The New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 Wednesday to win the World Series.

The 4-2 series victory gave the Yankees their 27th Fall Classic crown and first since 2000.

Hideki Matsui was named Most Valuable Player after batting .615 with three home runs and eight RBIs over the series.

The Japanese slugger drove in six runs in Wednesday’s clincher, tying the World Series record for most RBIs in a game set in 1960 by Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson.

PHOTO: New York Yankees players (L-R) Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada (obscured), Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera look at the World Series trophy after the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 to win the 2009 Major League Baseball World Series in New York, November 4, 2009. REUTERS/Pool-David J. Phillip

It’s 2 a.m. as I enter the subway car at the nearly empty Yankee Stadium stop at 161st Street when a man who looks like he could be homeless proclaims: “They don’t look fat this year.”

I refuse to make eye contact although he’s sitting directly opposite me. We’re two of five people on the car and the only ones awake.

“Most of the time, the World Series players are fat, they’re out of shape,” he continued. “This year, the players are good. Both teams. Top players. I like it.”

Whether he saw my press pass dangling from my neck or figured as I was getting on at the Yankee Stadium stop that I must have gone to the game, I’m not sure. Perhaps he would have said it to anyone sitting across from him.

But he’s right. Not particularly about the weight of the players in this year’s World Series, but that the Fall Classic between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies is a good one.

The two best teams are there. The Phillies are the defending champs and the Yankees are going for their record 27th title. And they’re likeable. Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard. Mariano Rivera, Charlie Manuel.

There’s controversy, with long-time Yankees nemesis Pedro Martinez now on the Phillies after years taunting the Bronx Bombers as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

The 38-year-old Dominican pitched brilliantly in a losing effort Thursday night, was taunted (good naturedly, for the most part) and smiled at the crowd as he left the game.

Thirty-one years ago I sat in rightfield at Yankee Stadium when the Dodgers’ Reggie Smith had to wear a helmet in the outfield because fans were tossing batteries, coins and ice cubes at him during the game.

There’s none of that this year.

My subway friend (mid-30s looking) says he’s an out-of-work actor and medical administrator (I’m silently skeptical) but says he loves baseball. He’s been to three games in his life - though none in the last 15 years - but recited the scores and key plays of each.

We talk about the World Series. He’s animated. He knows his stuff. We’ve bonded over baseball. Until 55th Street when the doors open and he suddenly scurries out. I wonder if he has a home to go to.

“Hey, who’s going to win?” I yell out before the doors shut. He stops. Doesn’t turn around. “Yanks in six,” he yells back.

A strange encounter, I’m thinking, as the doors close. It is indeed a good World Series. And no fat players.

PHOTO: New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada (R) celebrates along with pitcher Mariano Rivera (42) as they get the final out on Philadelphia Phillies Matt Stairs to win Game 2 of the 2009 Major League Baseball World Series in New York, October 29, 2009. REUTERS/Bill Kostroun

Major League Baseball teams are lining up to lure Japanese high school baseball pitcher Yusei Kikuchi across the Pacific to join them in an unprecedented raid on the country's young talent.

Kikuchi, an 18-year-old left-hander from Hanamaki Higashi High School in northern Japan, would be the most coveted young Japanese player to join an MLB team, but he is equally desired by Japan's 12 professional teams.

His star rose at the national high school baseball tournament this summer as his 155 kph (96mph) fastball dazzled. Japan's Koshien tournment is a big thing even for non-baseball fans in Japan, as the event catapults high school players into the pro ranks.

Sometimes just one high school star can affect an entire team's fortunes. Masahiro Tanaka, now a starting pitcher for Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles, was a high school phenomenon in the summer of 2006.

MLB, which had previously observed a kind of "gentleman's agreement" with Japanese pro baseball that it would not recruit high school talent, made no overt offers to Tanaka, unlike the aggressive efforts with Kikuchi.  

Tanaka, who won 15 games this year, has also helped Rakuten increase fans. His team is now playing against the Nippon Ham Fighters in its first play-off season, a homecoming for Tanaka as he played in Hokkaido during his high school days and has many fans there.

Kikuchi may become another Tanaka in the future. That is, if MLB teams do not swoop in and remove a future star from Japanese playing fields.

Should young Japanese stars go directly to MLB after high school, rather than staying in Japan for some time to help to keep the local sport strong?

Photo credit: Kyodo

If the broadcasting Gods had their way, this year’s World Series match up would feature the New York Yankees versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Then again, the Yankees’ last championship in 2000, dubbed “the subway series by New Yorkers, was derided almost everywhere else as a contest between “payroll #1 (the Yankees) and payroll #2” (the Mets). Where did that leave smaller markets?

Fans in Milwaukee, Kansas City, Oakland, Pittsburgh didn’t share the Big Apple’s excitement and the much-hyped series turned out to be the lowest-rated World Series in history, according to Fox Sports.

This time, it would be Wall Street against Hollywood, two regions of the country

that consistently sign high-priced free agents from the so-called “flyover states.”

Last winter, the Yankees secured former Milwaukee Brewer pitcher C.C. Sabathia with a $161 million contract (over seven years). Then, former Toronto Blue Jay fire-baller A.J. Burnett was happy to take $82.5 million (over five years) from the Yankees.

Finally, first-baseman Mark Teixeira got $180 million (over eight years) to relocate his family to Manhattan after stints with the Angels, Braves and Rangers.

On the other side of the country, Joe Torre’s Dodgers spent $45 million (over two years) to retain left-fielder Manny Ramirez.

Aside from the St. Louis Cardinals, all the other division leaders (Yankees, Tigers, Angels, Phillies and Dodgers) have payrolls exceeding $100 million. However, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig told the Los Angeles Times that he doesn’t see any disparity in baseball.

“I take great exception to that,” Selig said. “I think this year is an aberration. In the last five years, I think we’ve had as much competitive balance as we’ve ever had. Am I concerned that we’re back to where we were in the ’90s? We’re a long way from that.

“I don’t think this year has discouraged me one bit. I know I’m right, to be frank with you.”

Lew Wolff, the owner of the Oakland Athletics, said: “This is not a blip. I hope it’s an aberration, but I’m not sure it is. If it’s not, we’ll have to tweak the labor agreement.”

Twenty years ago this week, Pete Rose received the harshest of all of baseball’s penalties: a lifetime ban for betting on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds, the team that brought him fame as a player and infamy as a manager.

In return for his admission, MLB wouldn’t embarrass Rose by exposing its evidence against him.

Rose protested his innocence for years, but eventually admitted to gambling on baseball games in his 2004 autobiography, “My Prison Without Bars“.

Former Philadelphia Phillies slugger and Hall of Fame inductee, Mike Schmidt wrote an opinion piece recently saying his former team mate is having to sell his autograph to make ends meet while steroid cheats are raking in millions of dollars.

“Pete bet on his team to win and has been banished for life. (Others) bet that they would get bigger, stronger and have an advantage over everyone and that they wouldn’t get caught. Which is worse? Does the penalty fit the crime?”

“What are you doing?” This simple question is the basic premise of Twitter, the growing social media website that has transformed how many fans get their daily dose of sports news.

In addition to the newsfeeds provided by established brands (@ReutersSport is a good one!) there are feeds directly from the major sports offices (@MLB,@NFL, @NBA). Then there are the athletes themselves, providing everything from perspective on current events to personalized fan interaction.

It seems that athletes have been embracing all sorts of new communication technologies over the last few years.

During the Beijing Olympics, swimmer Dara Torres and NBA star Carmelo Anthony used Skype to talk with family back home.  Former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban have helped bring sports blogging into the mainstream. And in the next evolutionary wave, many stars have embraced Twitter as a way to bring themselves closer to friends, family and fans.

We are given a front row seat to league announcements and rumor mill fodder. Athletes and celebrities alike have been given another venue for their exhibitionist personalities and many are embracing it, even while teams and organizations search for a way to curb and regulate its use.

Charlie Villanueva caused a stir last season by Twittering during NBA games.

Chad Ocho Cinco’s comments about potential updates during upcoming NFL games were soon followed by an NFL announcement addressing the subject. Per the NFL’s Brian McCarthy (via Twitter), “NFL players may use Twitter. Teams have rules re: not tweeting during meetings. We prohibit use of PDAs/phones on sidelines on gameday.”

Despite moments of conflict, there are examples of athletes using these new tools to connect with one another in a positive manner. The recent signing of Michael Vick with the Eagles was met with a flurry of Twitter chatter, including messages of celebration and encouragement from other players as noted in this Mashable article.

Today’s announcement of Brett Favre coming out of retirement to sign with the Vikings was welcomed by a similar reaction, quickly becoming one of the top trends on the site.

Like any technology, the responsibility ultimately rests with the person using it. While there are bound to be further incidents caused by outspoken athletes, as fans we have moved even closer into the flow of information. For those who want to know more than just the final scores, this is surely a large step forward.

PHOTO: Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva watches from the bench during the second half of their NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto, March 25, 2009. REUTERS/Mike Cassese

“The cat - mmrrrooowwwrr - is out of the bag!” - Seinfeld’s Cosmo Kramer upon the realization that his first name had finally been revealed.

Alex Rodriguez (click link for video), Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are among the players linked to performance enhancing drugs. The cat, is most definitely out of the bag.

When MLB players agreed to participate in a 2003 test survey to see if baseball did indeed have a PED problem, the players were assured that the results would be kept confidential. However, after the results were seized by federal agents during the BALCO investigation, some of the names that tested positive have been outed.

The question now, is what to do? Instead of a new name being leaked every few months followed by the inevitable, ensuing debate on what needs to be done to fix the problem, it’s time for baseball to deal with this once and for all.

How about this for a solution — after the conclusion of the 2009 World Series, Major League Baseball needs to hold a one-week grace period. Any player who has ever taken a banned substance during their professional career is allowed to come forward, admit to their foolish behavior and all will be forgiven. The ‘guilty’ will not have their records erased, or even asterisked. Their past indiscretions will not affect Hall of Fame eligibility. Their status will not be questioned by the media after this date. One week of hell for the player and then it’s over.

Too easy, you say. Why would any player admit to this when they’ve been able to skate by so far?

Here’s the catch. At the end of this grace period any player found using PED’s in the future, or if a positive test from the past surfaces, that is it. LIFE TIME BAN! No exceptions, no reprieves. You lose all rights as a ball player. The offending person is banned from ever playing, coaching or even being the team’s mascot.

To make this work, MLB will have to set-up special PED division. It will have an up-to-the minute list of banned substances and experts on hand for consultation. If a player wants to take cold medication or some form of creatine powder, they should be able to contact this office at any time and get an immediate ruling on a product. If this PED division ok’s a substance, a player can take it knowing that they’ll be fine. No more excuses from players saying they took a banned substance unknowingly.

Is this solution perfect? Of course not. But baseball has to act, and act quickly.

A non-profit organization is linking cancer to hot dogs outside one of the most iconic U.S. sports parks.

The Cancer Project is reminding fans of the Chicago Cubs baseball team of the connection between consumption of hot dogs and the occurrence of colorectal cancer with a billboard outside Chicago’s storied Wrigley Field.

The 48-foot-wide billboard (pictured above) — featuring an image of hot dogs jammed into a cigarette pack labeled “Unlucky Strike” —  is scheduled to debut on Monday at the intersection of W. Addison and N. Halsted, just east of Wrigley Field.

The organization is not asking the Cubs to ban hot dogs at Wrigley. (They don’t want a fan insurrection after all). The group even lauds the Cubs for offering such vegetarian options as veggie burgers and hummus at Wrigley. 

What the Cancer Project asked in a letter to Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney dated Aug. 3, however, is for the team to place “dietary disaster” warning labels near where hot dogs are sold at the ballpark since processed meats have been linked to colorectal cancer.

“Baseball stadiums need to be frank about the cancer risk posed by hot dogs and other processed meats,” Krista Haynes, a Cancer Project dietitian, said in a statement. 
   
“Just as tobacco causes lung cancer, processed meats are linked to colon cancer,” she added. “Like cigarettes, hot dogs should come with a warning label that helps baseball fans and other consumers understand the health risk.”

Kenney and a Cubs spokesman could no immediately be reached for comment.

The billboard is part of Cancer Project’s national campaign, launched in July with a similar billboard outside the home park of Cubs rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.

There are no further plans at this point to expand the campaign, a Cancer Project spokeswoman said.

More than 21 million hot dogs are expected to be sold this season at U.S. major league ballparks, the Cancer Project said, citing a survey by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

In March, the National Cancer Institute published a study of more than half a million people showing red and processed meat intake is associated with a higher risk of dying from cancer and cardiovascular disease, according to the Cancer Project. 
 
In 2007, the American Institute for Cancer Research published a report showing that just one 50-gram serving of processed meat (about the amount in one hot dog) consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent, the Cancer Project said. Every year, about 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and about 50,000 die of it, the Cancer Project said.  

The Cancer Project is affiliated with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which advocates a vegetarian diet as a way to better health, based on research and not animal rights beliefs.
 
(Billboard image provided by Cancer Project; Reuters photo of Wrigley)

Today’s report by the New York Times revealed David Ortiz to be the latest in an ever-growing list of Major League Baseball players guilty of using illegal performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Ortiz’s name is now included on what has become an overhyped and mysterious list of names that tested positive back in 2003, before mandatory testing was put into place.

It was confirmed that Ortiz’s 2003 Boston Red Sox teammate Manny Ramirez is also present on the list, confirming lingering suspicion surrounding him ever since Ramirez was suspended 50 games this season for using an estrogen-based drug that acts as a masking agent for PEDs.

The testing in 2003 was agreed to by the MLB Player’s Union in order to determine if mandatory testing (and thus punishments) would be incorporated the following year. Players were aware this testing would occur and were under the impression that the results would remain confidential. Years have passed, but some of the 100 names continue to leak to the media. Many have argued that each leak prevents the sport from healing and that all names on the list should be released once and for all, even despite the confidentiality given to the results.

In his piece “Cooperstown and the ‘Roids” (launches pdf file) by Bill James, James postulates a future whereby “we can reliably foresee a time in which everybody is going to be using steroids or their pharmaceutical descendants.” He ultimately argues that future generations, while accepting steroids as a cultural medication, will not worry about athletes that began using cocktail concoctions and instead they will be viewed as groundbreakers towards health medicine. Considering that there were once times where it was commonplace for baseball players to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol in the clubhouse before and during games, we cannot overlook just how well-refined the average athlete is in today’s world.

That being said, the ethical dilemma of cheating in the world of sports is its single greatest taboo. We cannot deny that the steroid era occurred, nor should we, the fans, or the Hall of Fame. Instead of finger pointing we must agree how to move forward. Instead of the media-driven inevitable leaking of names that will continue and in order to prevent the spread of rampant rumors of clean players, let us release the names once and for all so we can put faith in a “starting point” for the healing of the game.

It will be those players who we have come to hope were not involved that will restore faith in a game that should be a welcome distraction during tough economic times rather than a cause of further distrust and contempt.

In order to put yourself at the top of any sport (or any profession), it usually requires a mental toughness that differentiates you from the pack. A drive to not only succeed, but to persevere is programmed into the psyche for these men and women.

The signing of future Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez and the ongoing saga surrounding former/current NFL quarterback Brett Favre are just some recent examples. To get yourself in the mindset to compete you train your mind just as any other set of muscles, but it can be tough for these greats to just call it quits and walk away. If you’ve never let injury or exhaustion hold you back, how can aging be viewed in a different light?

Currently in baseball there are several pitchers over 40 still pushing there careers. Randy Johnson earlier this season achieved his 300^th win at the age of 45. Jamie Moyer continues his career at age 46 and seems to have gotten more consistent with age. Tim Wakefield at age 43 was selected to his first MLB All-Star game this season while pitching for the Boston Red Sox.

Pitching in what will be his 18^th season, there is little reason to think that Martinez is the same pitcher he once was. He now lasts about 5 innings and while his experience keeps him effective, hitters are no longer terrified to bat against him. With a chance to reach the playoffs one more time, it is understandable why he is back, even if only for one last run.