New York Yankees

When he was managing in Japan , Bobby Valentine frequently rode his bicycle for exercise during road trips, exploring different cities. Often, when he'd look up, he'd see Hideki Matsui 's face grinning from a billboard, pitching a car company or a beverage. "He had this auto resaler and renter and I remember there were these flags of him waving on the sidewalk," Valentine recalled.  

The New York Yankees announced today they have added right-handed pitchers Hector Noesi, Ivan Nova and Romulo Sanchez, infielders Reegie Corona, Eduardo Nunez and Kevin Russo and outfielder Austin Jackson and to the 40-man roster. He also combined to hold opponents to a .220 batting average (96-for-436) with only 15 walks and was named a midseason All-Star with Charleston. Noesi was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on December 3, 2004, out of the Dominican Republic.  

Moving to protect their Minor Leaguers from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, the Yankees shifted seven players onto their 40-man roster late Friday afternoon. The Yankees also outrighted Shelley Duncan to the Minors, removing him from the 40-man roster. Doing so kept the roster at 39, giving the Yankees the opportunity to make one selection in the Rule 5 Draft if they desire.  

As I watched my beloved Yankees defeat the Phillies to win the 2009 World Series two weeks ago, several questions popped into my head regarding the science of the game. I'm a pretty casual fan, so maybe it was because I had spent most of the week in the library studying that I had my "the way things work" cap on. But something about watching A.J. Burnett throw filthy sliders past helpless Philadelphia batters made me curious about the science behind America's pastime.

Catching the knuckleball, it's like trying to catch a fly with a chopstick.   -Jason Varitek

 

In the interest of becoming one of the elite summer programs in the country, those at Hamptons Collegiate Baseball are aware that part of bringing in the best talent that the nation has to offer relates to, among other things, providing a high level of baseball, a path to the major leagues and creating a rewarding experience overall for its players. Another facet is the fields on which they play, and this year, all five East End fields figure to receive modest to major makeovers in preparation for ...  

The late comedian Joe Lewis once said, "rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel." Nowadays, it's more like rooting for Vladimir Putin, but U.S. Steel was also pretty unlovable back in the day. Hating the Yankees is something that will never go out of fashion.  

New York Yankees pitcher Wang Chien-ming said yesterday he prefers to stay in the Yankees next season unless he is forced to make another choice. "I will try my best to secure a return to Major League Baseball (MLB), and my first choice would be the Yankees though it would be okay for me to pitch for any other MLB team," said Wang at a press conference following his arrival at the Taoyuan International Airport with his wife and newborn son. Wang, whose contract with the Yankees expires this ...  

Holliday and super-agent Scott Boras will obviously milk the market for all it's worth, but in the end, the slugger will recognize he's already playing for a rock-solid organization and paired with one of the greatest hitters of all-time in Albert Pujols. The Cardinals have the greatest possible motivation to keep Holliday in the fold — not only do they need him to fuel the offense, but to keep Pujols happy as he approaches free agency after 2011. John Lackey:  

As the New York Yankees celebrate their record 27th World Series championship, treasures from baseball's most memorable moments from the 2009 postseason are now on display in the Autumn Glory exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.