. So far, Shields has been lights out, and Felix Hernandez is also pretty good. He only won the Cy Young Award last season.

Among starting pitchers, Felix has the 5th best WAR and Shields the 7th best WAR mark in the Majors, but there are quite a bit of ties. Although Shields has an ERA of 2.15 and King Felix a 3.19 ERA, Hernandez's FIP is 2.78 and Shields' 2.96. This game is in Safeco, which is obviously one of the three best parks in the game for pitchers. This is a pitching matchup through and through. The numbers above show that Shields has been luckier than Hernandez, and Hernandez's numbers will rise while there will be a slight fall in Shields' overall production

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Predictions, Rays, James Shields, Mariners, Felix Hernandez

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5/2011 Starting Pitcher Rankings

May 22nd 2011 14:01

1. Tim Lincecum
2. Roy Halladay
3. Josh Johnson

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5/21 Baseball Stats Check

May 21st 2011 15:56

1. Jonny Gomes has the lowest BABIP at .185 as well as the 14th highest strikeout rate 31.2%. He is hitting .176.

2. A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .252, but he has the lowest strikeout rate in the league at 5.8

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, Jose Bautista, Carl Crawford, David Ortiz, Matt Joyce, Shin Soo-Choo, Denard Span, Alcides Escobar, AJ Pierzynski, Juan Pierre, Ozzie Guillen, Vernon Wells, Justin Smoak, Raul Ibanez, Ian Desmond, Matt Holliday, Carlos Gomez, Jonny Gomes, Dexter Fowler, Jim Tracy

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2011 Season Preview: Tampa Bay Rays

February 17th 2011 15:47

The Tampa Bay Rays lost a lot of talent this offseason because the team needed to shave some payroll. They lost their best player, Carlos Pena, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and five good relief pitchers. Their bullpen is completely different, and they lost key players and leaders. The fact that Crawford and Soriano- two of their best players- went to their division rivals in Boston and New York respectively only adds to the pain in Tampa. This team lost a ton of talent and the guys they added were Manny, Damon, Joel Peralta, Kyle Farnsworth, Casey Kotchman, and Felipe Lopez. The losses far outweighed the arrivals.

I really don't like this team at all. I can't tell you where I think they will be until I do my full breakdowns and final predictions in March. What I can tell you is that you shouldn't be shocked to see this team fall off. They are lucky that the Blue Jays lost quite a bit of pitching talent, but I could still see them in a tough battle with those two teams. It will certainly be tougher than what they have been used to in the past three seasons

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