Kuzul

With this being a weak crop of first-ballot candidates, this year gives some guys who have already been on the ballot previously a little extra boost to their chances.Former Atlanta Braves star Dale Murphy is a player who fits that profile, being a guy who has been on the ballot for a while without making it.This article examines the reasons why Murphy deserves to make the Hall of Fame as well as the reasons he does not and will give my personal opinion on whether he's Hall of Fame material.Begin Slideshow

Yankees C/DH Jorge Posada has decided that he will hang up his cleats and retire from Major League Baseball, ESPN reports. This is relevant to Red Sox fans, since Jason Varitek is currently in the same situation that Posada found himself in.Jorge Posada has been a staple in the New York lineup since being drafted in 1990. This past season, injuries and poor performance caused a shift in the starting catcher role, which was filled by Russell Martin. Posada only played the field in 16 games in 2011: 14 of them coming at first base, one at second base and only one behind home plate.The fact of the matter is that Posada was no longer in the Yankees' plans, and even though he is a New York icon, they couldn't really do much for him. They already have a starting catcher in Martin, and surging prospect Jesus Montero will fill ...

After reading the TMZ story of a paternal court judge telling former NFL star Terrell Owens that his career was over I couldn't help but think of former MLB star Barry Bonds and the similarities in the circumstances surrounding his exile from pro baseball.  Much like Bonds in his final season Owens was an extremely productive player. In 2010 he played to the tune of: 72 receptions, 983 yards and nine touchdowns.  Also like Bonds, Owens has been blockaded out of the league, by what any reasonable person would deduce is a sad display of collusion.  In an age when offense is so valued across sports, and stars that can sell tickets are as prized a commodity as a championship ring, it’s simply hard to believe that guys like Bonds and Owens could not find work after their respective final season of 2007 and 2010.   Both men are polarizing stars ...

With so much going on in the shortened NBA season and the NFL playoffs kicking off, it's easy to get one's mind off of baseball. The smart fantasy baseball manager, however, is paying close attention to the MLB and planning accordingly.With any fantasy sport, it's easy to get caught up in the household names, but it's important to never forget the stats (especially in fantasy baseball). So without any more introduction, here are the five most important stats to key in on when drafting in the months to come.Begin Slideshow

The 2011 Colorado Rockies were a disappointment after finishing with a record of 73-89.That was good enough for a lowly fourth place in the NL West.The Rockies got off to such a promising and unusually fast start, finishing the month of April in first place, only to be derailed from there, going forward.Throughout a painfully arduous season, they ran out 13 different starting pitchers, including three, making career debuts.With the exception of a few additions to date, they will be running out a team this season, which in large part looks strikingly similar to that of 2011.Every team embarks upon a new season with question marks.Here are four questions facing the Rockies as they look ahead to the upcoming season.Begin Slideshow

For the first few months of the Cubs new administration, it has been relatively quiet on the forefront despite being in the running for several free agents throughout the offseason. However, yesterday Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer acquired first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Zach Cates, a 23-year-old pitcher from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Andrew Cashner and Kyung-Nin Ma according to MLB.com writer, Carrie Muskrat.Although this trade is not in the same league as signing Prince Fielder, nor does this mean that Rizzo will be the projected starting first baseman for the Cubs this season, but Rizzo is undoubtedly a promising prospect that will be a serious component in the Cubs future. It seemed evident Rizzo would be on his way out of Chicago after the Padres traded for Yondo Alonso. With this move, Epstein and Co. were able to jump and grab a premier prospect. Rizzo was called ...

The White Sox need a closer after trading away Sergio Santos in the first of two offseason deals with the Toronto Blue Jays.  The potential names for a replacements have included Matt Thornton, Jesse Crain and rookie Addison Reed.As a Sox fan I've seen what Thornton can do and I'll pass.  Thrust in the role of closer last season, Thornton struggled mightily with his control.  He had only been a starter and setup man prior to getting the nod to replace Bobby Jenks, and it proved to be a huge mistake.  The same thing happened with lefty Chris Sale and perhaps that explains why he hasn't received much consideration this time around. We also have seen Crain in the closer's role for a game or two here and there but never full-time.  Should that give us a sigh of relief? Not really.The closer may just be the second most important piece to the White Sox ...

Growing up, a lot of young men want to be a professional athlete.With that comes countless hours in the backyard honing your sport and doing a play-by-play with you at the plate, the three-point line as the clock hits zero, or catching a winning touchdown pass in the Super Bowl.After that comes the dreams of being a superstar in that sport and becoming one of its best.Then, comes the speech you'll give when you're being inducted into the Hall of Fame. You got through countless drafts as a young kid, dreaming of how cool it would be to live in immortality.For a few baseball players, that dream will become a reality in just a few short days. They will be announced as the 2012 Hall of Fame class for Major League Baseball, living what most kids dream of.All through their playing days, some felt they were destined for greatness, while ...

About four months ago, I wrote an article wondering aloud whether the Detroit Tigers should give oft-injured fan favorite Joel Zumaya one last chance, with a new contract. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski gave us an answer to that question at the winter meetings when he stated bluntly that the team will not offer Zumaya a major league contract; but they are happy to have him at camp as a non-roster invitee.Detroit did not even have a representative among the 50 scouts present at Zumaya's open workout in December. Clearly the Tigers have decided to move on without the flame-throwing righty and it appears the odds of him showing up at Tigers training camp as an invitee are very slim, despite his stated interest in remaining in Detroit.Rumors abound that the San Diego Padres are very interested in Zumaya, a San Diego native who would benefit from an extreme pitchers' park in ...

Bernie Williams, one of the most loved Yankees by the fans, accomplished some impressive feats during his Yankee tenure. His success in pinstripes almost didn’t transpire earlier in his Yankee years.  Williams had become the regular center fielder in 1993. George Steinbrenner considered trading him in 1995, but Buck Showalter, the manager at the time, talked Steinbrenner out of making that giant mistake. Steinbrenner was known as being controlling and difficult to approach.  Thankfully, he listened to Showalter’s advice about Williams. Each year, the Baseball Writers Association of America votes by mail on eligible candidates for election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Bernie Williams is on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2012.  Gaining 75 percent or more of the votes to get elected is not an easy task.  Looking back at Williams’ career, I think that he put up consistently strong numbers and earned ...