Fantasy Baseball 2009 - New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a member of Major League Baseball’s American League East Division. They play their home games at Yankee Stadium, in The Bronx, New York City, New York.

The team was founded in Baltimore, Maryland as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901. In 1903, they moved to New York and changed their name to the New York Highlanders. The official New York Yankees name was established in 1913. The New York Yankees are recognized as the greatest franchise in Major League Baseball. The franchise is the defending World Champion of Major League Baseball (2009) and League leader revenue earned and titles won, with 27 World Series championships, and 40 American League Pennants. They have more championships than any other franchise in North American professional sports history.

During the spectacular 1950’s decade, the Yankees won six World Series championships ('50, 51, '52, '53, '56, '58) and eight American League pennants (those six plus '55 and '57). The Yankees lineup included legends Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard (the Yankees' first African-American player), and Roger Maris.

In 1961, teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris earned the nickname "M&M Boys” for slugging several homeruns early in the season. Maris finished the season with the all-time homerun record in a single season (61), beating Babe Ruth’s previous homerun record. With Mantle and Maris slugging homeruns, the Yankees won the 1961 World Series.

American League pennants won

1921, 1922, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003

World Series won

1923 New York Giants 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates 1928 St. Louis Cardinals
1932 Chicago Cubs 1936 New York Giants 1937 New York Giants
1938 Chicago Cubs 1939 Cincinnati Reds 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers
1943 St. Louis Cardinals 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers
1950 Philadelphia Phillies 1951 New York Giants 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers
1953 Brooklyn Dodgers 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers 1958 Milwaukee Braves
1961 Cincinnati Reds 1962 San Francisco Giants 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers
1978 Los Angeles Dodgers 1996 Atlanta Braves 1998 San Diego Padres
1999 Atlanta Braves 2000 New York Mets 2009 Philadelphia Phillies

Hall of Famers

Frank "Home Run" Baker Wade Bogg Yogi Berra Frank Chance
Jack Chesbro Earle Combs Stan Coveleski Bill Dickey
Joe Dimaggio Leo Duroche Whitey Ford Lou Gehrig
Lefty Gomez Clark Griffith Burleigh Grimes Waite Hoyt
Jim "Catfish" Hunter Reggie Jackson Willie Keeler Tony Lazzeri
Mickey Mantle Bill McKechnie Johnny Mize Phil Niekro
Herb Pennock Gaylord Perry Phil Rizzuto Red Ruffing
Babe Ruth Joe Sewell Enos Slaughter Dazzy Vance
Paul Waner Dave Winfield

MVPs

Babe Ruth Lou Gherig Joe DiMaggio Phil Ruzzuto
Yogi Berra Mickey Mantle Roger Marris Elston Howard
Thurman Munson Don Mattingly Alex Rodriguez

Rookies of the Year

Gil McDougald Bob Grim Tony Kubek Tom Tresh
Stan Bahnsen Thurmam Munson Dave Righetti Derek Jeter

Fantasy Baseball 2009 - Pittsburgh Pirates

PNC Park- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team is a member of Major League Baseball’s National League Central Division. The Pirates play their home games at PNC Park, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

History
In 1903, the Pittsburgh Pirates played and lost (to Boston) in what has been recognized as the first Modern World Series. During this period, Honus Wagner played shortstop for the Pirates, known to be the best shortstop of his time; he helped lead the team to many successful seasons and its first World Series title in 1909. The Pirates had a slump before reaching their second World Series and winning their first World Series title in 1925, defeating the Washington Senators. The Pirates made it to their third World Series just two years later, but got sweeped by the New York Yankees in the 1927 World Series.

The 1970’s was a proud decade for the Pittsburgh Pirates. During this period, the Pirates won five division titles and the 1971 World Series. The stars of the team were Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente. Clemente was drafted by the Pirates in 1954, and grew to be known as one of the best baseball players of all time. He was awarded the National League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1966, and won 12 golden glove awards throughout his career. The Pirates finished the 1970’s decade defeating the Baltimore Orioles in seven games in the 1979 World Series. In 1979, the stars of the team included Willie Stargell and Dave Parker.

From the 1980’s going forward, the Pirates have struggled to be competitive in MLB. They began the 80’s recognized as the worst teams in baseball, despite adding popular names to their roster, such as Bobby Bonilla and Barry Bonds. Infielder Jay Bell and pitchers John Smiley and Doug Drabek were other new additions to the roster. In 1988, the Pirates finished the season above .500 (85-75), for their best record in years. Two years later in 1990, the Pirates won the division title, stamping an end to being one of the worst teams in baseball. The Pirates would go on to win two more Divison titles, in 1991 and 1992.
Pittsburgh Pirates of the 2000’s

Since 2000, the Pirates have largely been in a period of rebuilding, searching for a winning season. The 2009 losing season for the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team marks the longest losing streak (17 years) in any professional sport in North America.

In 2007, Pittsburgh hired Neal Huntington to be the new general manager and bring in a new strategy to succeed. Huntington made splashes upon his arrival, trading away many of the star players for the Pirates. In 2008, Huntington traded away All-Star Jason Bay, and in 2009, traded away Nate McClouth. He argues that the trades build a strong Pirates team, beginning with their minor league program.

Prior to the 2010 MLB season, the Pirates made a few personnel changes. They released relief pitcher Matt Capps, and signed four relievers, Octavio Dotel, Brendan, Donnelly, Javier Lopez, and D. J. Carrasco. To bolster the infield, the Pirates signed second baseman Akinori Iwamura, and shortstop Bobby Crosby, the 2004 American League Rookie of the Year. Heading into the 2010 season, the Pirates’ bats are led by outfielder Andrew McCutchen, and the Pirates pitching are led by ace Paul Maholm.

Active Roster
Pitchers
Ramon Aguero
Jose Ascanio
Brendan Donnelly
Octavio Dotel
Zach Duke
Joel Hanrahan
Kevin Hart
Chris Jakubauskas
Brad Lincoln
Javier Lopez
Paul Maholm
Daniel McCutchen
Evan Meek
Bryan Morris
Charlie Morton
Ross Ohlendorf
Ronald Uviedo
Donnie Veal
Catchers
Ryan Doumit
Jason Jaramillo
Infielders
Pedro Alvarez
Ronny Cedeno
Jeff Clement
Bobby Crosby
Argenis Diaz
Akinori Iwamura
Andy LaRoche
Steve Pearce
Ramon Vasquez
Neil Walker
Outfielders
Ryan Church
Gorkys Hernandez
Brandon Jones
Garrett Jones
Andrew McCutchen
Lastings Milledge
Brandon Moss
John Raynor
Jose Tabata
Delwyn Young

Fantasy Baseball 2009 - Washington National

Summary
The Washington Nationals are the official team of Washington DC and have competed in the East Division of the American Major Baseball League since 2005. The team has never played in the World Series and has yet to get a league title under their belt. However, hopes remain high for the team; with plans for a new stadium finally in the works.

History
Before the Nationals
The Washington Nationals is a newly formed team. Their foundation originated from the Montreal Expos. The Expos were eventually bought in 2002 by the Major Baseball League. They played their final game on September 29, 2004 in Montreal, a 9-1 loss to the Florida Marlins before 31,395 fans at Olympic Stadium. They moved to Washington the next season. In 2005 a vote was cast over the future of the Expos and the team was relocated to Washington.

The Senators
Washington had a baseball team before the Nationals named the Senators. The Washington Senators was the most famous team in the area, and they participated in the American League from its establishment in 1901 until 1972. As a reflection of their pedigree, in 1924 the team won the World Series; a feat far out of reach of the current team. The original Washington Senators was transferred to Minnesota in 1961 where the team was renamed the Minnesota Twins. A second Washington Senators (1961-1971) had a winning record only once in their 11 years. The second Senators moved to Arlington, Texas for the 1972 season and changed their name to the Texas Rangers. Washington spent the next 33 years without a baseball team.

The Nationals
The first game for the newly formed team did not go well. Proceedings opened with George W. Bush throwing the ceremonial first pitch on April 4th 2005. Despite a hopeful game opener with Brad Wilkerson batting to get the first hit for Washington, they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 8-4. Fortunately, the Nationals reclaimed some face two days later, beating the Phillies at home 7-3. They would go on to finish the season 81-81.

During the next season, the game opener had an attendance that almost matched the record-breaking figure of the first game of the previous season. This match also went better, with the Nationals beating the New York Yankees 3-2. Things looked up for the Nationals as the unorthodox approach of inviting 36 pitchers to the spring training evidently paid off, giving rise to future stars Mike Bacsik and Micah Bowie. Unfortunately, a series of injuries put the Nationals to draw on every available resource for players and resulting in a 71-91 record for the season.

Despite these decidedly indifferent seasons, the Washington Nationals entered the 2007 season with their sights set on the National League East Title. However, the team performed terribly in the early stages, going 1-8 down and soon slipping to 9-25 after an eight-match losing streak. They were hit seriously by injuries in the bowling and batting camp, as the disabled list grew to an all-time high. With their confidence clearly deflated, the team lost a record breaking 120 games in one season.

Fantasy Baseball 2009 - Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Central Division. They play their home games at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois.

Founded in 1901 as the Chicago White Stockings, they are one of the original teams of the first American League. In 1903, the club changed its name to the Chicago White Sox, after the Chicago Tribune printed the shortened name that had been used on a scorecard.

In 1917, the White Sox dominated the American League with a record of 100-54, a franchise record for wins and winning percentage. They won the American League pennant by 9 games over the Boston Red Sox, and continued on to win the 1917 World Series against the New York Giants.

After an off-year in the war-shortened season of 1918, the club bounced back to win the pennant in 1919. They entered the 1919 World Series as heavy favorites over the Cincinnati Reds, but ended up losing the series in eight games. From 1901 to 1920, the White Sox were one of the best performing teams, winning five out of a possible 19 pennants. After this period of success, the team entered a poor slump due to personnel losses. With a depleted roster, the White Sox dropped into seventh place in 1921 and would not contend again until 1936.

The White Sox finally became competitive again under popular manager Jimmy Dykes, who led them from 1934 to 1946. However, the White Sox did not completely recover from their malaise until the team was rebuilt in the 1950’s under managers Paul Richards, Marty Marion, and Al Lopez.

On December 10, 1975, Bill Veeck regained ownership of the team. Regardless, 1976 was one of the worst seasons in franchise history. By 1980, the White Sox were looking for new ownership, and Veeck sold the team to an ownership group headed by Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn.

The 80s and 90s

In 1983, the White Sox enjoyed their best success in decades. With the leadership of new, young manager Tony La Russa, the White Sox won the American League Western Division by 20 games and qualified for their first playoff appearance since 1959. La Russa went on to win the 1983 Manager of the Year Award. The club slid back into mediocrity for the rest of the 1980s.

The White Sox reached the American League Championship Series in 1993. The team was led by Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, multi-sport star Bo Jackson, Cy Young Award winner Jack McDowell and All-Star closer Roberto Hernandez. They lost the ALCS to the Toronto Blu Jays, who went on to win the World Series.

A New Millennium

In 2000, the White Sox had one of their best teams since the 1983 club. However, they could not carry its success over into the postseason, getting swept by the wild-card Seattle Mariners in the Division Series.

In 2005, the White Sox defeated the Houston Astros in a four game sweep to win the 2005 World Series.

Fantasy Baseball 2009 - Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. They play their home games at Fenway Park near Kenmore square in Boston, Massachusetts.

The team was founded as the Boston Americans in 1901. They were instantly one of the best teams, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first American League World Series in 1903. The Red Sox continued on to win four more championships by 1918. Despite the success, the team's history is most associated with their losing streak from 1918 to 2004. In 2004, the team broke their losing streak, and won their sixth World Series Championship. Since 2003, the Red Sox have competed in four American League Championship Series', and have won two World Series. In 1919, the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, who had played the previous six seasons for the Red Sox, to the rival New York Yankees.

Red Sox fans know 1967 as the season of the "Impossible Dream." The slogan refers to the hit song from the popular musical play "Man of La Mancha." It was one of the great pennant races in baseball history with four teams competing in the AL pennant race till near the last game of the season.

Boston Red Sox fans hold the MLB record for consecutive home games 'Sold Out'. On September 8, 2008, the Red Sox set a Major League record with their 456th consecutive home-park sellout. The previous record had been held by the Cleveland Indians, who sold out 455 games.

World Series Wins

1903 New York Giants
1912 New York Giants
1915 Philadelphia Phillis
1916 Brooklyn Dodgers
1918 Chicago Cubs
2004 New York Giants
2007 Colorado Rockies

Hall of Famers

Luis Aparicio
Wade Boggs
Lou Boudreau
Jesse Burkett
Orlando Cepeda
Jack Chesbro
Jimmy Collins
Joe Cronin
Bobby Doerr
Dennis Eckersley
Rick Ferrell
Carlton Fisk
Jimmie Foxx
Lefty Grove
Rickey Henderson
Harry Hooper
Waite Hoyt
Ferguson Jenkins
George Kell
Heinie Manush
Juan Marichal
Herb Pennock
Tony Pez
Jim Rice
Red Ruffing
Babe Ruth
Tom Seaver
Al Simmons
Tris Speaker
Dick Williams
Ted Williams
Carl Yastrzemski
Cy Young

Frick Award:

Curt Gowdy
Bob Murphy

MVP Award winners

1912: Tris Speaker
1938: Jimmie Foxx
1946-1949: Ted Williams
1958: Jackie Jensen
1967: Carl Yastrzemski
1975: Fred Lynn
1978: Jim Rice
1986: Roger Clemens
1995: Mo Vaughn
2008: Dustin Pedroia Cy

Young Award winners

1967: Jim Lonborg
1986,87,91: Roger Clemens
1999.2000: Pedro Martez

Rookie of the Year Award winners

1950: Walt Dropo
1961: Don Schwall
1972: Carlton Fisk
1975: Fred Lynn
1997: Nomar Garciaparra
2007: Dustin Pedroia

Silver Slugger Award winners

1981: Carney Lansford
1983: Wade Boggs
1984: Tony Armas
1986,1989,1991: Wade Boggs
1990: Ellis Burks
1995: John Valentin
1997: Nomar Garciaparra
2001,02: Manny Ramez
2003: Bill Mueller
2004, 05,06: David Ortiz
2008: Dustin Pedroia