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For the first time since 2000 the New York Yankees finish the season as Major League Baseball’s World Series Champions. The Philadelphia Phillies made a valient effort to defend their title but ultimately the Yankees were too talented to be denied their MLB record 27th World Series title. To put that in perspective the team with the second most World Series titles, the St. Louis Cardinals, have won “only” 10 titles. There are also eight MLB teams — the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and Washington Nationals — that have never won a World Series.

From signing big free agents (A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia) to opening their 1.5 billion dollar stadium, it has been an exciting year for the Yankees. The expectations for them from the beginning of the season were sky high and for good reason — they have a payroll of over $200 million, which is by far the league’s highest. Although they struggled at times throughout the season and had to overcome a lack of depth in their starting pitching in the playoffs, you can’t argue with their end result.

So, to celebrate the end of the season and the Yankees historic World Series victory, here is a collection of officially licensed gear that is on sale now.

The New York Yankees authentic 2009 World Series Champions cap is the authentic locker room cap worn by the players after their big win. This stretch fit cap is a one size fits all item and is currently on sale for $29.99.

The New York Yankees replica home jersey with 2009 World Series Champions patch bears the official team colors and logos and is made of 100% polyester. It comes in sizes small through quadruple-extra large and is on sale for $94.99.

The 2009 Official World Series program is the perfect way to learn about the World Series. According to the product description, the 250-page program contains many interesting facts and stories like the history of the World Series, full rosters for the Phillies and Yankees, features from some of the best baseball writers in the industry, and insights into the game’s biggest stars. At only $15 the World Series program is a tremendous value for fans looking to remember the World Series.

The Highland Mint New York Yankees 2009 World Series Champions Commemorative 24KT Gold Coin is a limited edition (5,000 made) collectible item that any serious Yankees collector would love to own. It is on sale for $29.99 and will more than likely sell out fast because of its limited availability.

The New York Yankees 2009 World Series Champions Official Club House T-Shirt is made from 100% cotton and has screen printed graphics. It is available in sizes medium through double-extra large and is on sale for $24.99.

Find more deals on Yankees gear at Smarter.com.

This past weekend in sports was one of the most eventful of the year. It was the first weekend of the NBA season, the midway point of the NFL season, the start of the MLS postseason, and the final stretch of the MLB season. Sprinkle in some big games in college football, international soccer, and the NHL and there was really too much to watch on this Halloween weekend.

However, for those that did find the time to take in all the wonderful sports action it will be a weekend they will not soon forget. And for those who were not able to catch all the excitement, here is a quick recap of the weekend’s three biggest stories.

World Series: The New York Yankees inched their way closer to their 27th championship and first since 2000. Joba Chamberlain gave the Yankees a scare Sunday night when he allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, but a three run top of the ninth started by an amazing at bat by Johnny Damon propelled the Yankees to a 7-4 victory and 3-1 series lead. A.J. Burnett will take the mound in game five for the Yankees tonight against Cliff Lee and attempt to close out the series in Philadelphia.

NFL: The Denver Broncos entered week eight of the NFL season as one of three undefeated teams in the league. Unfortunately for Broncos fans, the team will not enter week nine with the same status following a 30-7 blowout at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. The Indianapolis Colts remained undefeated after narrowly beating the fading San Francisco 49ers and the league’s other unbeaten team, the New Orleans Saints, is host to Atlanta tonight on Monday Night Football.

Arguably the biggest NFL story of the weekend, though, was Brett Favre’s return to Lambeau Field to face his former team. Although he already beat the Green Bay Packers earlier this year, it was the first time he has played at Lambeau Field as a visitor since leaving the team to play for the New York Jets last season. He was booed heavily in the beginning of the game, despite there being a fair number of purple jerseys in the crowd, but received the last laugh as he led the Minnesota Vikings to a 38-26 victory.

NBA: Finally, the NBA season is here and opening weekend did not disappoint. We saw some of last years playoff teams take care of business (the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic are all undefeated) and others come out of the gate struggling (the Cleveland Cavaliers are 2-2 and the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets are 1-2). What is more interesting (although we shouldn’t be surprised) is how some of last years bad teams are seemingly worse than they were before.

The New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, and Golden State Warriors are a combined 0-17. It is not as though any NBA analyst was predicting these teams to make it to the NBA finals this season, but their play so far has been less than encouraging for fans hoping they would make a strong push to get into the playoffs and possibly cause some damage.

What do you think was the biggest story of the weekend? Any predictions for next weekend?

Image Source: Guardian.co.uk

After grinding out 162 regular season games and nine playoff games, the New York Yankees finally punched their ticket to the World Series Sunday night with a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It will be the Yankees first trip to the big dance since 2003 when they lost to the Florida Marlins in six games. Although they have struggled sealing the deal this decade, the Yankees history is quite illustrious. This marks the 40th time they have won the American League pennant and a win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series would be their 27th time winning it all.

Of course, the Phillies will more than put up a fight to defend their World Series crown. The match up features some of the best pitchers in the game (Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, etc.) as well as some of the leagues’ premier hitters in Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez. Game one is scheduled Wednesday in New York at a time to be determined.

Other baseball news: The Yankees victory over the Angels and subsequent berth in to the World Series was not the only piece of interesting baseball news over the weekend. After much debate in St. Louis over whether or not manager Tony La Russa would return to the club next year, it was announced that he and management agreed to a one year deal for 2010 that includes a mutual option for 2011. However, the real buzz surrounding the agreement was word that the Cardinals will be replacing hitting coach Hal McRae with a former slugger most recently known for his refusal to speak about the past during a Congressional hearing on steroids. That slugger is none other than Mark McGwire, who was coached by La Russa during his time with the Cardinals and Oakland Athletics.

College football: For those of you (like me) who do not like the BCS and desperately want to see a playoff system implemented, the storm clouds have started to brew with the most recent set of BCS rankings. The top four teams in the current standings — Florida, Alabama, Texas and Iowa — are all undefeated and barring an upset, three of those teams will likely end the season that way. A one-loss USC team comes in at number five and is followed by another set of undefeated teams in TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati. Even if only half of these top-eight teams win out we are looking at plenty of BCS drama and will hopefully move one step closer to a playoff system.

NFL: After seven weeks of play there are still three undefeated teams (Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, and New Orleans Saints) attempting to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins in the NFL history books. The Dolphins ran the table that year and remain the only team to have ever completed a perfect season. The field was nearly trimmed down to two teams this week as the Saints struggled against, ironically, the Dolphins. The Saints found themselves down 34-24 at the end of the third quarter but scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth to secure the victory.

What do you think was the biggest story of the weekend? What are you looking forward to the most this week? Let us know in the comments section below.

One day after the Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies — giving the Phillies a 3-1 lead in the series — the Los Angeles Angels decided to do the same. They were absolutely shellacked by the New York Yankees, losing at home 10-1 Tuesday night. The blowout put the Yankees up 3-1 in the series and gives them the chance on Thursday to bounce the Angels from the playoffs and return to the World Series for the first time since 2003.

CC Sabathia was dominant once again and picked up his second win of the series. He pitched eight innings of mostly error free ball, allowing only five hits while tossing five strikeouts. His only blemish was allowing a solo home run to Kendry Morales in the fifth inning, but was otherwise untouchable. Alex Rodriguez also had an impressive outing, reaching base on three of his four at-bats and homering in his third consecutive game. Rodriguez has taken a lot of flack the past few years for his post season struggles, but with his recent performances he is making his case to be the next Mr. October.

With the game not close after the third inning, the most interesting part of the contest was the work of the umpires. They incorrectly called Nick Swisher safe at second base in the fourth inning during a pickoff attempt, then later in that same inning incorrectly called him out for leaving third base too early while attempting to tag up on a pop out. In the fifth inning the Angels once again received the shaft, this time when catcher Mike Napoli tagged out Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada but crew chief Tim McClelland declared that only Posada was out.

These three blown calls may get swept under the rug because the game was a runaway, but bad officiating has plagued the MLB playoffs and become a justifiable topic of debate. Don’t believe me? Just ask any Minnesota Twins fans who watched umpires foul up their chances with bad calls during their divisional series against the Yankees.

What do you think? Has officiating been that bad or has the media been over reacting? Is it time for MLB to extend the use replay?

Image Source: News Observer

Baseball’s Championship Series are finally upon us. This year there are 4 legit teams that can win the World Series, so it should make for some exciting games. Here’s how they match up head to head.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Starting Pitching: The Phillies have two aces in Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee that can dominate any series. There is a bit of a mystery of who else will start for the Phillies, but they have some solid capable guys. The Dodgers though they don’t have a clear cut ace pitcher have some great depth. Their Game 1 starter, Clayton Kershaw, is only 21 years but has excellent stuff. The Dodgers’ pitchers are going to have to step up if they want to win the series.

Advantage: Phillies
Lineup: Both lineups are very good but in a head-to-head match up there aren’t very many line ups better than the Phillies. They have power and speed through out and not to mention some MVP’s. The Dodgers are also strong 1-8 but they are a little young and haven’t proved it on this stage yet

Advantage: Phillies
Defense: Like the line ups both are very solid defensively. They are solid around the infield and behind the plate. The key will be the weak links in left, Manny Ramirez and Raul Ibanez. This is a tossup but I will give it to Manny at least hasn’t made any errors.

Advantage: Dodgers
Bullpen: This is the easiest one to call. The Phillies struggles in the Bullpen have been well documented. The Dodgers on the other hand have arm after arm that they can throw at you. This is a huge advantage for the Dodgers.

Advantage: Dodgers
Bench: When you have Orlando Hudson, Juan Pierre, Mark Loretta and Jim Thome I’d say you have a pretty strong bench. Phillies have some solid players too but can’t compare to Dodgers bench.

Advantage: Dodgers
Manager: Who would you rather have Joe Torre or Charlie Manual? Exactly.

Advantage: Dodgers
Verdict: Dodgers in 6 games

ALCS
Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees
Starting Pitching: Yankees paid top dollar for their starting pitching this off-season but only trust 3 for this series. The Angels have quality from top to bottom. This is very close but I give the advantage to the Angels with their depth.

Advantage: Angels
Lineup: Everyone knows the power of the Yankees lineup and from top to bottom it is one of the best ever. The Angels are no slouch either. They are also solid from top to bottom but with a lot less power. Their advantage though is in speed but it isn’t enough to overtake the Yanks line up.

Advantage: Yankees
Defense: Both are great defensively but all around the Angels are slightly better. They have strong arms in the outfield and great range in the infield. I give them the slight advantage.

Advantage: Angels
Bullpen: When you have Mariano Rivera closing out games you are in good hands. The Yankees also have good people in front of him to get the game to Rivera. Angels are pretty good too, but not as solid as the Yanks.

Advantage: Yankees
Bench: The Yankees will have an advantage here when Posada is there for two games during this series other than that it is a tossup. I’m giving to the Yanks based off that

Advantage: Yankees
Manager: Soccia has more experience managing in the playoffs.
Advantage: Angels
Verdict: Angels in 6

Shop for MLB memorabillia at Smarter.com.

The MLB Playoffs were alive and well this weekend. Though three series ended in a sweep, it didn’t take away from the excitement of the games. Well start with the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals Series. The Dodgers were up 2-0 after an incredible comeback in Thursdays Game 2. You could tell that this was a tough loss for the Cards because they where expecting at least a split in LA and they were one out away before the Dodgers came back. This set up Game 3 in St. Louis where the Dodgers jumped out to a lead and never looked back. Albert Pujols though he had a MVP type season got little to hit in this series and couldn’t really make an impact. The Dodgers won this series with timely hitting and solid pitching especially from their bullpen. We’ll see if they can keep it up for the next series where they await the winner of the Rockies and Phillies.

Right now the Phillies lead 2-1 with Game 4 later today. If the Phillies win it would set up a rematch of last years NLCS with the Dodgers looking for some revenge.

Now in the American League two series were going on between the Angels vs. Red Sox and Yankees vs. Twins. We’ll start with the Angels-Red Sox series were the Angels went into the weekend with a surprising 2-0 lead. The Red Sox had dominated the Angels in years past and many thought that this year would be more of the same. But it wasn’t for the first two games where Angels starting pitching shut down the Sox and the Angels won each of the first two games convincingly. The Red Sox though were going to be at home, where they had one of the best records in the majors and are tough to beat in the playoffs, and had comeback from a big deficit before in past years. This year was different though. It started out great for the Sox as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead.  Usually the Angels would have just folded and conceded the game, but they didn’t. They fought back and got it to 6-4 in the 9th even then it still looked bleak as they were down to their last strike, against a great closer in Jonathan Papelbon, when the rally started. Erick Aybar got a hit up the middle, then Chone Figgins walked, Abreu followed with a double scoring Aybar. With runners on second and third and first base open the Red Sox decided to walk Torii Hunter to get to Vladimir Guerrero. This was a mistake because on the next pitch Vlady lined in to center and the Angels took the lead. The crowd and the Red Sox were stunned and quiet and after the final out was recorded the Angels could finally celebrate for beating the Red Sox.

The other series going on was a mismatch though the Twins hung in and fought till the end. They were leading in Game 3 till Arod and Posada hit homeruns to take the lead. After that it was never close and the Yankees will now play the Angels in what should be a great ALCS. The series will start on Friday.

Image Source: AP Photo

Baseball’s second half is about to begin, and if your not geared up yet with your favorite team’s gear, you need to be.  Or at least buy your team’s baseball cap to show support.  Sports Authority has every team’s authentic on-field cap!  There are also coupons available to get free shipping and 10% off any orders wit no minimums.  Here are some teams:

Los Angeles Dodgers Authentic Game Performance 59FIFTY On-Field Cap - $31.99

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Authentic Game Performance 59FIFTY On-Field Cap - $31.99

New York Yankees Authentic Game Performance 59FIFTY On-Field Cap w/2009 Inaugural Stadium Patch - $35.99

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more authentic on-field baseball caps.

If you’re a college basketball fan, then you’re sure to know who Greg Paulus is. The Duke point guard has been starting on Coach K’s team for the past 3 seasons, and has been doing a great job as the head man on the Blue Devils.

But Paulus lacks the dominance to really strive at the NBA level, and believe it or not, Paulus has talent in another sport.

Football.

Yep, and the Green Bay Packers know this too.

Paulus, who was a quarterback and four-time all-state football player in New York and former Gatorade Football Player of the year, has worked out for the Green Bay Packers, who are obviously hoping Paulus hasn’t forgot to throw a spiral. Paulus was so good in high school that he turned down scholarship offers to Notre Dame and Miami to play basketball at Duke.

I have to say, I’m a bit shocked the Packers are reaching out so far for a backup to Aaron Rodgers. But I won’t lie, this little bit of news gives me hope.

I once hit an in-the-park home run in Little League. Yankees, are you reading this?

Call my agent.

Mom, keep your phone on.

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Hope you’re all having a great holiday and getting ready for the New Year.

During this time, it’s time to reflect on how your Christmas was and perhaps start thinking about somethings you like to do or maybe have in the 2009. Start lining up those New Years resolutions.

I, for one, would like to lose the spare tire I have and hope to see the Yankees back in the playoffs. Whereas junior in the picture above I bet he just wishes to never face plant again. Safety first!

Happy Holidays!

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It looks like C.C. Sabathia doesn’t care that much to hit after all.

With rumors swirling that Sabathia wanted to stay in the N.L. because he loved to hit and to stay on the West Coast to be close to his family, it looks like if you have enough zeros in a contract, you can persuade anyone.

Sabathia has reportedly agreed to a 7-year, $161 million contract with the New York Yankees. A great pickup for the Yankees if he continues to play at a high level, but there is always that risk. See Carl Pavano free agent signing.

The contract will be the largest ever given to a pitcher. Lets hope this actually bolsters a rotation that really stunk it up last year. I’ll literally shoot myself if this turns into Pavano Part II. Personally, I’ve liked to have seen them sign Mark Texeira. He seemed more of the safer bet.

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