Is there any better mid-February day than the day pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training? In honor, we dug up the first 15 minutes or so of one of our favorite baseball movies: "Major League." Up above, the lowly Indian team is invited to tryout; after the jump, Willie Mays Hayes gets cut and un-cut, the Wild Thing takes out the "No Pepper" sign, and Cerrano warns that it's "very bad" to fuck with Jobu.  Keep Reading »

After completing another successful season with the San Francisco Giants, pitcher Tim Lincecum was casually crusing around his hometown in Washington late October, when he got busted for some dank in his car. Now,...  Keep Reading »

The song above -- written for Z100 in New York in case you didn't notice -- is "Yankees Run This Town," a play off of Jay-Z's "Run This Town." It's actually about a week old, but still works. After the jump is John Sterling's call of the final out in last night's game on CBS880.  Keep Reading »

i guess we gotta resign godzilla cue sinatra  Keep Reading »

Last night we predicted that neither Cliff Lee nor A.J. Burnett would have as strong of performances as in their first outings. We were right, although Burnett got considerably more roughed up, and earlier on, in the Phillies' 8-6 Game 5 victory. In turn, we were wrong that the Yanks would close it out, and our building's security guard was right -- the Bombers just wanted to win the Series at home in front of all their fans! Meanwhile, at the plate, both Johnny Damon and Chase Utley continue to make their case for Series MVP. I say the winning player comes from the winning team, no matter how many homers Utley hits (he's at 5 now, tied with Reggie Jackson for most ever) and no matter how brilliant Damon's ninth inning was on Sunday. Or will the award go to A-Rod if the Yanks win? Sound Off and leave your predictions for Game 6 -- and MVP -- in the comments.

I'm not sure who was more upset watching last night's top of the ninth of Game 4 of the World Series: Phillies fans or Red Sox fans. Johnny Damon had an inning that might not have been Hall of Fame worthy, but could certainly have been MVP worthy. Facing Brad Lidge, Damon is down 1-2 and just barely manages a foul tip. He works the count to 3-2, then knocks it into left for his third hit of the night. With the shift on for Mark Teixeira, Damon steals second, notices the pitcher isn't covering third, and so he takes off for the first double steal I've ever seen that didn't involve a throwing or fielding error. It was also the most heads-up base running that I've seen from the Yankees all year and could be the play that wins the Yankees the World Series.  Keep Reading »

That was about as dominating performance as we've ever seen by an opposing pitcher in a World Series game in any Yankee Stadium. Needless to say, this is going to be one heck of a series, and tonight's Martinez-Burnett match-up is going to be epic. In yesterday's press conference, Pedro took the New York media to task for literally demonizing him over the years (i.e. making him out to be the actual Devil), and went so far as to call himself the most influential player to ever play in Yankee Stadium. Um, easy there, Pedro. Game 2 first pitch is 7:57 p.m., and we can hardly wait for it... especially since we'll be sitting in Section 124 (thanks CM!). Holla! Anyway, use the comments below to Sound Off about last night's game. You can even make fun of the Yankees all you want. Have fun now, because it's not going to last...

Editor's Note: We've given (and will continue to give) the Yankees so much love around here, we thought it was a good idea to give a Phillies fan a chance to chime in. Here's joePA with his take:

Chase Utley said it best after the Phillies won the city's first championship in over 25 years: "World fucking Champions." That's exactly what you need to know about the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies.



Despite the taunting by the New York media machine, a glossy, title-less new Yankees Stadium, and the Post's moronic cheap shots, defending the title is still the major story arc for the Phillies' return to the World Series. The feverish excitement in Southeastern Pennsylvania is contagious to the point of delirium, particularly with Philly's notoriously crude and lude fans. In the drunken hysteria of winning the National League Pennant for the second year in a row, an asshat in Fishtown shot his drinking buddy. Folks are even offering and peddling sex for tickets to games (and it's working!). G-Love, Philly's hometown white boy rapper, has stepped into the studio to cut a track under the name GuerrillaDelphia for the team's return to baseball's big show.  Keep Reading »

You've read what Ian thinks about the Yankees-Phillies matchup. Who do YOU think will win the World Series? And why? Sound Off in the Comments.

Editor's Note: The World Series finally begins tonight with the Philadelphia Phillies taking on the New York Yankees (7:57 p.m. EST, FOX). Just like for the ALCS and NLCS, we've asked our baseball guru Ian Gold to make a strong case for both sides taking the series, and then make his ultimate prediction.

Why the Phillies could win:
irst of all, don't forget that the Phillies are the returning champions. Everyone wants to talk about the Yankees, but their cousin from down the Turnpike is mentally the toughest team in baseball.

Beyond their intangible advantages, the Phillies have also steamrolled through the postseason. And on their tour of the National League, they've had multiple players make a case for MVP. Cliff Lee has resembled the Cole Hamels from last year (lights out), Ryan Howard is an absolute beast, and Jaysen Werth has quietly put together a fantastic playoff run.  Keep Reading »

We realize in our obsession with the Yankees (don't get us started on Girardi's over-managing these past few games) that we've been giving short shrift to the Phillies-Dodgers. So here's last night's big highlight: Jimmy Rollins with a game-winning double to right-center to give the Phils a 5-4 victory and 3-1 series lead. The play-by-play is by the local Philadelphia radio guys. One of the guys does nothing more than whoop and holler. Game 5 is tomorrow night at 8 p.m.

The Yankees jumped out to a 1-0 lead off a Derek Jeter lead-off homerun in Game 3 of the ALCS. We'll be Tweeting all game, so keep an eye over there. You can also watch the game online via MLB.com, but they're dumb and make you pay for that (not that -- cough -- it's not streaming anywhere else).

For those of us New Yorkers who grew up listening to Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN, this afternoon's one-hour cameo by Chris Russo on Mike Francesa's show -- complete with old theme song and Dog's famous opening -- was pure bliss. We're sure both the WFAN and the Yes Network websites will post the full hour in the coming day or two and it's definitely worth a listen/watch. (Mike will be dropping in on Dog's show on Sirius at 6:25 tonight -- both are broadcasting today from Yankee Stadium, in adjacent booths no less.) If nothing else, the hour showed that the two, despite all the rumors about how much they hate each other, still love to be in a room together talking sports. They're also the two smartest guys on sports radio. Example: as Mike and the Dog correctly pointed out, Bud Selig will have a major decision to make this weekend if the weather doesn't cooperate in New York. Here's why:  Keep Reading »

Editor's Note: The ALCS finally begins again tonight with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim taking on the New York Yankees (8:07 p.m. EST, FOX). Just like in the Phillies-Dodgers series, we've asked our baseball guru Ian Gold to make a strong case for both sides taking the series, and then make his prediction.

Why the Angels will win: Mike Scioscia has given the Yankees fits. It is well publicized that the Angels are a terror to control on the base paths, and for good reason. Scioscia instills an aggressive mindset into his already speedy players. It could be the only lineup in baseball where you don't worry about the 3-4-5 hitters as much as the gnats around them. Chone Figgins, Willie Aybar, and Howie Kendrick in particular have been Yankee killers; and they'll continue their success. They'll distract the pitcher, steal bases, and go first-to-third on any ball hit to the outfield; their annoyance knows no boundaries. Pitching wise, the Angels haven't been as strong as years past, especially with the free agent loss of K-Rod. But don't bet against their staff; Scioscia finds a way. John Lackey in the playoffs is lights out and has been tested. He won game seven of the World Series when he was 23 years old! What team in baseball has been more consistent than the Angels this decade? Their bugaboo had been the Boston Red Sox, and they just swept them out of the ALDS.

Then again...  Keep Reading »

We were suddenly relieved today when we realized that TBS's Chip Caray and friends wouldn't be broadcasting the Yankees-Angels series. And then we realized that Fox's Joe Buck and Tim McCarver would be behind the mics. Who do you guys think are the worst announcers? Caray, Ron Darling, and Buck Martinez? Or McCarver and Buck? Sound Off in the comments.