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The 2017 Major League Baseball Playoffs Start Today (Tuesday, October 3, 2017 with the Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card game) Wednesday, October 4, 2017: Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Wild Card game) Thu, Oct. 5, 2017: ALDS 1 starts (Twins/Yankees vs. Indians) ALDS 2: Red Sox/Astros Friday, Oct. 6, 2017: NLDS 1 starts (Rockies/Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers) NLDS 2: Cubs vs. Nationals My predictions: ALWC: Yankees over Twins NLWC: Diamondbacks over Rockies ALDS 1: Yankees over Indians in 5 ALDS 2: Astros over Red Sox in 5 NLDS 1: Dodgers...

Hours after firing Matt Williams as the Washington Nationals’ manager last month, general manager Mike Rizzo said he’d prefer to have someone with “some type of managerial experience, especially at the major league level” fill that role in future seasons. In Dusty Baker, the Nationals found a well-suited candidate. Baker, 66, was hired to be the Nationals’ next manager on Tuesday, stepping in after Williams was fired after just two seasons.

When former Cubs reliever LaTroy Hawkins tried to get Billy Williams to read one of the racist letters he received, Williams refused. ''I didn't want to read it,'' Williams said. ''So he told me its content. People might be angry, but they don't need to revert to that. Someone has to be sick to sit down and write a letter and try to get personal.'' Williams, who broke into the big leagues with the Cubs in 1959, had his own way of dealing with mail. ''When I looked at the envelope and didn't see a return address, most of the...

<p>Is the ghost of Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder out for revenge? One might think so given the brouhaha over Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker's recent observation that "blacks and Latins take the heat better than most whites."</p> <p>In 1998, Snyder, a bookie turned football commentator, was asked why blacks had risen to such prominence in sports. Snyder opined that blacks could naturally "jump higher and run faster" because of their "high thighs and big size." All hell broke loose. The NAACP called for Snyder's scalp. A few days later CBS handed it over.</p>

How do people who say, sing or imply something you don't like typically reply if you were to call them up on it? They usually throw the First Amendment in your face. "Hey, man, this is America. Freedom of speech and all that." Well, that's true, but only to a point. These days speech is only "free" if it's not "controversial." Nearly 230 years ago, our Founding Fathers were uttering some of the most controversial, radical and dangerous speech of all when they were advocating rebellion against Great Britain. In the end, when America finally won its independence, some of...

What is with the revisionist history concerning the Civil War Confederate Battle Flag? People in general (ie those ignorant of the history and/or those ignoring crucial parts of it) associate it with the continuation slavery, whereas Civil War buffs look to it as a symbol of the fight for States Rights vs unfettered Federalism. As a fan of Civil War History I by no means support slavery, and by no means did most Confederate soldiers enlist in order to die to protect that institution. When I was in Gettysburg over the holiday, all sorts of memorabilia was available, including a...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The 3½-year-old son of San Francisco manager Dusty Baker got so excited while retrieving a bat in Game 5 of the World Series that he nearly got run over at the plate. When J.T. Snow scored for the Giants in the seventh inning of San Francisco's 16-4 victory Thursday night, Darren Baker ran out of the dugout to pick up the bat of Kenny Lofton, who had hit a two-run triple. The problem was, David Bell was running full-speed behind Snow. Snow made sure Darren was safe at home. He scooped him up by his oversized black...