World Series 2009 and a broken Homerun record

Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies isn't the biggest guy on a baseball field, but his presence is always felt. Utley is only 6"1' tall, and weighs 190lbs. His partner in crime to his left playing first base is 6"4' tall and weighs 260lbs. Regardless of height or weight Utley did more damage with the bat in the 2009 World Series than any other man has ever done. Utley cracked an amazing 5 homeruns in 6 games, no one in any other world series has every hit 5 homeruns. It is crazy to think that a second baseman would break a homerun record, they are usually considered to have the least amount of power on the field, but Utley defies that stereotype. He hit a total of 31 homeruns this past year, but none more memorable that the 5 he hit in the 2009 World Series as he talks about here. Chase hit his 4th and most memorable 5th homerun in the 5th game of the World series. Although the phillies lost the World Series to the most stroried franchise in history, the New York Yankees. Chase's feat of 5 homeruns will never be forgotten.

The Grind

The Most Feared Hitter In Baseball

This man is feared by by everyone that isn't on his team. Everytime he steps in the batters box and taps his bat on home plate people say to themself, what is he going to do this time? Most of the time he is pounding line drives into the gaps in the outfield, or hitting moon shots into the outfield seats. He leads the league in homeruns, and runs batted in. The man i'm speaking about is Albert Pujols, the most feared hitter in baseball. Pujols dominates opposing pitchers, as you can see his stats here. He is hitting for a stellar .328 average, not many guys hit for a high average and power as he does. He leads the league in homeruns, and still hits for a high average. He is the leader of the Division Leading St. Louis Cardinals. As if Pujols wasn't already good enough, the addition of Matt Holiday from the Oakland A's just after the all star break made him better. I know your thinking how would that make Pujols better? It does, Holliday is also a very feared hitter, and teams used to intentionally walk Pujols. Now if they walk him, the have to face Holliday, which not many teams would want to do with runners on base. Holliday has amazing home run power, so teams are forced to pitch to Pujols.

Pujols was first drafted into the MLB 8 years ago, he is currently 29 years young, and on the rise. Not only does Pujols hit baseballs all over the field, he rarely strikes out, he actually led the league in fewest strike outs last season. For Power hitters to lead the league in strike outs is very impressive. Pujols is so dominate and fearful his nick name is the "Machine". Here is a commercial by ESPN that I find funny, they kind of make fun of him in a good way. Pujols leads his Cardinals into the playoffs soon going into October. I expect him to step his game up in big situations as he always has. Look to see what happens here shortly in the playoffs, many expect him to do huge damage to pitching and lead his team to the world series. Albert Pujols is amazing, he his known as the "Machine" for a reason. He IS the most feared hitter in baseball, so beware or he just may take your team right out of the playoffs!

Baseball and its Broken Barrier

Baseball was first known an official professional sport in 1871. The game was invented in 1845, as you will read on this page. It was invented by Joy Cartwright who was a resident of New York City. Along with Cartwright, his teammates on the first ever team known as the New York Knickerbockers created the first rules and regulations in 1845. The first recorded game was in the year of 1846. As you have read baseball's first game was in 1846, but what you haven't read may startle you. It was exactly 100 years after baseball was created that a black man finally participated in a professional game. That man was the famous Jackie Robinson. Robinson was a highly talented athlete, yet it was always hidden due to extreme racism during his teenage years. He attended the local high school in his hometown of Cairo Georgia. After high school he went off John Muir Junior college because his single mother could not affort to send him to a large school. In college he was a 4 sport standout athlete. He played football, baseball, basketball, and ran track. His best sport was baseball and was named the regions best player in 1938. After junior college, Robinson continued on the education path and went to UCLA. Robinson excelled in 4 sports at one of the biggest known colleges in America. Not only that, he was the first ever to letter in 4 varsity sports. Although he had all this success, he was forced to leave due to money problems at home. This didn't allow him to graduate from college. He was forced to go into the service for 3 years. Once he was out of the service, he joined the Negro League. The Negro League was also a professional baseball league, but not well known and very poor. He played in that league from 1944 to 46. Also in 1946 he got an offer from the Brooklyn Dodgers to join there team in the true professional baseball league.

The color barrier of professional baseball was finally broken. It took 100 years for it to be broken, and the man named Jackie Robinson was the one. He will be forever remembered by anyone that knows baseball. He is arguably the most known name in baseball history, and may always be. He had many hardships while playing for the Dodgers, as you will read here. Fans from everyone, mainly away games shouted racist comments, and threw things at him while playing. Despite all this, he was very succesfull in his first year, leading the league in hitting with a .349 average. In that same year, he lead the league in stolen bases, and took home the MVP award. To honor Jackie Robinson baseball teams around the league wear his number 42 on the day of April 15th, which was his first professional game. The Hall of Fame also banned his number for anyone to wear. Jackie Robinson was that important to baseball to where not any single man can wear his number. If that isn't prestigious, I dont know what is. Jackie Robinson will never be forgotten.

Is Derek Jeter the best Yankee, Ever?

Derek Jeter has one of the most impressive careers of any player to ever play for the New York Yankees. Jeter was drafted into the MLB in 1995 by the Yankees, and has spent all of his 14 years in the pros with them. In his first year in the signature pin stripe uniforms they wear he played in only 15 games. In those 15 games, people liked what they saw and coaches were startled with how smooth he was as a rookie. The next season he took over at short stop and never looked back. He started 157 out of 162 games, and hit for a very solid .314 average. Over the years Jeter has stayed consistant and even keeled, rarely injured and always coming through when they need him the most. Coming through at adverse times is what he is known for, Yankee fans gave him the nickname "Mr. Clutch" for a reason.

Jeter has imposed a very impressive resume in his pro career. Other Yankees before him did too. Lou Gherigh, Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, Don Mattingly, Wade boggs are all players in the MLB hall of fame; but Jeter is fast on there tracks. Babe Ruth is by many considered the best player to ever play, and Gherigh has an unbelievable 2,721 hits under his belt in a Yankee uniform, but is Jeter better? Jeter has a higher career batting average of .317 which you will see here than any Yankee. Gherigh's 2,721 hits are flashy, yet second to Jeters 2,724 hits and he is still going. At 35 Jeter could be considered getting older for a baseball player, but Jeter remains in great shape. The way he plays I think he has another 8 to 10 years left. How many more hits will he have by then? He will have surpassed Gherigh by a vast amount of hits. Not only can he hit, he has a career fielding percentage of 97.2 percent.

So the question remains. Is Derek Jeter the best Yankee ever? I'll Leave that decision up to you.

Who is going to take home the 2009 world series?

Who will it be? The yankess, they are leading all teams in the MLB according to their record at 87 wins and 49 losses, which is 6 games ahead of the next best record in baseball. Still, other teams are on the prowl for the hardware at the end of the playoffs. The cardinals are hot going into September, led by arguably the most feared hitter in baseball, Albert Pujols with a league leading 43 homeruns.

The yankees lead the American League (AL) east division by 8.5 games. With the Phillies (77-56) up 8.5 games in the National League (NL) east over the Braves. The tigers (74-61) keep winning and are up 6 games over the twins in the AL Central. The Cardinals (81-56) have a commanding lead over the cubs by 11 games. Out in the west, the Angles (80-54) lead the AL west by 4.5 games over the red hot Rangers. In the NL west, the Dodgers (81-56) hold a slight lead of 4.5 games over the Rockies. With all the teams nipping at the division leaders, will any of them catch them? It looks like the Yankees and Cardinals are automatic to make the playoff, you can include the Phillies as well. Can the Angles hold on to there 4.5 game lead in the west with the steam rolling Rangers coming quickly at their heals? The Dodgers have a small lead over the rockies, but the Dodgers seem to have an easier schedual to finish up the year, and a scary good hitting lineup led by Manny Ramirez and Andre Either.

When teams start getting closer to october, intesity really increases on and off the field, we really get to see who is for real, and who is a fake. The yankees should run into Detroit and the Red sox in the playoff, which they are wininng both season seires, so i think from the AL the yankees will make the world series. From the NL the Cardinals are the outright best team in that league, if you dont agree, you dont watch enough baseball.

The Yankees and Cardinals should meet in the Season Finale, they are the two best teams in the league, they have dominant pitching, stacked lineups and defenses that rarely make mistakes. By record is says the Yankees should win, but the Cardinals have the upper hand on the mound, yet the yankees lead the majors in homeruns. So who will it be? I have my money on the Yankees, they have all stars at every position, and Two MVP candidates on the infield, with Tiexera at first base and the ever steady jeter at short stop. Adding gold glove and 2 time MVP Alex rodriguez in the mix you cant go wrong. You can make the argument the Cardinals have the best pitching and the best hitter in baseball, but you cant take away the fact the yankees have deadly hitters, and the best closer in baseball history, Mariano Rivera. The Yankees will take this years world series in 6 games no need for the 7th.