EDIT:

I started writing this before the NLCS and ALCS Series got underway. You can definitely see that.

Well…first off…I won my first ever fantasy baseball league. It was a pretty good feeling after being the last owner to make the playoffs and take the number 6 seed. I ended up with a below .500 record though. In the end, it was my Braves who made it so. As a fantasy novice, my team was basically made up of the Braves…from Chipper down to Soriano. Too bad they didn’t actually make the playoffs.

Now…the good stuff. The Rockies in the playoffs? The last time the Rockies made the playoffs was in ‘95. The last time the Rockies made the playoffs and the Braves were not in it? Never. Only this year has that phenomenon occurred.

I think the Rockies will win the World Series…and I don’t think that is hot air either! They have just enough pitching…just enough to win. Their offense is off the wall. It’s one thing to have a guy who will hit 50+ HRs and drive in 150+ RBIs a la Alex Rodriguez, but it’s a completely different thing to have three guys who can hit 20+ HRs and drive in 100+ RBIs a la the Rockies. Even their rookie shortstop Tulowitzki had 99 RBIs.

The Rockies have a solid lineup from top to bottom and they’ve peaked at the right time. A great winning streak to end the regular season against quality teams who were fighting for playoff spots only fueled their attitude.

My AL pick for the World Series would be the Cleveland Indians. I’ve been an Indians fan for a few years and I’m glad that they made it with the core group of guys they’ve had for the last couple years or so. A great 1-2 punch in CC and Fausto Carmona. I think their offense is a little lacking though. In a Rockies-Indians matchup it’s Hitting vs Pitching. It would be an interesting series if that happens….and I would pick the Rockies to win.

If the Rockies win, they would have been without homefield advantage in all three series…how odd is that?

I think some baseball writers are looking at Ken Rosenthal in awe. That being said, I think some of them just decided to stir things up with rumors of their own which are not necessarily based on anything they heard; it’s more their way of throwing their hat into the Rumor Ring.

• The God of Trade Rumors, Ken Rosenthal, has his latest rumor roundup.

• Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports has some rumors up. He normally has great articles on baseball and his rumors seem genuine. But what is a genuine rumor? Ah!

• La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says:

Righthander Carlos Silva had drawn interest recently from Atlanta, Arizona and the Chicago Cubs. There were also some discussions with the Mets, who would have put him in the bullpen. But there might not be that strong a market for him. Silva, a free agent after the season, would like to re-sign with the Twins.

Looks like the Atlanta Braves are really pining for Mark Teixeira. Since Ryan Klesko and Andres Galarraga left the Braves, first base has been a bit of a black eye on the Braves offensive. Adam LaRoche did well last year, but many think he can’t duplicate that performance again.

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Braves have offered Jarrod Saltalamacchia and minor leaguers Matt Harrison and Elvis Andrus. That’s a lot to give up for a guy who might prove to be little more than a rental. In the same breath, is Salty a can’t miss prospect? The last time I heard that title given out was for Miguel Cabrera and that was from Peter Gammons, a semi-god of baseball chatter. So what should the Rangers do?

Has anyone topped the Braves offer? We don’t know. The last time the Braves made a 3-for-1 trade, they came out on top. They sent Juan Cruz, Charles Thomas and former prospect Dan Meyer for Tim Hudson.

It’s a sad period for baseball and it reminds us of how quickly things can go wrong. Former player and coach for the Tulsa Drillers-Mike Coolbaugh- was struck on the head by a foul ball. He died later on Sunday. He became a coach only earlier this month because his children wanted to see him on a baseball field. During his playing days, one of his sons hadn’t been born yet and another was about a year old.

Yahoo! Sports covers this tragedy in-depth. Baseball needs to re-evaluate safety for those involved in the game but not actually playing. Would it be so ridiculous for coaches to at least wear helmets? Arnie Stapleton, AP Sports writer has a story about player and coach safety and this is also at Yahoo! Sports

Last, but not least Tim Kurkjian interviews the Dodgers 1B coach and carries us into the coaches’ world, albeit briefly.

My condolences go out to Mike Coolbaugh’s family. May he rest in peace.

I just had to take a jab at Miguel Cabrera with that headline. Jorge Arangure Jr. has a story about Cabrera’s increasing weight and the belief is that his weight was 260 pounds at one time. If that were true, it meant since he broke into the league he gained about 75 pounds. That’s a lot for any athlete.

Arangure Jr. analyzes the implications the weight issue will have when negotiating time rolls around. Of course, knowing the owners, one team might have a clause that stipulates he has to keep his weight under a certain threshold while others won’t have that. Guess which one Cabrera will choose.

The story is a great read and will appear in ESPN the Magazine at the end of July.

The Cleveland Indians signed manager Eric Wedge to a 3-year extension today. Wedge was the manager when the Indians collapsed down the stretch in a race with the Chicago White Sox in 2005.

Wedge has done a great job blending the veterans with the younger players since he began managing the Indians. If they make the playoffs, the Indians could give other teams in the AL a run for their money.

The recent contracts given by the Indians are a bit confusing. One could definitely understand signing Travis Hafner and the manager to extensions, but Jake Westbrook for 3-years and $33 million? Whoa Nelly!

The Indians’ record with Wedge at the helm is 373-366. Look for them to build on that this year as they try to make the playoffs.

The recent hissy-fit by Salomon Torres may bring an end to his Pirates tenure. He is perhaps Pittsburgh’s most expendable yet valuable players if the Pirates explored the trade route.

Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review thinks that the Rockies could trade for Torres to bolster their bullpen. How will he adjust to the Colorado air?

The rumor mill is up and running around baseball as the trade deadline approaches. There is a lot of talk that Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo could be on the move.

Arroyo did well last year, after the Red Sox traded him to the Reds before letting the ink dry on the contract extension. This year Arroyo is bordering on abysmal in the NL Central with a 3-10 record and 4.78 ERA. He’s signed until 2010 with a club option for 2011 making that the attractive and unattractive part of trading for him. He’s signed for 3 more years but at a somewhat hefty $27 million and if the club option is not taken, then tack on a $2 million buyout.

To view Arroyo’s Yahoo! Sports stats, click here.

We all remember December 2003 when the Red Sox were outfoxed by the Yankees for A-Rod’s services. The Sox tried long and hard to restructure the mega contract, and all it took from the Yankees was some shrewd negotiating with the Rangers who were handicapped by A-Rod’s contract and wanted him out.

Turns out, it looks as though Texas will be the real winners in the current fiasco if A-Rod opts out. But the winner of A-Rod’s services could be the Red Sox.  A lot of guys have played for both the Red Sox and the Yankess such as Babe Ruth but few since have been premier players. Bill Madden and Mark Feinsand reveal that the Yankees do not plan to pursue A- Rod if he opts out of his contract at the end of the season. The Boston Red Sox have other plans in mind. Both teams have the cash to spend but only one is willing to spend it.

This time the Yankees should spend the money because A-Rod is worth every cent. If the Red Sox do pursue A-Rod, will the Yankees really just sit back with their arms folded, or will they make out of the blue signings to appear as though they are making legitimate moves eg. signing Mike Lowell.

This will probably be the most expensive offseason in the history of baseball with the 2007 offseason included. Premier free agents could include:

• Alex Rodriguez
• Andruw Jones
• Torii Hunter
• Jorge Posada
• Barry Bonds

That list includes just some of the potential free agents if deals aren’t hammered out between now and then. There are also great second tier free agents who could command big deals. One thing is for sure, this will be an interesting winter with A-Rod possibly leading the troops. We will see how much money owners really want to spend. Don’t expect much from the Marlins though.

Sad to say, it looks as though Mike Piazza is being squeezed out by Jack Cust and Dan Johnson. They’re both providing offense, so why pay Piazza that much money? In this case, the Athletics will try to trade him and not designate him for assignment like they did with Bradley. Why? Because Piazza is normally on the field. Bradley normally isn’t. It’s that simple.

Could the Braves make a move for Piazza to play first? Possible, since it would be fueled by salary relief for the A’s and not prospects. According to Susan Slusser of the SF Chronicle , teams like the Angels, Twins and Yankees may be interested in Piazza.

One could understand the Angels being interested: Piazza could also spell Napoli, since Molina is bad as a backup catcher offensively. But would the A’s trade him to a contending team in the AL? All 3-Halos, Twins and Yanks- can still make it in the wild-card race. Perhaps an NL switch is safer, but it means finding a team in need of a first baseman and backup catcher.