And it’s over!  The final night of the World Series ended tonight in Detroit, with a 4-3 victory, making the San Francisco Giants World Series Champions!  Fans everywhere will be celebrating around the city, eager to purchase their new San Francisco Giants World Series Champions gear.

Everyone over on the East Coast is interested in the weather, meanwhile the city of Detroit is facing a disaster of their own:  a World Series sweep given down by the SF Giants. The Tigers were facing a tall order tonight. No team since the beginning of the World Series has ever come back 3-0 games to win. To be blunt, no team trailing three games to zero has even forced a sixth game. It was basically a question of when, not if.

Previous to tonights game, the Tigers, optimistically, said that they could have changed history; that they’ve won four games in a row before, and that they can do it again. Delmon Young took a more realistic approach to the situation: “I’m either going back to San Francisco to play game six, or I’m going back to Beverly Hills,” he said. “I’d like to go back to San Francisco, but the odds are against us right now, and we’ve got to make the best of it.”

Unfortunately, he was right, and the odds were against him and his team.  Looks like he’ll be on his way home, while the winners throw on their San Francisco Giants Champions Apparel.

The heroes for the SF Giants with their victory over the Tigers in the World Series had to be the pitchers;  Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Lincecum, and Barry Zito. All were nothing short of amazing, and they together provided the first back-to-back shutouts in a World Series since the Orioles and the Dodgers three straight times – back in 1966.

The San Francisco pitching rotation, because of Vogelsong, Madison Bumgarner and Barry Zito have totaled to allow only one run in 17 ²Â / _3 innings vs the Tigers during the first three games of the series. They’re the main reasons the Giants lead the series three games to none.  The Giants’ starting pitchers has taken on Detroit’s entire lineup. Over the first three games of this series, the Tigers have 13 hits off Zito, Bumgarner and Vogelsong. Since Game five of the NLCS, the Giant’s starters are 6-0 with a 0.47 ERA.  That is something pretty special.  Without the skill and power of the pitchers, there is no doubt the Giants wouldn’t have swept.

Rejoice Giants fans!  For the second time in three years your team has be entitled champions of the baseball world.  Time to don your rightful Giants World Series Champions jerseys and Giants World Series shirts and  hold your head high, because through the ups and downs of the season, you’ve earned this one too!

Hey baseball fans, it’s game 162 today, and we are looking at two open division races and a battle for home field advantage. We could have a one game playoff between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. Today’s matchup between the Texas Rangers and the Oakland A’s decides the AL West. All of that before we get into the new one game wildcard round. What a thrilling way to end the season! With the new rules for the baseball postseason, we have five teams qualify in each league, instead of the traditional four. The three division winners will sit back and watch the one game playoff between the top two wildcard teams. Once that game concludes, we’ll be down to four teams in each league, and the playoffs will continue as they have in the past.

The NL is all set, but the playoff matchups can change based on what happens today. However, the AL is still up in the air. Here’s a breakdown of the playoff races so far:

AL Division Champs:
Detroit Tigers

AL Playoff Teams:
Texas Rangers
Oakland A’s
New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles

NL Division Champs:
Cincinnati Reds
Washington Nationals
San Francisco Giants

NL Wildcard Teams:
St. Louis Cardinals
Atlanta Braves

Postseason gear is now available for all the playoff qualifiers, but if you are a fan of one of the teams still battling for their division crown, I suggest waiting to see what plays out today. I’m sure you’ll want division champs gear if your team wins. Either way, keep up with the postseason here at FansEdge and sport some new gear to root your team on to the World Series. Good luck!

This year’s MLB Trade Deadline concluded with a slew of tactical and electrifying moves leaving obvious winners and losers in its wake. While the MLB Trade Deadline can be exciting, it also has the potential to disappoint as fans await the news—did their favorite franchise add to their arsenal of players for a late season playoff run or, is their already struggling franchise packing it in and cleaning house? No matter the outcome–one thing is certain—the 2011 MLB Trade Deadline brought about some serious game changers.
The San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers were among this year’s winners in the MLB Trade Deadline. San Francisco made all the right moves and added pieces to their already stacked lineup with outfielder Carlos Beltran from the New York Mets, and infielders Orlando Cabrera from the Cincinnati Reds and Jeff Keppinger form the Houston Astros. Reigning American League Champs, the Texas Rangers, shored up their bullpen with former San Diego Padres’ relief pitcher Mike Adams and Koji Uehara from the Baltimore Orioles.
High profile losers? The New York Yankees, who are usually making down-to-the-wire deals failed to land starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez who went to the Cleveland Indians instead. And finally, the Cincinnati Reds, who are in the thick of the National League Central race, failed to make a difference to their up and coming team.
There you have it—the MLB Trade Deadline of 2011. Sure—only time will tell the impact these trades bring their respective teams but one thing is certain; this year’s MLB provided fans with a flurry of activity, clock-busting moves and excitement.
If you want to score your MLB apparel for your team’s latest lineup addition, then head into our MLB Fan Shop where you can find a great selection of MLB jerseys, including stitched player jerseys, special edition jerseys, MLB hats and more.

The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team according to various interweb sources. At the moment, then happen to be a fairly troubled Major League Baseball team. I think there was a divorce in the ownership family some years ago…assets were liquidated…franchise players were dealt…camouflage uniforms were scaled back on….

It’s been a tough couple of years.

In 1998, the Padres represented the National League in the World Series. There were quickly trounced by the Yankees and since then, the team slowly fell from grace in the NL west. First ballot Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman is gone. Jake Peavy is gone. I think they even got rid of the chicken.

So yes. The Padres are waiting for their renaissance period. Is 2010 the start of something special in San Diego? Has the new decade brought with it the return of the Padres to the class of the National League?

Let’s have a look.

Everyday lineup:

C – Nick Hundley
1B – Adrian Gonzalez
2B – David Eckstein
3B – Chase Headley
SS – Everth Cabrera
LF – Kyle Blanks
CF – Scott Hairston
RF – Will Venable

UTL – Jerry Hairston Jr., Tony Gwynn Jr., Aaron Cunningham

Starters – Chris Young, Jon Garland, Kevin Correia, Clayton Richard, Mat Latos, Aaron Poreda (possibly)

Closer – Heath Bell

Take another gander at that roster. That’s what 40 million dollars can buy you in the Majors in 2010. I hate to keep kicking this team while they’re down, but there is virtually nothing to be inspired by here. Adrian Gonzalez is the best player on the team by a friar’s robe length, and while he is probably the most affordable player -production wise- in all of baseball, many think he too soon be gone so that San Diego may retool it’s minor league system with a bevy of Boston or some other prospect laden team headed back to the Padres.

To be fair, that is likely the weakest every day lineup in the league. Once Gonzalez moves on, my goodness, I don’t know what you’d hope for at the ball park every day. Maybe a 2 for 1 Hairston Brothers bobblehead giveaway day will be scheduled. I don’t even know how to make a 1-9 lineup card out of those names, although I’ll stick with tradition and say manager Bud Black decides to hit Gonzalez third and the pitcher last. The other seven slots he might as well pick out of a hat.

The rotation isn’t bad by any means. It’ll be difficult to go up against the Lincecum’s and Cain’s of the Giants, the Kershaw’s and Kuroda’s of the Dodgers, and the Jimenez‘ and De La Rosa’s of the Rockies, but there are worse rotations in the league. Correia quietly had a nice year last year, and Latos and Poreda could make a nice duo in years to come. Something to consider though is that San Diego’s Petco Park is the best pitchers park in the league. This team would be better suited throwing the three contributing writers of this blog out there in their starting rotation and spending their money on power/speed/average/lottery ticket type hitters.

Closer Heath Bell continues seamlessly in his transition from set up man to powerful closer, but again, a team with this sort of makeup can’t afford to have their second best player be their 50 innings per year closer.

I watched the Grammy’s last night, and apart from the forced duets that the Grammy producers insist upon showcasing year after year, and the very sad and confusing sight that were the late King of Pop’s children, the thing that stuck out to me most was the Black Eyed Peas. I don’t particularly enjoy the Black Eyed Peas, but many, many people do. The Black Eyed Peas performed a couple of shortened songs with a smattering of backup dancers and DJ’s and special effects. They were on stage for a total of maybe 5 minutes. The band consists of 4 members. The two that anyone who doesn’t follow the band around the country know include Fergie and Mr. Will.I.Am. There are two other men in the group. They were not permitted to sing and were marginalized to the side stages for any major choreography. They were allowed to participate, but no one was really taking them seriously. They were in short, the 2010 San Diego Padres.

Looking back, this preview looks overly harsh, but in fact I think I’ve sugar coated it a bit. Shout for the pina colada man, Padres fans. It’s going to be a long summer.

Predictions:

Team MVP – Gonzalez…for as long as he’s there.

X-Factor – the amazing weather in the greater San Diego area. Should make this brand of baseball easier to consume.

Standing: 5th in the NL West with a good chance of securing first overall pick in 2011 draft.