prag – ma – tism (noun) 1. a practical approach to problems and affairs <tried to strike a balance between principles and pragmatism> 2. an American movement in philosophy founded by C. S. Peirce and William James and marked by the doctrines that the meaning of conceptions is to be sought in their practical bearings, that the function of thought is […]

The Milwaukee Brewers announced a huge extension for outfielder Ryan Braun this afternoon. On top of the $40.5 million that the Brewers owed him on his previous deal through 2015, the club will pay him an additional $105 million between the $10 million signing bonus and his annual pay from 2016 to 2020. MLB.com’s Adam […]

Rockies 10, Giants 2. The return of World Series hero Cody Ross didn’t do much to aid the Giants in their efforts to complete the sweep of the NL West rival Colorado Rockies.  Instead, the Rox jumped all over a very shaky Matt Cain, chasing the ace after scoring six runs off of him before […]

Here we are on 4/20 and somehow, the Cleveland Indians are not only leading the AL Central, but the entire American League at 12-5.  No, that’s not a misprint just because it’s 4/20, it’s actual fact.  You may think it to be a fluke, but they also lead the entire major leagues in run differential […]

Rays 2, White Sox 1. In this pitcher’s duel, James Shields went the full nine for Tampa Bay, only walking one and striking out nine to go along with his one run. John Danks had a great start as well, allowing two earned in seven innings while striking out five and not walking a batter. […]

Red Sox 9, Blue Jays 1. The Sox delivered on Patriots’ Day, pounding the bejeezus out of Jays pitching and starter Ricky Romero, who allowed five in only 4 1/3 innings. Daisuke Matsuzaka was excellent for the Red Sox for once, allowing only three baserunners in seven shutout innings. Jed Lowrie had four hits and […]

There are a lot of reasons that big league pitchers shouldn’t skp the minor leagues.  One that is pretty far down that list, but nonetheless still very important, is learning not to shoplift cheap T-shirts from department stores.  Mike Leake, the starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds that never went to the minors, learned that […]

NEW FEATURE. In this piece, which will run every Monday afternoon, I’m going to look at five hot and cold hitters, just to highlight who’s doing fantastic and who really isn’t. If you want to use this piece for fantasy purposes…don’t blame me if these guys suddenly have a reversal of fortunes. I’m not a […]

Recapping Sunday night’s action including the unexpected heroics of Danny Espinosa and an epic pitchers’ duel ruined in Los Angeles: Pirates 7, Reds 6: Edinson Volquez once again struggled through the first inning, putting the Reds in a four-run hole that they just couldn’t quite dig their way out of.  This was a back and […]

I can pretty much guarantee that you’ve never seen what happened in the fifth inning of the Tigers/A’s game on Saturday night. Tigers ace Justin Verlander, in the set with A’s Daric Barton on first, stepped off the rubber to attempt a pick-off, but instead of turning and throwing to first — because Verlander said […]

It has not been the best season in Minnesota so far. The Twins sit in last place in the AL Central, with a 4-10 record. Their -26 run differential is among the worst in the league. They’ve lost four straight games, two of which were of the walk-off variety against the Rays. Manager Ron Gardenhire […]

Full schedule of games yesterday – including a battle of first-place teams in New York. Indians 8, Orioles 3: The O’s slide continues, as they drop their 6th game in a row. Cleveland knocked Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie and a couple relievers around to the tune of 13 hits (10 combined between Travis Hafner, Orlando […]

Full schedule of games yesterday – though Braves-Mets ended up getting rained out – including a battle of first-place teams in New York. Nationals 4, Brewers 3 (10 innings): Rickie Weeks had a heck of a game for Milwaukee – three hits, including a double and his 4th home run of the season – but […]

Yesterday, it was reported that Major League Baseball was leaning towards expanding the use of instant replay in the 2012 season.  My reaction was that of unbridled euphoria, as well it should have been, but for some reason this news was not received with the same glee by all, especially a number of current players. […]

Coming into 2011, with a new GM and manager and a tenuous ownership situation, most baseball fans expected the New York Mets to struggle. They cut ties with overpaid, underperforming veterans Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, and looked to rebuild from the ground up. The problem is, outside of the core that they already had […]