Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>Maybe the most remarkable aspect of the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 was that everyone expected Roger Maris' record to fall. Mark McGwire hit 58 the previous season and Ken Griffey Jr. 56, putting Maris' mark of 61 in obvious jeopardy.Sports Illustrated put McGwire on the cover of its baseball preview issue with the headline "Get Ready for a Slugfest." The cover story was a paean to a homer-happy era featuring "beefy, pumped-up maulers ready to tear down fences," and it extolled the virtues of protein shakes spiked with creatine as well as fish...…Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>Maybe the most remarkable aspect of the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 was that everyone expected Roger Maris' record to fall. Mark McGwire hit 58 the previous season and Ken Griffey Jr. 56, putting Maris' mark of 61 in obvious jeopardy.Sports Illustrated put McGwire on the cover of its baseball preview issue with the headline "Get Ready for a Slugfest." The cover story was a paean to a homer-happy era featuring "beefy, pumped-up maulers ready to tear down fences," and it extolled the virtues of protein shakes spiked with creatine as well as fish...WW…

Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>The past few days have been a reminder -- not to go all serious on you -- of our own eventual mortality. will hold a news conference today to announce he has , as his second neck surgery in three years ends his career at age 32. This is indestructible Prince, the man who once missed just 13 games over eight seasons and just one over a five-year stretch. How can his career be over already? It doesn't seem right.Fielder will finish with 319 home runs, the same number as his father. Cecil Fielder was another larger-than-life figure, a player who...…Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>The past few days have been a reminder -- not to go all serious on you -- of our own eventual mortality. will hold a news conference today to announce he has , as his second neck surgery in three years ends his career at age 32. This is indestructible Prince, the man who once missed just 13 games over eight seasons and just one over a five-year stretch. How can his career be over already? It doesn't seem right.Fielder will finish with 319 home runs, the same number as his father. Cecil Fielder was another larger-than-life figure, a player who...WW…

Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>Only one World Series favorite entering the season actually won the World Series in the decade we just completed. Wait, let's put that another way: A team that was one of the top five favorites entering the season won the World Series only once over the past decade.The 2019 didn't necessarily feel like a surprise champ, given the star-laden nature of the team and their many playoff appearances throughout the decade, but they were coming off a mediocre 82-80 season, had lost in free agency and entered the season just ninth among World Series...…Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>Only one World Series favorite entering the season actually won the World Series in the decade we just completed. Wait, let's put that another way: A team that was one of the top five favorites entering the season won the World Series only once over the past decade.The 2019 didn't necessarily feel like a surprise champ, given the star-laden nature of the team and their many playoff appearances throughout the decade, but they were coming off a mediocre 82-80 season, had lost in free agency and entered the season just ninth among World Series...WW…

Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>EXCLUSIVE CONTENTWhen signed his eight-year contract extension with the in spring training of 2019, it appeared he would spend the rest of his career in a Rockies uniform. He had stated all along he wanted to play for a consistent playoff contender and the Rockies were coming off back-to-back postseason appearances. "I think the future is much brighter in Colorado than it's been in the past," he said at the time.Things can change quickly in baseball, however, and Arenado's relationship with the Rockies soon soured. After two bad seasons, with a...…Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>EXCLUSIVE CONTENTWhen signed his eight-year contract extension with the in spring training of 2019, it appeared he would spend the rest of his career in a Rockies uniform. He had stated all along he wanted to play for a consistent playoff contender and the Rockies were coming off back-to-back postseason appearances. "I think the future is much brighter in Colorado than it's been in the past," he said at the time.Things can change quickly in baseball, however, and Arenado's relationship with the Rockies soon soured. After two bad seasons, with a...WW…

Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>Baseball Hall of Fame arguments used to be, dare I say ... fun? Bert Blyleven is underrated! Jim Rice is overrated! Jack Morris? Show me the back of his baseball card and let's debate.Well, welcome to the . It includes one player who was suspended for PED use, more alleged PED users, players with domestic violence allegations, one strong candidate with two DUI arrests and one pitcher who has become notorious for his polarizing social media posts.It is all a chaotic mess. At the heart of the confusion voters face one key question: Are you...…Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>Baseball Hall of Fame arguments used to be, dare I say ... fun? Bert Blyleven is underrated! Jim Rice is overrated! Jack Morris? Show me the back of his baseball card and let's debate.Well, welcome to the . It includes one player who was suspended for PED use, more alleged PED users, players with domestic violence allegations, one strong candidate with two DUI arrests and one pitcher who has become notorious for his polarizing social media posts.It is all a chaotic mess. At the heart of the confusion voters face one key question: Are you...WW…

Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>In the 1970s, influential psychologist Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions experienced in all human cultures. I'm not sure if he studied sports fans, but I'm guessing you had one of the following six reactions to the beating the on Thursday and moving on to the :1. Happiness. You're an Astros fan. You're ecstatic. You've gone on StubHub looking to see if any of those 11,000 World Series tickets are available. You have a big smile on your face, you're texting upbeat messages to your friends, you finally dug out that "2017 World Series...…Skip to main contentSkip to navigation<>In the 1970s, influential psychologist Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions experienced in all human cultures. I'm not sure if he studied sports fans, but I'm guessing you had one of the following six reactions to the beating the on Thursday and moving on to the :1. Happiness. You're an Astros fan. You're ecstatic. You've gone on StubHub looking to see if any of those 11,000 World Series tickets are available. You have a big smile on your face, you're texting upbeat messages to your friends, you finally dug out that "2017 World Series...WW…