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| Jose Canseco was held for nearly 10 hours by immigration authorities after agents said they stopped him as he attempted to bring a fertility drug from Mexico, according to the Detroit News. Canseco was detained at San Diego's San Ysidro border crossing Thursday after agents searched his vehicle and said they found human chorionic gonadotropin, which is illegal without a prescription. |
Our View: His attorney, Gregory Emerson, declined to say if Canseco, who admitted to using steroids in a 2005 book that also alleged steroid use by other baseball players, had the drug, which is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for use in males. The drug helps restore production of testosterone lost in steroid users.
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| Paul Konerko commented on Chicago's season, which ended in the ALDS against the Rays, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The veteran first baseman said, "All in all, I look at this year as far as the team, and I think we went exactly as far as we were supposed to go with the injuries we had at the end. We got every last gasp out of how it shook out the last month and a half. Guys went down (namely Joe Crede, Carlos Quentin, and Jose Contreras). You don't complain about it. You don't make excuses. But it makes you have to dig deeper earlier. Your playoffs start in September, and it's tough to keep it going. We just ran out of gas."
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Our View: He will turn 33 in March, and will work on his conditioning and improving his health in the off-season after being limited to 122 games due to several injuries.
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| Rocco Baldelli is expected to get his first start of the playoffs in Game 3 of the ALCS against Boston, according to the Providence Journal. Manager Joe Maddon said, "This young man, I know you got a chance to see him a couple years ago, but physically gift-wise he's one of the tops in the American League. Getting him to play on a regular basis, again, would be beautiful. Just being able to utilize him as we have as a right fielder- DH, possibly pinch-hitter is all great. But also his influence and his stability within the clubhouse matters. I'm really big into all that stuff. I think it goes well beyond your batting average."
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Our View: He is expected to get the call over Gabe Gross in right field while facing lefty hurler Jon Lester.
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| Mike Lowell is likely done for the remainder of the postseason due to his ailing hip, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Indications are that off-season surgery should get him back to his normal self in 2009.
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| J.D. Drew was held out of Saturday's Game 2 of the ALCS against the Rays, and manager Terry Francona said the decision was not injury-related, according to the Houston Chronicle. Drew was hit in the right shoulder by a pitch from hard-throwing Tampa Bay reliever Grant Balfour in the eighth inning of Game 1, but Francona said, "He’s not in the lineup, and that’s not because he got hit. We’re putting Coco in center more because of Scott Kazmir. We want Ellsbury to stay in the leadoff spot."
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Our View: Drew hit a game-winning home run off closer Francisco Rodriguez in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Angels, and there is a chance he will make a solid impact at some point during the ALCS.
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| Reliever Dan Wheeler deserves a round of applause for his efforts in the Game 2 ALCS win over the Red Sox. The veteran tossed 3.1 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out four. Unfortunately, his wild pitch in the eighth inning allowed the tying run to score, and Wheeler was credited with a blown save. |
Our View: Wheeler has a very good regular season for the Rays, and he continued that work in Game 2. He did a great job of quieting a Boston lineup that seemed destined for double-digit runs.
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| Outfielder B.J. Upton homered in the Game 2 ALCS win over the Red Sox, but his biggest at-bat was a game-winning sac fly in the bottom of the 11th. |
Our View: Upton came up with the bases loaded and one out, and he quickly got down 0-2. His flyball was shallow, but J.D. Drew's throw was up the line. It wasn't a very good at-bat by Upton, but you can't argue with the result. B.J. has four long balls already this postseason.
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| Outfielder Jason Bay went 3-for-5 with a double, homer, and four RBI in the Game 2 ALCS loss to the Rays. |
Our View: Bay is 11-for-25 with three homers and nine RBI over six games this postseason. Do people honestly think Manny would be doing more?
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| Third baseman Evan Longoria went 3-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, three runs, and three RBI in the Game 2 ALCS win over the Red Sox. |
Our View: The media came into the night mentioning Longoria's quiet four-game stretch. He put his mini-slump to rest in a big way. Longoria continues to shine and add to his very high 2009 fantasy value.
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| Second baseman Dustin Pedroia hit two homers and scored four runs in the Game 2 ALCS loss to the Rays. He went 3-for-5 with a walk and two RBI. |
Our View: Pedroia had his best night of the postseason, but it was all for nothing. It's obviously good for the Red Sox that he is swinging well, though.
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